Karsten De Clerck is the new chair of the VUB board
‘VUB is Brussels: a gateway to Europe and the rest of the world’
Thursday, September 24, 2020 — Karsten De Clerck is the new chair of VUB’s board of directors. The senior partner of international management and consulting firm Egon Zehnder takes over from Eddy Van Gelder. De Clerck also becomes a member of the UZ Brussel board of directors.
With the new academic year, VUB’s board of directors has a new chair. Karsten De Clerck has had a close relationship with the university since his own student days. He studied commercial engineering at the Solvay Business School of VUB and is a fellow at his alma mater.
In addition to his personal relationship with VUB, he believes the university stands out from the crowd. “VUB is Brussels: a gateway to Europe and the rest of the world,” he says. “VUB is also one of the two free universities in Flanders and that gives us a distinct culture. It has a young and dynamic image, and the rector personifies that very well. That’s why we also respond to social trends and show that we are there for the young generation.”
Before De Clerck joined Egon Zehnder in 1995, he held various positions at Callebaut, the world’s largest chocolate producer. He previously worked at management consultancy McKinsey & Company in Brussels and Paris.
In addition to his extensive professional network, he brings a strong international background to VUB, including an MBA from INSEAD, the international institute for management training in Fontainebleau, France. He is now honorary chair of the INSEAD Alumni Association of Belgium. He is fluent in Dutch, English, French and German.
De Clerck is 56 and married to a philosopher with whom he has two daughters.
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