Jacques Vandermeiren (pictured, left) will take over as CEO of Antwerp Port Authority from the beginning of January. He succeeds Eddy Bruyninckx (pictured, right) who is retiring at the end of 2016 after serving 25 years in the role. Vandermeiren will start in November this year as CEO designate and will shadow Bruyninckx until the formal handover in January.
Vandermeiren was most recently CEO of Elia, the company that operates the national electricity grid in Belgium.
“It is certainly an honour for me to face the important local and international challenges for the port authority, in collaboration with the board of directors, the management committee, the personnel and the many stakeholders,” said Vandermeiren. “Assuring the rich history of the port of Antwerp in a sustainable way in future is a task which I shall assume with pride and determination.”
Antwerp Port Authority chairman Marc Van Peel pointed to Vandermeiren’s experience in the energy sector, which he said would stand him in good stead with the industrial operators at the port. He also highlighted Vandermeiren’s experience with complex stakeholder management.
“These two aspects, combined with the necessary international experience, strong communication skills and inspiring people management, convinced the board to appoint Vandermeiren as the new CEO,” commented Van Peel.
