Is OpenAI a modern-day Icarus?
In 2023, Belgian AI expert Mieke De Ketelaere revealed the story of “Pierre”, a young Belgian father who took his own life after developing an…
Read more Do you know what
people say about you?
We do.
Reputation decides before you enter the room
Your reputation is not just what you say about yourself – it’s what others say when you’re not there.
It’s the impression that shapes negotiations, reassures a potential client before signing, or convinces top talent to join your team.
In short: reputation is the lasting impact of your actions, words, and choices.
When your power move becomes white noise
Air Canada quietly published a “goodwill policy” about a week ago. Passengers scheduled to transit through Belgium during the upcoming strike days can now rebook…
Read more 
Ann Caluwaerts (bpost, imec, cofinimmo): "Reputation is a mattress you build layer by layer every day"
Ann Caluwaerts spent three days fighting with a printer company’s chatbot. Three days of automated loops, fake empathy, and zero resolution. “I went crazy,” she…
Read more 
Pierre Wunsch (National Bank of Belgium): "On social media, if you're not outraged, you don't exist"
Pierre Wunsch runs Belgium’s central bank and publishes the country’s economic statistics. But when a Belgian newspaper took three sentences out of context, years of…
Read more 
Shahar Silbershatz (Caliber): "People are starting to look for the human voice in companies"
Shahar Silbershatz has spent his career solving a problem that haunts many CEOs: turning reputation from something you feel into something you can actually act…
Read more 
Belgian CEOs rank reputation #2 asset, but most don’t manage it strategically
At akkanto, we’ve spent 30 years helping organizations in Belgium and beyond build, protect, and grow their reputation. To mark this milestone, we surveyed over…
Read more 
Manu Leroy (ex-Red Lion/Belgian Football Association): "Reputation comes on foot and leaves on horseback"
Manu Leroy defended Belgium's hockey goal at the 2012 Olympics. Years later, he faced an even tougher challenge: protecting the Belgian Football Association's reputation in…
Read more 
Clarisse Ramakers (Agoria): "Reputation is what people say when you're not in the room"
Clarisse Ramakers knows exactly what she wants said about Agoria Wallonie: solution providers, not complainers. Leading the federation that represents Wallonia's tech and industrial companies,…
Read more 
Eva Smets (Oxfam Belgium): "Every organization has bad apples, we refused to play that card"
"If I drove around the country in a Tesla right now, that would be strange."Eva Smets, CEO of Oxfam Belgium, understands that reputation isn't just…
Read more 
Frédéric Panier (AKT for Wallonia): "I can completely change my mind in five minutes, and that's a good thing"
Frédéric Panier has a PhD from Stanford and could be anywhere. Last year, he's chosen to tackle one of Belgium's toughest reputation challenges: making Wallonia…
Read more 
Luc Van den hove (imec): "We live on our reputation. It's the essence of our business model"
Luc Van den hove runs imec, the world's largest chip research center where tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and TSMC collaborate under one roof.…
Read more 
Marie-Hélène Ska (CSC): "If journalists are looking for clowns, we can provide them, but that's not our mission."
Marie-Hélène Ska, Secretary General of Belgium's CSC union, has clear boundaries about media appearances. In her conversation with Hakima Darhmouch, she shares a striking fact:…
Read more 
On leadership and the power of nuance: A conversation with King Baudouin Foundation's Brieuc Van Damme
For our first episode of Akkanto The Podcast, we’ve invited King Baudouin Foundation’s CEO Brieuc Van Damme. It is Belgium's most recognized foundation, yet few…
Read more 
How a city burns twice: once in reality, once online
Remember the ICE raid protests in Los Angeles last week? While real flames and tear gas filled the streets, something equally destructive was happening online:…
Read more 
Are you building for headlines, or for history?
Remember DeepSeek? At the beginning of 2025, this AI challenger dominated media headlines with its supposed revolutionary approach to large language models, the technology behind…
Read more 
From parties to products: what corporate leaders can learn from political rebranding
In 2022, Belgium's Humanist Democratic Centre (cdH) undertook one of the most extensive rebranding projects in recent political history. After a period of stark decline,…
Read more 
110-meter hurdles: The government agreement is just the first step
The mayors of Brussels were furious. A plan to merge the capital's six police zones had made it into Belgium's coalition agreement – a reform…
Read more 
Values matter, even in the Trump era
With Trump back in the White House, a new reality is taking hold, including for businesses. A reality where, according to certain opinion makers, values…
Read more 
The talent war is over: the employees won
In today’s world, the so-named “talent war” is no longer a battle to be fought. It’s over, and the employees have won. The power dynamic…
Read more 
Not Lovin' It
This year has been an exceptionally challenging one for McDonald's crisis team. From a serious food safety incident to international boycotts and a side of…
Read more For 30 years, akkanto, a strategic communications consultancy, has been helping you build, strengthen, leverage, and protect your reputation.
Some references
