Vandelanotte Simon

Simon Vandelanotte (1990), SAP Data & AI Solution Lead at delaware, profiles himself as a tech-optimist who actively uses his leadership position to dismantle bias. He distinguishes himself by moving beyond passive mentorship to active sponsorship, using his influence to advocate for the advancement of underrepresented groups.

Vandelanotte oversees a team of 45 people and shapes the strategy around SAP Data & AI. However, his candidacy for Inclusive Tech Champion is rooted in his concrete HR interventions. He structurally removed bias from the recruitment process within his solution, reportedly achieving a 50% diverse hiring rate annually regarding gender, background, education, etc. Furthermore, he fights ageism by ensuring young talent is granted leadership positions in Centers of Excellence regardless of their seniority, or by giving them a seat at the extended management meetings.

He is an active member of delaware’s DEI group and organizes bias-awareness sessions for leadership teams. Vandelanotte explicitly differentiates his approach from standard coaching. ‘For me, there’s an important difference between mentorship and sponsorship. Mentorship is about offering guidance, advice, and support: helping someone grow. Sponsorship, on the other hand, means actively advocating for someone’s advancement, creating opportunities, and using my influence to help them move forward.’ Simon Vandelanotte has now reached a level of experience, gaining more influence within the organization and across his network, and he wants to use that position for good by actively sponsoring others. ‘Especially women, because I do believe they are yet not sponsored enough’, according to Vandelanotte.