How it started
Saying Hélène has always had a nose for business is quite the understatement, as she devoted her studies to the art of entrepreneurship. First with a Master’s in Management Sciences & Entrepreneurship (CPME) at the Louvain School of Management. Followed by an Executive Master's in Marketing and Advertising at Solvay Business School of Economics and Management.
Armed with her degrees, she dove into the work field at Danone as a Business Manager in 2011. Here she developed customer business plans and strategies and ensured a pro-active alignment of that strategy and action plans with the necessary stakeholders.
After two years, the family business rang her up and brought her from Brussels to Aarschot to build a whole new business.
How it’s going
Enter the era of Hélène’s curiosity for construction. Together with a tight-knit team, she ventured into the field of light steel frame construction.
They set up a business plan, outlined financial needs, and defined a long-term strategy with yearly action plans. As CEO Hélène found herself empowered to build a market position while managing the daily operations of this growing enterprise. And to make sure she had a handle on every side of the business, she also got an Executive Master’s degree in Corporate Finance at the Vlerick Business School.
The hard work paid off. A venture that started as beSteel grew steadily into an adventure to unfold the glorious potential of offsite construction. The new name: BuildUp. Their trade: shaping the future of the built environnement with offsite construction. Their mission: reconstructing construction for good.
What lies ahead
With her passion for sustainable development, Hélène is convinced that overthrowing traditional construction can be a pillar of the energy transition and economic recovery. The global challenges for the building sector seem insurmountable:
First, our cities need to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to meet the objectives of the European Union.
Secondly, they need to support population growth induced by migration and natural disasters. All this with plenty and affordable housing because the cost of living is rising.
Finally, if we want to battle climate change, the transition to renewable energy is essential.
Hélène’s vision for BuildUp tackles all that and much more. Building carbon negative homes in one day, in one click with digital, circular, offsite construction. Providing everyone with the most comfortable homes, while also responding to the climate and humanitarian challenges ahead. Yes. She. Can.
