Strategic Committee

The Strategic Committee advises the Board of Directors about the strategic policy options and, in particular, about strategic developments in the areas where the company operates. The Strategic Committee also advises the Board about the five-year plan which the Executive Committee submits every year, concerning strategic matters such as acquisitions, disinvestments, strategic partnerships, and the execution and follow-up of such issues. In principle, the Strategic Committee meets every three months and more if required. The Committee was established through a decision of the Board of Directors on December 12, 2007.

Julien De Wilde, Chairman of the Strategic Committee
Willy Duron, Member of the Strategic Committee
Christian Leysen, Member of the Strategic Committee

Julien De Wilde

(°1944, Belgian) obtained an engineering degree from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). From 1969 onwards he held various managerial positions at Texaco and in 1986 he was appointed member of the European Management Board of Texaco in New York. In 1988 he became head of the research and business development department of Recticel. A year later he became a member of the Executive Committee of Alcatell Bell, where he was responsible for strategy and general services. From 1995 to 1998 Julien De Wilde was CEO of Alcatell Bell and from 1999 to 2002 he was Executive Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of Alcatel in Paris, responsible for Europe, the Middle-East, Latin America, India and Africa. From July 1, 2002 to May 2006, he was CEO of the Bekaert Group. Julien De Wilde became a member of the Board of Directors in 2006. Since April 2008 he became Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agfa-Gevaert Group.

Willy Duron

Willy Duron (°1945, Belgian) has a master of mathematics from Ghent University (Belgium) and a master of actuarial science from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium). He started his career in 1970 as an actuary for ABB Insurance (Assurantie van de Belgische Boerenbond). After the merger of Kredietbank, CERA Bank and ABB Insurance, he became chairman of the Executive Committee of KBC Insurance and director of KBC Asset Management in 2000. He was appointed president of the Executive Committee of KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company in 2003 and he was CEO of KBC Group NV from 2005 until he retired at the end of 2006. Willy Duron became a member of the Board of Directors in 2008.

Christian Leysen

(°1954, Belgian) obtained the degrees of commercial engineer and master in law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He began his career in 1976 with the international auditing and consulting firm Arthur Andersen & Co. In 1981 he joined GB Inno BM, the largest Belgian retail group, taking responsibility for logistics and the organization of the Maxi division. In 1984 he founded Xylos, which evolved into an international IT service provider. In 1989 he became responsible for the day-to-day management of the maritime company Ahlers. When Ahlers became a privately owned company, Christian Leysen became Chairman of the Board of Directors. From 2000 to 2002, he was a member of the Antwerp city council and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Antwerpse Waterwerken. Christian Leysen became a member of the Board of Directors in 2003.