Maarten is a creative entrepreneur, branding specialist and communication expert from Rotterdam. He graduated as a visual artist from the Willem de Kooning Academy in 2000 and has worked in branding ever since. In 2010 he founded RAUWcc, an agency for branding, communication and innovation. Together with his wife Esther he runs BLAUWcc, a gallery and concept store in the Zwaanshalskwartier. He is there to inspire, connect and think along.

As a speaker, Maarten is regularly invited to international events for keynotes and panel discussions. His keynote argues that within five years every self-respecting brand will treat a virtual brand ambassador as a brand asset, in the same way it treats its logo. That makes it a branding question, which is where most organisations go wrong. He and his team have been creating these characters since 2019, so the examples on stage come from projects that ran. Below is a selection of events where Maarten will be speaking or has spoken.

Maarten pops up in articles on a regular basis. The pieces can be about Esther Olofsson, the first virtual influencer in the Netherlands, or about virtual brand ambassadors and generative AI more broadly. He is also quoted regularly on his work at BLAUWcc and in the Zwaanshalskwartier.

Maarten teaches guest lectures at business schools and design schools across Europe and beyond. He brings the same subjects into class that he takes on stage, and students ask the questions a client meeting never gets to. He has given guest lectures at these institutions, among others.

Maarten is at his best when he connects people. This goes beyond networking. It is about relationships that carry weight over time, where both sides actually end up creating together. As chair of BIZ Zwaanshalskwartier, the business association for the Rotterdam neighbourhood where BLAUWcc is located, he does the same work at street level.