He started his career as a researcher at the Productivity research group of the K.U. Leuven. In September 1957, the Janssen family invited him to work for Janssen Pharmaceutica. On 1 October 1958, he became the personnel manager of the company, and was as such involved in widely diverse personnel affairs. When Janssen Pharmaceutica was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1961, he was appointed to a management position. In 1962 he was appointed head of the commercial department and in 1963 he became assistant manager under Frans Van den Bergh. In 1965 Stouthuysen was officially appointed director of the company. In 1971 he was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors and in 1987 he became Director and in 1988 President of Janssen Operations Worldwide. From November 1976 until May 1981, he was President of the VEV. On 1 October 1991 he became chairman of the Board of Directors which he would remain until 2004 when he retired and was succeeded by Ajit Shetty.
Forerunner digital higher education
Robert Baron Stouthuysen was, especially since 2015, the only active promoter of digital higher education in Flanders. Initially, the Flemish universities opposed this didactic form of work and stuck to the classical lecture. Stouthuysen is in favour of a mixed learning form: a combination of contact education and online learning. This form of learning gives students an active role. The courses, enriched with knowledge clips, digital illustration material, video clips, etc. are online and are discussed beforehand by the students, either at home or elsewhere. Every two, three or four weeks for 1 or 2 days, students come to the campus of the university or college of higher education to engage in discussion, clarification under the guidance of the professor and on application and processing assignments, possibly in small groups assisted by assistants and even final-year students. They receive points for their participation in these activities. The contact moments promote language skills, critical thinking, communicative and social skills and attitudes. This digital learning form has many advantages. Stouthuysen mentions three in particular: firstly, the further democratisation of higher education. It becomes accessible to non-bidders, to students who combine a job with study, to lateral entrants, deaf people, evening classes, etc. Secondly, it makes lifelong learning possible and thirdly, it facilitates dual learning. In short, the targeted use of digital technology is a lever to give the future-oriented educational project a flexible and contemporary interpretation.
Books about the Kempen
In February Robert Baron Stouthuysen donated a copy of his books on the Kempen to the Taxandria Circle and so on to the scientific library Taxandria. Below is an overview of the publications he has written in recent years. All these socio-economic works are now exhausted. -Robert Stouthuysen, Samen de toekomst van de Kempen creëren, uitgave Stichting voor de Kempen, Turnhout, 2006. -Robert Stouthuysen, Voor betere samenwerking tussen het nijverheidsonderwijs en de bedrijven in de Kempen, uitgave Refleciegroep der Kempen, Turnhout, 2006. -Robert Stouthuysen, Het Kempens Manifest. Een strategie voor economische ontwikkeling, uitgave Reflectiegroep der Kempen, Turnhout, 2007. -Robert Stouthuysen, Technologietransfert op maat van de KMO in de Kempen, uitgave Reflectiegroep der Kempen, Turnhout, 2009. -Robert Stouthuysen, Meer focus op kennistoepassing door KMO's - Proefproject, uitgave Reflectiegroep der Kempen, Turnhout, 2008 -Robert Stouthuysen, Bevordering van ondernemerschap in de Kempen, De Kempen als ondernemende regio, uitgave Reflectiegroep der Kempen, Turnhout, 2007. -Robert Stouthuysen, Paul Lewi, Bob Marsboom e.a., Omtrent Paul Janssen: een portret in woorden, uitgave Janssen Pharmaceutica, Beerse, 2004. -, Omtrent Robert Stouthuysen: verandering was mijn leven en mijn leven was verandering, uitgave Janssen Pharmaceutica, Beerse 2004.
