BARBARA VERCRUYSSE – CHAMPIONING POWERFUL KINDNESS & TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Barbara Vercruysse is more than a business leader, she is a global advocate for kindness, mental health, and transformational leadership. With over 30 years of experience as a business owner, manager, coach, and operational excellence leader, Barbara has devoted her career to creating workplaces where people thrive while leaving a meaningful, positive impact on the world.

Turning Adversity into Purpose

At just 32, Barbara faced a life-altering challenge: stage 4 cancer. Surviving it gave her a clear mission, to live a life that makes the world better. Later, at 46, she confronted near-bankruptcy, an experience that reinforced her philosophy: true leadership is built on resilience, compassion, and the ability to turn obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Professional Impact and Leadership

Barbara serves as Quality Manager and Operational Excellence Lead at BMW Gregoir, a network of BMW dealerships. She combines high business performance standards with a human-centered approach, ensuring employees can excel while feeling supported and valued. Her work demonstrates that operational excellence and compassionate leadership can go hand in hand.

As President of Professional Women International (PWI)-Brussels, Barbara champions gender-balanced leadership and fosters communities where women are empowered to drive both impact and empathy within their organizations.

Advocate for Powerful Kindness

Barbara is the author of The Path of Powerful Kindness, a book that explores how to reconnect power with compassion in business and life. Through practical tools and strategies, she shows individuals and organizations how leadership grounded in kindness can deliver real, measurable results.

Her mentorship extends globally, guiding people to create sustainable, positive change in their personal and professional lives. Barbara’s expertise has earned her recognition as a Top 10 Global Thought Leader on Mental Health by Thinkers360, and her work has been featured in publications like The Huffington Post and Thrive Global.

Inspiring Through Speaking

Barbara has shared her story and insights at prestigious venues including the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the World Young Scientists Summit in Brussels. Her talks cover compassionate leadership, mental health, and women’s empowerment, delivering a simple but profound message: power and kindness are not opposites, they are complementary forces that drive meaningful change.

Legacy of Leadership

Barbara Vercruysse exemplifies a rare combination of professional excellence, personal resilience, and deep compassion. From overcoming life-threatening illness to guiding organizations and individuals to reach their highest potential, she demonstrates that true success is measured by the positive impact we leave on others.

Through her mentorship, advocacy, and leadership, Barbara continues to inspire a global audience to lead with courage, empathy, and powerful kindness. Her life reminds us that even in the face of adversity, we can create transformative change and leave the world better than we found it.

Connect with Barbara Vercruysse:

Learn more: The Path of Powerful Kindness

Follow her insights on leadership, mental health, and empowerment: LinkedIn Profile