Nick Orbaen

Nick Orbaen has a diverse work experience spanning several industries and roles. Nick is currently the Director of Corporate Communications at Grayling, a global PR and PA agency. In this role, they serve as the key point of contact for clients in Benelux and is responsible for business development.

Prior to joining Grayling, Nick was the Founding Partner and Managing Director of NO Communication, a strategic corporate communications firm. Nick worked closely with CEOs, VPs, and local teams on multinational change communications projects and reputation risk management. One of their notable projects was aligning global corporate communications with local entities at Barry Callebaut.

Before starting their own firm, Nick worked as a Corporate Communications Strategist at a company called Sabbatical. Nick also served as the Head of Press & PR Department at BAM NV, where they were responsible for the corporate and project communications strategy of the Masterplan 2020, a large mobility infrastructure project in Belgium. Nick was also the official spokesman of the company.

Nick's career began at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where they worked as a Press & Public Affairs Attaché. Nick handled media relations and public relations for all British Embassy events and implemented various public diplomacy and commercial publicity strategies.

Early in their career, Nick worked as a PR Manager at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce for Benelux. Nick was involved in fine-tuning the commercial strategy of the Chamber and organizing seminars and press conferences for Dutch companies in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Overall, Nick Orbaen has a comprehensive background in corporate communications, PR, and public affairs, with experience in multinational projects, reputation management, and stakeholder engagement.

Nick Orbaen completed their Master's degree in Germanic Philology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel from 1980 to 1984. Nick then pursued an Executive MBA with a project specialization in Crisis Communication, developing a 'best practice' approach, at Vlerick Business School from 2001 to 2003.