The voices of experience: leading the 2026 transformation
From navigating complex governance to crafting authentic brand narratives, here is how they are helping clients turn the predictions of 2026 into a competitive advantage.
The transformation navigator
Erms Suripatty operates where risk, compliance, and business urgency collide. He specializes in stabilizing high-stakes programs that have reached a critical point of friction, typically characterized by fragmented ownership and executive escalation. His experience across Kraft Heinz, Philips and Yamaha Motor Europe shows one thing consistently: digital transformation is rarely a technology problem, it’s a governance and decision-making problem.
As organizations decentralize tech teams and accelerate delivery, Erms Suripatty provides the operational glue. He re-establishes executive governance, stabilizes multi-stream delivery across business and IT, and orchestrates precision migrations within highly regulated environments. The focus is not activity, but outcomes under extreme complexity, keeping global stability while change is underway.
The ESG & strategy architect
Sustainability has moved from the marketing department to the core of technical infrastructure. Maarten de Haan, with his background in IT and Management Consulting, has turned ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) from a compliance headache into a commercial engine.
In a period defined by the rapid experimentation of AI agents, Maarten ensures these workflows align with global sustainability mandates. By bridging the gap between technical infrastructure and corporate responsibility, he has become an essential partner for companies looking to innovate without compromising their environmental footprint.
The growth accelerator
With over 25 years of experience in B2B marketing and international communications, Ben Verleysen has seen the industry transition from traditional print to high-speed digital automation. Having founded and scaled successful agencies like ARK Communication, he now operates as a Fractional CMO and strategic glue for European brands. He specializes in connecting digital products to tangible growth and leading organizational change for brands scaling across borders, ensuring companies maintain a vital human connection within an increasingly AI-driven market.
The visual strategist
Operating from Brussels since 2006, Emi Sakurai brings a rare strategic depth to brand identity, shaped by a decade of experience collaborating with European associations and international tech innovators. She specializes in the architecture of authentic brands, translating complex corporate values into human-centric visual narratives. In a landscape increasingly saturated with AI-generated genericism, she doubles down on intuition: the one asset an algorithm cannot replicate.
Rather than viewing AI as a shortcut, Emi embraces it as a creative amplifier to sharpen thinking and accelerate exploration. Her recent work with global energy leaders like Helexia demonstrates that a clear, future-proof identity is the primary requirement for navigating growth across complex sectors. By using technology ethically and consciously, she ensures a brand’s visual language remains grounded in its actual DNA.
Looking ahead to 2026: adapt or generalize?
These stories highlight a core prediction for 2026: the most successful freelancers will be those who combine specialized expertise with a broad, multidisciplinary approach. Whether it's mastering the latest AI tools to enhance operational efficiency or navigating new legislative landscapes like the DBA act, these professionals are setting the standard for the freelance community.
As independent professionals, your adaptability and deep expertise in these emerging areas are precisely what companies need to navigate this transformation.
Ready to prepare your team for the shifts ahead? Read our full Freelancer Tech Predictions 2026 article.
