Some 7 years ago, Dirk Vermeiren, our CTO, conducted a training. There was this one guy in the room, Geert Huyskens, who immediately grasped the concept and potential. Shortly thereafter, Geert joined VaultSpeed.
We are extremely sad to announce that Geert died tragically and unexpectedly in an accident in Boechout on Friday May 19, not far from where he lived, at the age of 38.
Once Geert discovered Data Vault automation, there was no holding him back. He was among the first to develop code for the 4th generation of our automation solution.
He worked as a BI consultant on several DWH projects where he helped customers implement Data Vault. In 2019, he became part of the team that pivoted the company towards a SaaS solution player, transforming it into the VaultSpeed we know today. Initially serving as a pre-sales manager, his profound knowledge and exceptional product understanding soon earned him the position of Head of Training and Documentation.
Geert possessed a remarkable ability to produce well-organized, accessible, and, most importantly, comprehensive documentation, communicating complex information in a clear and useful manner. And he trained customers as well as partners to leverage the full potential of the VaultSpeed tool. The impact of his training was evident in the feedback we received, with two thumbs-ups highlighting both his experience and engaging training style. In fact, one attendee even remarked that Geert ‘made VaultSpeed appear almost cool’.
He was also the driving force behind our hands-on demo sessions, always building new demo scenarios and training data models.
Geert was a cheerful guy and a wonderful colleague, being an excellent companion during long flights towards conferences abroad, late-night work, or at team gatherings. He was also serious and professional, questioning solutions, delivering and planning ahead, … while promoting the wine from the family vineyard, transforming cars with his brother for banger racing, and joining colleagues for after-hours cycling trips. He celebrated life, living it at 200kph.
At the same time, Geert was always ready to help anyone, with anything. We will very much miss his good spirits and the jokes, smiles, and laughter. His positive vibe made all our jobs a bit easier and made our team feel like a family.
It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye.
