The Administrator

Laurent Despy has been the Administrator of ARES since July 2020.

Working with a team of more than seventy people, he oversees the administrative and financial management of ARES and supports the work of its Board of Directors and advisory bodies.

Graduated in journalism and communication from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Laurent Despy began his professional career as spokesperson for Philippe Busquin. He then became political secretary at the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. In 2003, he was appointed Government Delegate to the ULB. Subsequently, in 2007, he became Government Commissioner to the Université de Liège (ULiège). In 2011, he was elected administrator of the same university. 

Laurent Despy defines himself as a facilitator. To meet the many challenges facing higher education (shortage of resources, competition in teaching and research, international and national pressure, access to quality education for as many people as possible, constant changes to regulatory frameworks, the digital revolution, etc.), he wants to serve institutions, build bridges between them and other players in higher education, and create the conditions for ongoing dialogue between their leaders.