Full Stack Developer · Planaxis · Belgium

KEVIN BEKEN

PHP roots since 2004, today at home in Symfony, React and Java Spring — and deepening my knowledge in AI. Making technology understandable for everyone: that is my guiding thread. Digital meets human.

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Kevin Beken
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Profile

Full stack developer with more than 18 years of hands-on experience in Java, PHP and React — and everything in between. My career began with large enterprise projects: from the booking application for NMBS-SNCB and international meeting platforms for Amadeus, to a job platform for VDAB, through to the cloud reservation and carwash systems I am building and leading today at Tracs Systems. I am equally at home as a developer, analyst, DevOps engineer or technical lead — it is the breadth that drives me.

What truly defines me is that I do not stop building after work. Under my side business / freelance Planaxis I develop my own products: MyWorkPlanner, a SaaS platform that enables handymen to manage their entire workflow from initial inspection to invoice, and GetBalanza, a budget management tool used by financial budget coaches with their clients. Before that, Z-KOO was already in production: a modular application platform with SSO and numerous API integrations. I have been building websites for small business owners since 2013.

A passion for learning is the common thread in everything I do. I obtained two degrees with great distinction, earned certificates including Sun Certified Java Programmer and ITIL V3, and continued to develop myself in areas ranging from clean code and DDD to GDPR and mobile development. Today I also guide others in AI applications.

Outside my professional life I commit myself just as fully. At badminton club Smash BC I have been competition coordinator, webmaster and Point of Contact for Integrity for more than 8 years — a trusted contact person for members with integrity-related concerns. In 2024 I co-organised the European Senior Badminton Championships and managed the complete accreditation process for 1,600 participating players. I am also a board member and digital lead at HNsoulpreneurs, a company that connects entrepreneurs in a warm-hearted way.

Above all, I am a proud father of two daughters — born in 2022 and 2025. Quality time with them is my greatest priority: discovering and experiencing things together, and heading off at least once a year on a proper family holiday. They are the reason why digital meets human means more to me than just a tagline.

Personal Skills

Critical ThinkingProblem SolvingGrowth MindsetContinuous LearningAgile MindsetInnovationOwnershipSelf-StarterLeadershipStrategic ThinkingEntrepreneurshipCreativityTeam PlayerEmpathyIntegrityCommunicationIT Translation to PeopleStakeholder ManagementMentoringCustomer FocusAdaptabilityResilienceTime ManagementAttention to DetailDesign ThinkingUX ThinkingRequirements AnalysisBusiness AnalysisSystems ThinkingAutomation MindsetDevOps CultureQuality MindsetTest-Driven ThinkingClean CodeArchitecture ThinkingFull Stack Vision
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Work Experience

Side Business / Freelance — Planaxis
2025
— hedenBelgië
Founder — GetBalanza
Planaxis

Product for managing financial budgets: always a clear overview of which budget goes where and where it comes from. Distributed via financial budget coaches.

  • Complete budget and cash flow management in a single overview
  • Categorise income and expenditure by budget line
  • Insight into the origin and destination of every amount
  • Coaching module: budget coaches manage and support their clients
  • Distribution model exclusively via certified budget coaches
PHPSymfonyReactTypeScriptMySQLREST API
2021
— hedenBelgië
Founder & Full Stack Developer — MyWorkPlanner
Planaxis

Own SaaS application for fully managing projects for handymen: from initial inspection to final invoice and evaluation report.

  • Schedule and record initial inspections
  • Manage before and after photos per project
  • Create and follow up on quotes
  • Manage material orders
  • Generate and send invoices
  • Compile evaluation reports
PHPSymfonyReactTypeScriptMySQLREST API
2014
— 2017België
Founder & Developer — Z-KOO
Planaxis

Online platform allowing users to install and manage various applications from a single environment. Authentication via Active Directory and other identity providers.

  • Modular architecture: applications installable as plug-ins
  • Authentication via Active Directory and external identity servers (SSO)
  • Integrations with various external APIs
  • Fully proprietary platform built from the ground up
PHPjQueryActive DirectorySSOSAMLMyProfileREST APIMySQL
2013
— hedenBelgië
Web Developer — Small Businesses
Planaxis

Bespoke websites for small businesses and associations: from design to delivery and maintenance.

  • Badminton Limburg — club website
  • Herstellingen Pouillon — business website
  • Requirements analysis, design and implementation
WordPressPHPHTML5CSS3Responsive designsJavaScript
Employment as Employee
okt 2018
— hedenTessenderlo
Fullstack Developer & Lead Backoffice — PayWashGo
Tracs Systems
  • Architectural assistance (Domain Driven Design + Test Driven)
  • DevOps: automated deployments and installations
  • Frontend development in React
  • Migration of all PHP applications to Symfony 5.4 LTS
Lead Backoffice — from 2021
  • Technical lead of the complete backoffice development
  • Full refactoring towards a readable, maintainable and testable architecture
  • Converting a non-responsive backoffice into a fully responsive application
Build, Deploy & Processes — 2026
  • Fully automated build and deploy process via Azure DevOps — 100 carwashes supplied with a new version within 1 hour
  • Analysis and implementation of development processes within the dev team
PHP 7.4PHP 8.3Symfony 5.4Symfony 6.4Symfony 7.4StimulusTypeScriptTurboTurbo DriveSymfony UX Live ComponentsReactMySQLDDDTDDResponsive DesignPeppol BIS 3SEPAMultiSafepayDigitealTCPDFAzure DevOps
okt 2016
— hedenTessenderlo
Fullstack Developer — PlanBookGo
Tracs Systems

Cloud reservation platform: room bookings, equipment, services, event tickets. Integrations with Outlook, Gmail and accounting software.

  • Backend, frontend and API development
  • Migration from Symfony 2.8 to 5.4 LTS
  • Architectural renewal with dependency injection
PHP 7.0–7.4Symfony 2.8–5.4MySQLjQueryTwigPHPUnitScrum
okt 2015
— sep 2016Brussel
Java Consultant — VDAB
BTR Consulting

Platform for job listings: citizens search for vacancies, employers post offers.

  • Public website and employer module
  • Communication channels (e-mail, SMS, letters)
  • Performance optimisations and caching
  • Migration Java 7 → Java 8
Java 6/7/8Spring BootVaadinSpring BatchAngularScrum
sep 2015
— okt 2015Swalmen (NL)
Java Developer — MERPO
XePOS

Label generation for a logistics company (Dunlop storage). Transport labels for 5 countries under high time pressure (3 weeks).

ZPLJava 6AS400JUnitEclipse RCP
jul 2015
— sep 2015Maastricht
Java Consultant — Vodafone
XePOS

Portal website for subscription management for customers and Vodafone employees.

Java 8Spring BootCucumberOracle DBAngularMaven
jan 2014
— jul 2015Vilvoorde
Groovy Developer — Amadeus
XePOS

Platform for cost-optimal meeting planning: combining taxi rides, train, aeroplane and video conferencing to calculate the most cost-effective international meeting location.

GroovyAria TemplatesSOAPRESTHTML5CSS3
sep 2012
— jul 2015Vilvoorde
PHP Developer — Amadeus / NMBS-SNCB
XePOS

Maintenance and further development of the booking application for the Belgian railways, including integration into other Amadeus products.

Zend PHPDOJOPHPUnitSVNSOAPREST
mrt 2012
— mei 2012Jette
Java & App Developer — State of Art
XePOS

ERP system for clothing stock management plus a mobile app for representatives of the clothing brand State of Art.

Java 6Eclipse RCP/RAPPhoneGapCordovajQueryAS400HTML5CSS3Hybride Mobile Apps
jan 2012
— feb 2012Brussel
SOA Consultant — Flemish Government
Talent Planet (via HP)

Two government platforms: a career transition application and MAGDA (personal data retrieval).

SOA Suite 10g/11gBPELSOAPREST
aug 2010
— dec 2011Erembodegem
Solution Consultant — Certipost (now Basware)
Talent Planet

Digital invoicing: converting XML files between ERP systems (SAP, Navision, Exact) via mapping and transformation.

XSLXSLTXSL-FOEDIXMLOracle PL/SQL
sep 2009
— feb 2010Hasselt
Java Developer — Timesheet Application
XePOS

Internal timesheet application built in modern technology, later extendable for external clients.

Java 6SpringHibernateFlexBlaze DSAS400
sep 2008
— aug 2009Eindhoven
Java Developer — WPS Car Park
XePOS

Support in the development of software for managing machines and barriers in car parks.

Java 6SpringHibernateFlexLifecycle ES
Active Side Roles
okt 2024
— hedenBelgië
Board Member & Digital Lead — HNsoulpreneurs
HNsoulpreneurs

HNsoulpreneurs is a company that connects entrepreneurs in a warm-hearted way. In addition to my board mandate I actively manage all digital aspects.

  • Strategic decision-making as a board member
  • Management and development of the website(s)
  • Automation of digital processes
  • Email hosting and DNS configuration and management
  • Responsible for the complete digital operations
PHPDigitale ondersteuningHTML/CSSEmailhostingDNSCaptivation Hub
Voluntary Work
2016
— hedenBelgië
Competition Coordinator, Webmaster & POI — Smash BC
Badmintonclub Smash BC

Versatile voluntary engagement at badminton club Smash BC: from competition organisation and website management to trusted contact person for members.

  • Responsible for the organisation and follow-up of all competitions
  • Management and maintenance of the club website
  • Email management for the club
  • Point of Contact for Integrity (POI) — trusted contact person for integrity-related complaints
European Senior Badminton Championships — 2024
  • Co-organiser of the European Senior Badminton Championships together with Smash BC
  • Complete management of all accreditations for 1,600 participating players
  • Point of contact and problem resolution for players with accreditation issues
Symfony PHPDNSWebhosting
WordPressPHPHTML/CSSEmailbeheer
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Education & Certificates

2012–2013
Postgraduate Mobile Development
XIOS University of Applied Sciences Limburg

Android, iOS, hybrid (HTML5, Cordova, Ionic, UX) · Passed with great distinction

2006–2008
Professional Bachelor Applied Computer Science
XIOS University of Applied Sciences Limburg

Java, .NET, PHP, databases, methodologies · Passed with great distinction

2003–2006
Academic Bachelor Computer Science
UHasselt

Java, C, C++, web development, algorithms · 1st year passed

2025
Introduction to AI
Education
2024
JetBrains TeamCity
JetBrains
2021
Introduction to React
Education
2021
Point of Contact for Integrity in a sports association
Education
2019
Devoxx — Clean Code, Clean Architecture, Memory Leaks, Java 11+
Devoxx Belgium
2019
GDPR-compliant software applications
Privatuum
2017
Microsoft Outlook — time management and productivity
Tracs (internal training)
2014
Assertiveness, time management, non-violent communication
Personal Coach
2011
XML Master Basic — certified
Global Knowledge Exam Center
2010
ITIL V3 Foundations — certified
Global Knowledge Exam Center
2010
Sun Certified Web Components — certified
Global Knowledge Exam Center
2010
Sun Certified Java Programmer — certified
Global Knowledge Exam Center
2010
Customer-friendly communication
Talent Planet (internal training)
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Technical Skills

Back-end Development

PHP 7.4PHP 8.3PHP 8.5Symfony 2.8–6.4Symfony MessagingJava 8Java 21Spring BootSpring DataSpring WebflowSpring BatchEJB 3GroovyZend Framework 2HibernateDoctrineJSP / JSFMicroservices

Front-end Development

ReactAngularjQueryHTML5CSS3Bootstrap 3Bootstrap 4Bootstrap 5TwigVaadinFigmaFlexPhoneGap / CordovaIonic

Databases & Data Storage

MySQLMS SQLPostgreSQLOracle PL/SQLAS400Elastic SearchLuceneHibernate SearchEHCacheHazelcast

Cloud & Infrastructure

Azure Service AppsAzure DevOpsAzure PipelinesJenkinsSonarQubeKibanaLogstashCDNSSHIISJBOSS / TomcatApache HTTPDNS / Hosting

Methodology & Tooling

Scrum / AgileDDDTDDPair ProgrammingGIT / SVNMaven / ANTAtlassian JiraTrelloNotionPHPUnit / JUnitMockitoGatlingIntelliJPHPStormWebStorm

Integrations & Standards

RESTSOAPSOAXMLXSLTXSL-FOEDIEDIFACTPeppol BIS 3SAP InvoicingUBLHATEOASUMLe-InvoicingZPLBPEL
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Hobbies

Sport is central to my leisure time. I play competitive badminton at Smash BC — the same club where I serve as competition coordinator — which makes it doubly enjoyable. I also go to the gym, play squash or go running from time to time to recharge my batteries.

Outside sport I am continuously focused on learning: personal development, AI, new technologies and new methodologies keep me sharp. I prefer to learn something new every single day.

But my greatest priority by far is my two daughters (born in 2022 and 2025). Quality time with them is priceless — and at least once a year we head off together for a proper family holiday.