Born in Switzerland to Belgian diplomat parents, Hélène de Bock spent her childhood zigzagging across a number of countries experiencing historic changes: the former USSR (Moscow, 1982-1985), the US (NY 1985-1989), Germany (1989-1992) and Belgium (Brussels 1992-2006).
Trained as an economist, she spent her early professional life working in the field of Consultancy (Accounting, Compliance and Risk Management for PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Project Management (DePost), which enabled her to gain in-depth experience in governance, financial, IT, operational and other dynamics inherent to business processes and decision-making.
After passing the Belgian Diplomatic Exam in 2006, she started her career in public service working in the political section at the Belgian Embassies in New Delhi and London, as well as the European Delegation in New Delhi, continuing to develop an expertise in foreign and defence policy issues. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels, Hélène has worked for the Press and Communications Office and the Office of the European Correspondent. She was Deputy Director for Human Rights and Democracy during her last stint in Brussels, from 2013 to 2018.
On a personal level, Hélène de Bock is passionate about literature, politics, music and visual arts (photography in particular). She is married and has three children.
Hélène also chatted with GDL Coffee Break podcast host Khaldun Al Saadi about sustainability. The episode can be downloaded here.