Herman Daems Appointed as ECGI Chair

Herman Daems Appointed as ECGI Chair

October 07 2021

BRUSSELS – 8 October 2021. The European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) is delighted to announce the appointment of Herman Daems (BNP Paribas Fortis and KU Leuven) as Chair of the ECGI Board of Directors. Mr. Daems succeeds Lucrezia Reichlin (London Business School), who stepped down from the role in August 2021.

During her time as Chair, Professor Reichlin provided a fresh perspective for the future of ECGI, including measures to bring academic research closer to current policy issues, some of which were adopted soon after her appointment. At her last meeting, the Board expressed its high appreciation for the energy and vigour that she brought to ECGI as its Chair.

Mr. Daems, who joined the ECGI Board on 15 October 2020, was unanimously appointed to the position on 21 September 2021. He will preside over the ongoing development of ECGI, bringing to the task some considerable experience from a long career in both practice and academia. Mr. Daems is Chair of the Board of BNP Paribas Fortis (since 2009). He is emeritus professor at the Faculty of Economics and Management of K.U. Leuven and former Chair of the Board of Governors at KU Leuven (2012 - 2020). He has chaired the Belgian Corporate Governance Committee, which sets the governance code for boards of listed companies in Belgium. Mr. Daems was a member of the executive committee of the VBO/FEB, the Belgian employers association and holds several board positions. He received the hereditary title of Baron from his Majesty the King of Belgium in April 2014. His academic work focused on managerial hierarchies, business groups, the rise of the modern industrial enterprise in a comparative perspective and corporate strategy. He was a visiting professor at the Harvard Business School, UCLA, UC Davis, Groningen and IESE in Barcelona and held twice a Fullbright Fellowship.

Referring to the news, Professor Marco Becht, ECGI Executive Director said, “The ECGI executive team is grateful to Lucrezia Reichlin for her inspired leadership and recognisant of her important contributions.” Guy Jubb, ECGI Vice-Chairman added, "The ECGI board is both thankful and honoured that Herman Daems has accepted the appointment. We very much look forward to benefitting from his vast experience and wise guidance”.

Herman Daems’ recent book “Insights from the Boardroom” (2020) is available at Lannoo Publishers and Amazon.

 Herman DaemsChair of the Board of BNP Paribas Fortis and ECGI Chair.

Contact:

Elaine McPartlan, ECGI General Manager, elaine.mcpartlan@ecgi.org

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About ECGI

ECGI is a global research network and international scientific non-profit association providing a forum for debate and dialogue between academics, legislators and practitioners, focusing on major corporate governance issues. Its 327 appointed research members publish their work on corporate governance in the ECGI Working Paper Series, a trusted source of global research used by practitioners and academics worldwide.

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