Tom received a degree as a registered nurse in 1998 and a degree in medical-social sciences in 2001 from the University of Ghent. He started his career in clinical research as a trial nurse in 2002 when he joined the phase I-II unit of the University Hospital of Ghent.
Subsequently, he worked as a quality coordinator and in a later stage, he played an important role in the general management of the unit. Tom also made a significant contribution to the foundation of the Trial Bureau of the University Hospital Ghent, an internal CRO for investigator-initiated clinical research. In this role, he was responsible for the operational development of the department.
After a short period as Training Manager / Internal Auditor at a central laboratory, Tom joined a midsized international CRO as the Clinical Quality Assurance Auditor at the end of 2008. He was responsible on a global level for the implementation of the quality management system, for conducting internal and external audits and for providing training. As of the beginning of 2010, Tom re-oriented his career in the direction of clinical operations, more specifically to a combined role of project management / CRA and gradually he became responsible for staff recruitment as well.