Find the problem, build the solution, improve.
I’m a Rotterdam-based data and digital strategist with twelve years across startups, scale-ups, and one of Europe’s leading business schools. At RSM Erasmus I drive data-driven decision making inside the alumni team, shaping how a 55,000-strong network is segmented, understood, and engaged. Through It Is Leon I consult, speak, and create about data, AI in practice, and digital tools that actually work.
From co-founding a community foundation in Rotterdam to scaling international student housing across Europe, from business development to running data projects for one of the Netherlands’ top business schools, there has always been one red line. Not the job title. The mindset.
My career so far
2013 → nowFreelance LDV Concepts launched
I started out as a freelance creative project manager, working across a wide range of projects: launching my own foundation, tour photography, building WordPress sites for clients, and running long-term festival projects.
Co-Founder, Stichting Dit Is Zuid
This Is South Foundation · RotterdamIt started with a simple idea: Rotterdam South deserved better representation. We co-founded a foundation that ran guided tours, spotlighted local initiatives, and changed the narrative around an underrated part of the city. My first lesson in what happens when you stop waiting for someone else to fix something.
University Relations Manager
HousingAnywhereHelped grow an early-stage platform from 20 to 150 partner universities across Europe and the US. Built two new service models from scratch, and both became company standard. My first real taste of what data-backed product thinking can do at scale.
Business Developer & Project Manager
Unknown Group / Get in the RingManaged international partnerships, led the bid for a global flagship event, and built a podcast and video studio from the ground up, during a pandemic. Proof that stakeholder management and creative problem-solving are the same skill wearing different clothes.
Data Management Officer
RSM Erasmus UniversityJoined RSM to bring structure and strategy to how a 55,000-strong alumni network is engaged, using smart data and marketing automation. Built dashboards, designed data processes, trained colleagues, and ended up speaking at international conferences about it. Won a CASE Circle of Excellence Award in 2024 for bringing marketing automation into alumni relations.