Composition
The Board of Directors of Ekopak includes 7 members: 3 executive and 4 non-executive directors. 2 independent directors, 2 directors associated with the reference shareholder Alychlo, and 3 directors from the executive committee. The Board of Directors is chaired by Pieter Bourgeois.
The members of Ekopak’s Board of Directors are the management corporations with the following permanent representatives (mentioned in alphabetical order of their family names).
Pieter Bourgeois
(through his management company Pilovan), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since 2013 following 3 years as sales engineer at the company. Master industrial civil engineering (HoGent, Ghent university/KULeuven). Prior to Ekopak, Pieter held various management roles at Hertel. He is also vice-chairman of Watercircle, an interest group for water technology companies in Belgium. Belgian nationality
Els De Keukelaere
(through her management company EDK Management BV ), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since 2020 . Master in applied economics (UGent, Ghent university), MBA in financial management (Vlerick Management School), Registered Accountant since 2004. Previous career roles include: auditor at KPMG Ghent and chief financial officer of Concordia Insurances (Ghent). Belgian nationality.
Tim De Maet
Chief Operating Officer (COO) since 2020 following 9 years as operation manager with the company. Master industrial engineering chemistry with a specialisation in environmental biotechnology (HoGent, Ghent). Over 15 years of experience in the water solutions industry, including Entaco NV and Micron NV. Belgian nationality
Ben Jansen
chief strategy officer at Alychlo NV since 2021. Master commercial engineering (KULeuven). Over 20 years of experience in various (marketing and sales) management roles at Unilever and as CCO at DPG Media (and its predecessors Medialaan and De Persgroep). Belgian nationality.
Kristina Loguinova
compliance counsel at Value Square NV and parttime professor at the VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel/ Free University of Brussels). Master of laws and PhD in financial law (VUB ). Prior to joining Value Square she provided consulting services on innovation and sustainable finance (ESG) to a broad range of financial companies. Dutch nationality.
Pieter Loose
chief executive officer of Ekopak NV since 2013 following 3 years as sales engineer at the company. Master industrial civil engineering (HoGent, Ghent university/KULeuven). Prior to Ekopak, Pieter held various management roles at Hertel. He is also vice-chairman of Watercircle, an interest group for water technology companies in Belgium. Belgian nationality.
Regine Slagmulder
partner and full professor in accounting & control at Vlerick Business School (Belgium). Master in electro-technical engineering and in management sciences (UGent), PhD in management (Vlerick Business School, Ghent). Previously, she was a professor at INSEAD (France & Singapore) and Tilburg University (The Netherlands), and also worked for McKinsey & Company’s strategy practice. Belgian nationality.
(1) Executive director (E) or non-executive director (N)
(2) Independent director (I), representing a reference shareholder (S) or as member of the executive committee (E)
(3) Member of the Audit committee (A) and/or the Remuneration and nomination committee (R) – presidency is indicated with an asterisk (*)
(4) ASM: Annual Shareholders Meeting
Assignments
- Pursue sustainable value creation by setting the strategy, putting in place effective, responsible and ethical leadership and monitoring the performance;
- Appoint and dismiss the Chief Executive Officer and other members of the Executive Management;
- Meet at least four times a year.
Activity Report
In principle, the Board of Directors convenes on a quarterly basis. The meeting frequency may be increased when deemed appropriate or necessary for the business.
In 2021, the Board of Directors held (5) meetings, of which (4) with physical participation and (1) online meetings. The meeting participation rate was 100% for each member of the Board of Directors (or its permanent representative).
At these meetings, the Board of Directors discussed and evaluated operational and financial performance of the company, as well as strategic issues and opportunities, including (potential) mergers and acquisitions and expansion projects. Specifically for 2021, considerable attention has been paid to setting-up a corporate governance structure, including the approval of a Dealing Code, as well as to prepare the Initial Public Offering and the related listing on Euronext Brussels, including the approval, on 21 March 2021, of the related prospectus. Other topics included the integration of IT systems in the group and the sustainability theme.
The conflict of interest regulation had not to be applied in 2021.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Within the Board of Directors, two specialized committees have been set up, with effect as from the Listing Date, for assisting the Board of Directors and making recommendations in specific fields.
Audit Committee
- Set up in accordance with Article 7:99 of the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations, and with provisions 4.10-16 of the Belgian 2020 Corporate Governance Code
- Members: Regine Slagmulder (chair), Pieter Bourgeois and Kristina Loguinova
In principle, the Audit Committee convenes on a quarterly basis. The meeting frequency may be increased when deemed appropriate or necessary for the business. In 2021, the Audit Committee convened 2 times – i.e. below the frequency recommended in the Corporate Governance Charter, which can be explained by the fact that the Audit Committee has only been set up in March 2021. All members participated in every meeting, except Crescemus BV who attended 1 of the 2 Audit Committee meetings in 2021. In 2021, the Audit Committee has focused on the development of Ekopak’s audit strategy and the company’s audit process, involving the input of the Statutory Auditor. In addition, the Audit Committee also conducted a thorough risk assessment, in close cooperation with the Executive Management Committee (cf. Risk Management section in this document). Annual and interim results of the company have also been discussed at the Audit Committee 2021 meetings. The conflict of interest regulation had not to be applied in 2021.
Remuneration & nomination committee
- Set up in accordance with Article 7:100 of the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations and with provisions 4.17-23 of the Belgian 2020 Corporate Governance Code.
- Members: Ben Jansen (chair) Regine Slagmulder and Kristina Loguinova
- In principle, the Board of Directors convenes on a bi-annual basis. The meeting frequency may be increased when deemed appropriate or necessary for the business. In 2021, the Audit Committee convened 3 times and all members participated in every meeting .
- In 2021, the Remuneration and Nomination Committee developed the framework for a coherent remuneration policy for Ekopak. The committee also discussed an option/warrant plan for Ekopak’s management and evaluated the Belgian collective labor agreement 90 for the personnel, excluding management.
- The conflict of interest regulation had not to be applied in 2021
