Mark Vanderbeeken is a specialist in visioning, identity development and strategic communications and worked in Italy, Denmark, the USA and Belgium.
He was communications manager of Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (Ivrea, Italy), European communications coordinator for the World Wide Fund for Nature (or WWF, Copenhagen, Denmark), marketing director of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects (New York, USA) and chief press officer of Antwerp 93, Cultural Capital of Europe (Antwerp, Belgium).
He is the author of Experientia’s successful experience design blog Putting People First, set up a professional blog on e-democracy, and writes for Core77, the well-known USA-based online design magazine. Since recently he is also acting as communications director for UXnet, the global user experience network.
He studied visual and cognitive psychology at the University of Leuven, Belgium and obtained a Masters Degree in cognitive psychology at Columbia University, New York.
Leading up and during the PICNIC 2008 event, Putting People First will act as the event's media partner (see www.picnicnetwork.org/page/21918/en).