Kris De Bruyne has worked for the Belgian DEME group (www.deme-group.com) for 13 years, initially working in DEME’s Activity Lines Dredging and Offshore Renewables. In 2015, Kris joined Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR), DEME’s deep seabed mining division (www.deme-gsr.com). GSR has been exploring the possibility of collecting seafloor polymetallic nodules that contain, on average, Ni (1.3%), Co (0.2%), Cu (1.2%) and Mn (27%). At GSR, Kris has been responsible for the development of the offshore technology (notably, the Patania I and II program) and has so far, conducted 4 ultra-deep water technology trials at 4,500 m water depth. After the successful completion of GSR’s last technology trial in 2021, Kris’ focus has expanded to developing GSR’s processing strategy as GSR’s Business Development Manager. Kris holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering – Naval Architecture at the University of Ghent (2010), complemented by a master’s degree in Organizational Management at the University of Antwerp (2011) and more recently, an Executive MBA at the Antwerp Management School (2023).
