MSD’s Dries Van den Bergh on career reinvention, late coming out and building LGBTQ+ inclusion at work
In partnership with myGwork
The developments in Dries Van den Bergh’s career path and personal life are an inspirational example of how adaptability, embracing change, and the courage to live authentically can impact your life. From his early days in a chemistry lab to his current role as Marketing Operations and Commercial Excellence Director at MSD Animal Health Benelux, Dries speaks to myGwork about his professional shifts and the powerful personal evolution he has experienced.
Born and raised in a traditional Belgian family in a rural setting, Dries, now 52, recalls a childhood far removed from the digital age. “No smartphones or internet at that time,” he says. “It was normal to have your neighbor kids as friends.” His upbringing was typical: local schools, close-knit family ties with two sisters close in age, and a fair number of hobbies – a love for cars, winter skiing, and participation in the local scouting group. He graduated in chemistry and at 23, he embarked on his career at DuPont de Nemours in the Automotive Coatings Unit in Mechelen, Belgium.
His 25-year tenure at DuPont was a period of significant growth and diverse experiences. “I have held various positions, mostly European scope, in Product Management, Quality Improvement, Sales, Marketing and Customer Relationship Management,” Dries explains. The company underwent numerous transformations through acquisitions and mergers, providing him with opportunities to collaborate with diverse nationalities and visit sites worldwide – opening his mind to diverse experiences, as well as educational opportunities. He embraced each new challenge, viewing them as distinct opportunities to learn and apply his skills. “Each move allowed me to use my skills on the one hand, and learn new things on the other hand,” he reflects.
In a pivotal career move four years ago, Dries joined MSD Animal Health Benelux in a marketing management role. He now leads the Marketing Operations & Commercial Excellence unit – a diverse team of about 30 people. This unit encompasses a wide range of functions, including customer service, demand planning, logistics, data analytics, marketing operations, digital marketing, compliance, and overall business support.
Dries describes his childhood as one where LGBTQ+ representation was minimal. “LGBTQ+ was not very present in our life. It was pretty limited to the gay hairdresser, or the vibrant characters you see on a drag show or a pride.” In 1998, he married his wife, and a year later, they welcomed twin sons, Stef and Mil. They built a life centered around family and tradition.
Despite this seemingly picture-perfect life, Dries had not yet fully acknowledged his feelings of attraction towards men. In 2015, he met Gianni, a gay man 15 years his junior, who played a crucial role in his self-discovery. “He helped me to reflect on my life and gave me the courage to think about a future where I could embrace my gay feelings.”
Coming out in June 2016 was a courageous decision, but it also brought pain to those closest to him. “The very sad side of that story is that my ‘courageous’ late coming out also hurt a lot of people that were remarkably close and precious to me: my (ex-)wife, my kids, parents-in-law…” However, he also found immense support from his parents, sisters, and extended family.
Gianni became an integral part of Dries’s new life, introducing him to a vibrant LGBTQ+ community and a new circle of friends. Their connection deepened quickly, and they married in 2017, shortly after their respective divorces. “It was quite soon after we both got divorced but did not see any reason to wait any longer. For the record, we are still happily married,” Dries affirms.
Dries’ personal development has undoubtedly shaped his perspective on inclusivity, particularly within the workplace. He commends MSD for its commitment to creating an open and accepting environment for LGBTQ+ employees. “From the moment I joined MSD, inclusivity was on the agenda, and a topic that was openly discussed and advertised. As an example, there are various Employee Business Resource Groups, from which the Rainbow Alliance is one of them.” He recalls being immediately comfortable coming out to his new colleagues, openly speaking about his husband and sharing his story in his welcome video. “I hope that by doing that, I also helped to provide an open space for others.”
Most recently, during Pride Month, MSD’s Employee Business Resource Group launched the Belgian Rainbow Alliance, in which Dries will play an active role in building. “Even in a modern, mature and openminded country like Belgium, we need to continue to ‘live pride everyday’. With the launch of the Rainbow Alliance at MSD Belgium, we want to help emphasise that MSD is a safe space for anyone, no matter what gender, religion, sexual identity…”
He notes a significant shift in attitudes towards diversity and inclusion throughout his career. While earlier in his career, the focus was more on general respect and ethical behavior, the emphasis on diversity and inclusion has become more pronounced in recent years.
“Throughout the years, society has changed, with many diverse cultures and religions now living much more mixed than before. It brings uncertainty for many people, with an adversarial reaction, so the additional focus on diversity and inclusion is certainly needed.”
Looking ahead, Dries hopes to see continued progress towards LGBTQ+ equality, both in the workplace and in wider society. He acknowledges his privileged position as an accepted gay married man but recognizes that not everyone shares the same experience. He expresses concern about the selective representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the media, often focusing on pride events or complex and sad stories. He fears that this skewed portrayal may discourage others from coming out or being open about their identities.
With career-based developments from chemistry to his current leadership role at MSD, and personal life changes with embracing his identity and learning to be comfortable in himself, Dries has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of significant life changes. He now lives in Belgium with his husband and their dachshund Pilar, and continues to demonstrate firsthand the power of embracing one’s true self, and the incredible paths life can take once you find the courage to do so.
MSD is a proud partner of myGwork, the LGBTQ+ business community. Find out more about LGBTQ+-friendly job opportunities at MSD.