Former editor-in-chief An Goovaerts joins the Whyte Corporate Affairs team

Brussels, 14 January 2026. Former editor-in-chief of Trends, De Morgen and VTM Nieuws, An Goovaerts (48), joins the Whyte Corporate Affairs team as Director. As a member of the recently established Executive Committee, she will help shape the further development of the corporate communications activities and the overall future of Whyte Corporate Affairs.

Strategic corporate communications is one of the cornerstones on which the communications consultancy is built. For 17 years, Whyte Corporate Affairs has been advising companies, organizations and decision-makers on translating strategic decisions into clear, impactful messages that support its clients' reputations and business objectives. The agency offers a range of services such as building media relations, media training, crisis communication, financial communication and the positioning of CEO’s and managers.

Expanding and enriching the services

With the arrival of An Goovaerts, Whyte Corporate Affairs is underlining its ambition to grow its corporate communications activities, with the agency seeking to strategically broaden and deepen its services.

Eveline De Ridder, partner at Whyte Corporate Affairs: "The arrival of AI, the changing economic landscape and global political developments mean that many companies need to communicate more actively, intensively and extensively with all their stakeholders. Meanwhile, the number of communication channels is increasing, as is the number of communications. Think of the growing importance of social media, podcasts, video, etc., and the ever-increasing need for distinctive, relevant content. Whyte has been responding to these new developments for some time, and together with An, we want to expand and enrich the quality of our corporate communications offering.”

An Goovaerts, director at Whyte Corporate Affairs: “For the past 25 years, I have been active in the media and communications sector as editor-in-chief, spokesperson, crisis communicator and HR Strategy Director at DPG Media. At Whyte Corporate Affairs, I can combine my expertise in strategic thinking with translating complex messages into relevant, high-quality content on the right channels. I look forward to sharing my journalistic know-how, but also to applying my experience in M&A, repositioning, change processes, and HR issues. Whyte has a fantastic team and I am convinced that, together with all our clients, we can shape the future of corporate communications.”

Executive Committee takes on day-to-day management

Whyte Corporate Affairs experienced significant growth in 2025 with the acquisition of the Dutch agency Public Matters and the establishment of Whyte EU. In order to steer the growth story of Whyte Corporate Affairs in the right direction, Whyte launched an Executive Committee (EXCO) at the beginning of 2026. The EXCO translates the vision of the board of directors into clear strategic priorities.

Partner Philip Naert takes on the role of Managing Partner and sits on the EXCO alongside Joost Germis, Florence Jaspart (director), Ischa Lambrechts (director), An Goovaerts (director) and Frank Verschueren (COO).

Philip Naert, managing partner: "The EXCO addresses the strategic challenges facing Whyte ​ Corporate Affairs, provides strategic direction and is responsible for day-to-day management. It is our responsibility to realise our growth ambitions, both in terms of content and budget, and to involve all Whyte Corporate Affairs employees in this process. I am confident that we have all the qualities we need to write a success story in the coming years."

Founding partners Emmanuel Goedseels, Eveline De Ridder, Joris Bulteel and Sandrine Agie will remain actively involved in the agency through their client work on strategic projects and, in their board capacity, will guide the further growth of the group, which today consists of Whyte EU, Public Matters and StudioTokyo.