Nicolas Deruytter

We consciously build a safe environment where people can learn and make mistakes.

Skyhaus’ impressive track record, which includes AI company ML6 under its wings, is due in part to founder Nicolas Deruytter’s vision on people management. It’s certainly for good reason that he has been nominated for this year’s ICT & Digital Coach of the Year award. “In order to be relevant and agile in the rapidly changing world of AI, we apply a number of fixed principles. Everything we do, we base on those principles,” he says.

What does inspirational and coaching leadership mean to Nicolas Deruytter?

“Our fixed principles form a solid basis for our ability to be flexible in the ever-changing world of AI. Empowerment is very important. Every employee can make a real impact with us. Learning, caring and purpose-driven are ingrained in our culture. We consciously build a safe environment where people can learn and make mistakes. There is no room for incompetence. Open communication & feedback, inclusivity & diversity, and ethics & responsibility are also part of our founding principles.”

“For us, open agendas and open communication are the standard, regardless of the title that appears next to your name. Good arguments, based on data, prevail over opinions. In addition, we are convinced that diversity is an absolute must to get ahead: different perspectives and backgrounds demonstrably lead to more creativity and innovation in AI.”

Which personal achievements is Nicolas most proud of?

“There are quite a few things I’m proud of. For example, we started three spin-offs, and a fourth is in the pipeline. Each and every one of the spin-offs is led by ex-ML6 employees who we train to become entrepreneurs. We have since launched in three different countries and the team has grown from 40 people to 150, and by the end of September we are headed towards 200 employees. We received recognition and awards, both at home and abroad, from the Financial Times, DataNews and Google, among others.”

“I am also proud of the fact that half of our contract proposals go to women, and that we count 26 nationalities among our employees. Finally, I look with great satisfaction at what we call the ML6 mafia: apart from our spin-offs, five of our people started their own company last year.”