In this interview, we had a chat with Stef Tops, Digital Analyst and AI specialist at the Value Hub. Discover all about Stef’s road to AI, what made him go for it and what’s next. Or how the inspired student became an inspiring teacher.
First things first. Who are you and what’s your role within The Value Hub?
“My name is Stef, I’m 30 years old and I’ve been working at The Value Hub since October 2022. I’ve always worked in consultancy. Before joining The Value Hub, I worked on temporary, mainly longterm assignments, mostly in the public sector. But I felt it was time for a change: different projects, a different approach. That’s when I decided to take the leap and join The Value Hub. And it turned out to be a great move.
Today, I work as a digital analyst, serving as the bridge between IT and business by translating technical requirements into business-friendly solutions. I spend most of my time on client projects where I help align IT capabilities with business needs.
In addition to that, I’m actively involved in AI initiatives within The Value Hub.
I give AI trainings and workshops in companies, covering everything from general AI awareness to hands-on prompting techniques.
My main goal? Helping others explore how AI can create real value.“
Let’s go back to the beginning of that AI journey. How did you grow into it? And where did it start?
I was the first in line to try the moment ChatGPT launched! Or at least, I was immediately triggered.
“The Bewire AI conference was a real turning point for me. I remember myself thinking: “This is going to change everything, and I need to keep up. If I don’t, others will pass me by, and I’ll get left behind.” It really hit me how important it is to engage with this. That moment was a true eye-opener.
The first thing I did when I woke up the day after was opening ChatGPT and starting to use it. Just giving it a try at first, a little experimentation. A few weeks later, there was a call for someone within The Value Hub to help shape our AI story. I volunteered, and the rest is history. Or that’s where my story started for real.
At first, I took a few basic courses on AI to get some background, so I’d at least understand what it was about and how it worked.
But after that smooth start, I was pretty much thrown into it. After just a month, I was asked to give my first keynote at Voka Limburg. That was a unique experience. I was able to talk about it, but honestly, at this point, I didn’t fully understand how everything worked yet.”
Like learning to swim by getting thrown in the deep end?
“Exactly. But it teaches you something valuable: just go for it. In the end, you’re sharing your own story. Since then, a lot has happened. I’ve given many trainings and workshops, started a postgraduate program in AI, and made huge progress in just over a year, both in terms of content and personal growth.
Presenting used to stress me out. Until now, because I know what I’m talking about. That has been a big personal shift for me.”
Balancing a postgraduate program with a full-time job isn’t easy. How did that go?
You know going in that it’ll take time. But if you’re motivated, it’s totally doable.
“I’d really recommend this postgraduate program (PXL NeXT) to anyone, no matter your background. It teaches you a certain way of thinking which is useful in all kind of contexts.
What struck me is that we think in the same way at The Value Hub: start from a problem you want to solve, and then see if AI is the right solution.
That mindset – first analyzing, then tackling things – really resonated with me.
And the business-case approach? We apply it to almost all of our projects.”
What’s your next challenge? What would you still like to do?
“I’ll be helping support the postgraduate AI program at VIVES Hogeschool. That’ll be a challenge, since I only just finished it myself. But I’m looking forward to diving even deeper.
I am gradually making the shift to work on dedicated AI projects. And I definitely want to keep giving trainings, I really enjoy that.”
The student becomes the teacher. What do you enjoy about training others?
In AI trainings, you often see participants get really enthusiastic. That doesn’t always mean they’ll start using it right away, but they’re excited. You often get great feedback afterwards, and that’s a sign that people get real value out of it. “
In the end, that’s the goal of our trainings: to inspire people to actually start using AI.
Inspired by Stef’s road to AI and his growth story? Discover your career opportunities at The Value Hub here or check out what the the Bewire network could do for you!