Veronique Claessens has been appointed as the Flemish Master Builder. The Flemish government made the announcement yesterday. Claessens is the first woman to hold the post.
Veronique Claessens will start work as Flemish Master Builder on 1 October 2025. The architect succeeds Erik Wieërs, the current holder of the job.
Claessens is currently director of spatial planning at the city of Genk (Limburg) and is eager to use that experience in her future position.
'Thanks to my experiences, I know very well what local government needs and what added value a Flemish Master Builder can have for local government administrations. I'm itching to apply that experience to the Flemish level soon.'
What does a Flemish Master Builder do?
The job of the Flemish Master Builder is to promote the quality of architecture and the spatial environment in Flanders. Together with her team, she guides the selection procedures for buildings, public spaces and infrastructure. In addition, the Master Builder contributes to vision creation and social debate on themes such as housing, mobility and sustainable building.
It is still a bit early to spell out specific ambitions, she says. ‘I mainly think that a master builder should inspire and that we should come up with solutions to the known challenges in terms of housing and climate. Before setting the main priorities, I first want to take my time with my team.'
Claessens’s appointment as Flemish Master Builder runs until 30 September 2030.
3 Other appointments
The Flemish government made 3 further appointments. From 1 August 2025 Piet Demunter becomes managing director of the Flanders Investment and Trade Agency (FIT).
Benediekt Van Damme becomes administrator general of the Flemish Housing Agency and Bart De Schutter becomes managing director at the Flemish Land Agency.