Francis Vanbever

20+ years experience at C-level in an international environment with responsibility for finance, risk management, IT, Human Resources and support services

Proven track record in leading large change programs

Strong focus on execution and results delivery

Passionate about helping people develop their full potential.

I am passionate about wine and love sharing a good bottle around a meal that I have prepared for my family or friends. I enjoy visiting winemaking regions and exchanging with winemakers. Many of them are inspiring in terms of innovation, adaptability and operational excellence. I am a big fan of nature and love discovering new regions, with a soft spot for South America.

My family has always been a priority. Throughout my career, I made sure to make room to spend time with my children, and today my grandchildren. This gives me a lot of energy. Through the years, sport (hiking, jogging, tennis) has been key in helping to keep a good balance. At a young age, playing football gave me an early insight of the value of diversity. I do not have a personal “hero”. I find inspiration from meeting people, ideas and reading. If I were to name one, it would be my late father-inlaw. Although he had been ill for more than 20 years, he always kept a positive outlook on life and continued to be curious and eager to learn, even as his health was declining.

My motto is “carpe diem”. Be aware of the positive things in life. Everyday, find a moment, even a very short one, to do something that brings you positive energy.

I am a mentor because I have always been motivated by helping people develop to their full potential. I also realised that having a mentor would have helped me at some key moments in my career. In a different context, I am also a mentor with Duo for a Job, a non profit organisation that helps young people from an immigrant
background finding a job by matching them with an experienced mentor. This is a very rich cross-cultural and cross-generational experience. If I were to meet young Francis today, I would tell him to be aware of the value of collective intelligence. This is something I only discovered over time