15/03/23

After 9 years in office, Thomas Leysen feels the time has come to hand over the reins. From 15 March 2023, Bart De Smet will chair the Corporate Governance Committee (the 'Committee'). Thomas Leysen has been chair of the Committee since 2014. He was the driving force behind the revision of the Belgian Corporate Governance Code and the publication of the new version in 2019 ('2020 Code'). Several explanatory notes were also developed under his chairmanship. They aim to assist listed companies in the implementation of their corporate governance policy. In recent years, societal demands and regulatory requirements in the field of corporate governance have increased, particularly with regard to sustainability and social and environmental objectives. Under the leadership of Thomas Leysen, the Committee has therefore put 'sustainable value creation' at the heart of its work.

The new chair, Bart De Smet, has a strong background in corporate governance, as a member of the Committee's board since 2016, chairman of the board of Ageas, member of the board of GUBERNA, and chairman of the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium. Mr De Smet on his new mandate: "It is a great honour and a difficult task to take over as Chair of the Committee from Thomas Leysen, under whose chairmanship the Code has fully embarked on the path of sustainable value creation. I would like to thank Thomas warmly for the pioneering work he has done and, together with the members of the Committee, will take to heart the perfect application and further evolution of the Code".

Press release