Company structure
Our policy
The Board of Directors is responsible for setting the general policy of De Watergroep. It consists of 16 members and a Chair.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for setting the general policy of De Watergroep. It consists of sixteen members and a Chair.
COMPOSITION IN 2019
- Chair: Mieke Van Hootegem
- Directors: Luc Asselman, Francis Bosmans, Dirk Claes, Gunther Coppens, Eric De Keyser, Danny Deneuker, Kristel Gevaert, Hedwig Kerckhove, Gerald Kindermans, Annie Mervillie, Sven Willekens, Luc Vande Caveye, Christel Verlinden and Charlotte Van Strydonck
- Independent directors: Laurence Battaille and Mieke Offeciers-Van De Wiele
- Government commissioners: Michiel Van Peteghem (Flemish Government Commissioner) and Pieter De Cuyper (representative of the Flemish Minister of Finance and Budget)
ACTIVITIES
The Board of Directors met twelve times in 2019. On average, 88 percent of the directors were present at the meetings. Over the course of the year, three strategic working groups were set up around 3 concrete themes:
- circular water provision,
- geographical expansion
- and the position of De Watergroep in Flanders.
In addition, 3 committees provided advice on specific matters:
- the Bureau of the Board of Directors,
- the Audit Committee
- and the Consultative Committee for Pensions.
Details of the remuneration paid to the Board of Directors can be found on De Watergroep’s website.
In addition to the permanent committees, 2019 saw the organisation of an ad hoc committee on the preparation of the independent directors.
In 2019, this ad hoc committee met for the first time with the following members:
Mieke Van Hootegem (Chair)
Kristel Gevaert
Laurence Battaille
Luc Asselman
Danny Deneuker
Gunther Coppens
Hans Goossens
A Remuneration Committee was also set up in 2019.
This had the same composition as the Bureau of the Board of Directors:
Mieke Van Hootegem (Chair)
Danny Deneuker
Kristel Gevaert
Charlotte Van Strydonck
Luc Asselman
Hans Goossens
Executive Committee and management team
The Executive Committee is responsible for the day-to-day management of De Watergroep. It translates the policies set by the Board of Directors into concrete actions. The management team is responsible for the realisation of De Watergroep’s strategy and long-term objectives.
The Executive Committee is made up of:
- Hans Goossens, Director-General
- Jan Hammenecker, Market and Customers Director
- Sammy Wuyts, Business Support Services Director
- Michel Vanroy, Distribution and Supply Director
- Paul Suenens, Production and Storage Director
The management team consists of eleven members and is made up of the following directors, in addition to the Executive Committee:
- Raymond Bellemans, HR Director
- Frederik Looten, External Relations Director (up until 31 August 2019)
- Bert De Winter, Innovation Director
- Rudi Hilven, Internal Service for Protection and Prevention at Work prevention advisor
- Luc Keustermans, Strategic Projects Director (up until 1 July 2019)
- Marc Buysse, Business Processes Re-engineering project manager
From 2020, the Executive Committee and management team will be combined to form an executive team consisting of the following members:
- Hans Goossens, Director-General
- Jan Hammenecker, Market and Customers Director
- Sammy Wuyts, Business Support Services Director
- Michel Vanroy, Distribution and Supply Director
- Paul Suenens, Production and Storage Director
- Raymond Bellemans, HR Director
- Bert De Winter, Innovation Director
- Kathleen De Schepper, External Relations Directors
- Rudi Hilven, prevention advisor and manager of the Internal Service for Prevention and Protection at Work (IDPB)
- Stijn Vandekerckhove, operational risk manager
Shareholder boards replace provincial boards and committees
In 2019, the provincial committees and boards made way for shareholder boards on drinking water and waste water as part of De Watergroep’s new organisational structure.
SHAREHOLDERS
These shareholder boards contain representatives of De Watergroep’s shareholders, which mainly come in the form of municipal and provincial authorities. The new shareholder boards will meet four times a year to discuss both drinking water activities and Riopact. On top of that, a general meeting is held once a year. The shareholder boards will provide advice to De Watergroep’s Board of Directors on strategic issues such as pricing, the investment programme, changes to the Articles of Association, the approval of the annual accounts and so on.
EVERYONE ON EQUAL FOOTING
By abandoning separate boards and committees, De Watergroep is making it clear that every municipality has the same rights and voice. In addition, the shareholder boards offer a structured platform to share our vision and clarify the direction we’re travelling in. That way, we can optimise the contact we have with our partners. Setting up a new organisational structure also offers more flexibility to take part in these meetings.