Leadership

Françoise Roels

Chairperson

Françoise Roels studied law and holds a master’s degree in taxation and a degree in philosophy. She began her career at the law firm Loyens before taking on legal and executive roles at Euroclear/JP Morgan and the Belgacom Group. Since 2004 and up to May 2025, she has served as Executive Director at Cofinimmo, where she has overseen key areas including Legal, Compliance, Corporate Governance, Human Resources, ESG, and Tax. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Inclusio (since October 2024) and as an independent director at Beobank.

Chris Peeters

Executive Director

Before joining bpostgroup as CEO, Chris led Elia Group. Under his leadership, it grew into one of the most innovative grid operators in Europe. Prior to that, he ran the business consulting activities of Schlumberger in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Russia. He also spent 14 years at McKinsey, where he specialised in the energy sector. At the beginning of his career, he launched an engineering firm and manufacturing company, before joining Hoogovens Aluminium as a sales and technical manager for part of Europe. Chris Peeters holds a MSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Leuven.

Véronique Thirion

Non-Executive Director

Véronique Thirion began her career at the Faculty of Law in Liège and afterward held various positions at Coopers & Lybrand, the Banking and Finance Commission (now the National Bank of Belgium), Dexia and Petercam Group. From 2013 to the end of 2021, she led the Belgian Competition Authority. Since 2022, Véronique is an associate partner at Advolis-Orfis and is a member of the Board of Directors and of the Audit Committee of the Institute for Radioelements (IRE). Véronique Thirion holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Liège and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. She also recently completed the Certificate in Public Management.

Denis Van Eeckhout

Non-Executive Director

Denis Van Eeckhout has over 30 years of experience in the public sector. He has held positions at (i) the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the European Union as Coordinator and Head of the climate and environment section, (ii) the Federal Public Service Health as Coordinator for the preparation of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, (iii) the Walloon Government as Chief of Staff and (iv) the Federal Planning Bureau as an expert. He has also been involved in the non-profit sector as Secretary General of Inter-Environnement Wallonie and as President of Coordination-Environnement. Denis Van Eeckhout holds a degree in bioengineering from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and has carried out research activities in the United States and Europe.

Ann Caluwaerts

Non-Executive Director

Ann Caluwaerts, Chief Corporate Development at Telenet, has more than 30 years of experience in the international and local telecom and media industry. Ann is a member of Telenet's executive committee since 2011, where she is currently responsible for New Business, People, Corporate Affairs, Partnerships & Transformation. She previously spent 17 years at BT, of which 10 in an international role, responsible for Marketing, Strategy and Transformation. She started her career at L&H as a software developer and product manager. She is also a board director at IMEC since 2016, member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences since 2020 and Honorary Solvay VUB Fellow since 2019. Ann Caluwaerts graduated as Civil Engineer Electronics and followed various courses at INSEAD, Columbia Business School, London Business School and Guberna.

Ann Vereecke

Non-Executive Director

Ann Vereecke is Professor and partner at Vlerick Business School, and Professor at Ghent University. Her main interests are supply chain management and manufacturing strategy – and in particular, international manufacturing strategy. Currently, Ann focuses on Industry 4.0 and how new digital technologies are transforming the supply chain. Through her research and executive education, she is or has been working with companies in a various industries (including Aliaxis, AB Inbev, ArcelorMittal, Bekaert, Bostik, Cargill, Carrefour, Etex, Goodman, Imperial Tobacco, Johnson & Johnson, OMP, PostNl and Tessenderlo Group). Ann has experience as director in a variety of listed and non-listed, private and publicly-owned companies and institutions. Ann Vereecke graduated as Electrotechnical Engineer from Ghent University and holds a MBA in Management from Vlerick Business School as well as a PhD in Management from Ghent University.

Sonja Rottiers

Independent Director

Sonja Rottiers is an accomplished executive with over 35 years of experience in the financial sector. She is currently an independent director at Matexi NV and PPG Ltd (Jab Holding Company LLC), as well as chair of the Board of the Belgian Finance Center and co-founder and former Chair of Women on Board.

Previously, she was CEO of Lloyd’s Insurance Company and held key financial leadership roles as CFO of AXA Belgium and Dexia Insurance. Throughout her career, she has also served on the boards of Leasinvest Real Estate, AXA Holdings Belgium, ING Belgium, Touring Verzekeringen and Kinepolis.

Sonja Rottiers holds a Master’s degree in Applied Economic Sciences from the University of Antwerp.

Michael Stone

Independent Director

Mr. Stone has extensive strategic and operational experience in the postal and parcels markets as well as the markets adjacent to these. This was initially gained through various regional and global level positions at DHL, followed by senior executive management positions at DX Group in the UK, and Neopost, both in the UK and Europe.

In addition, he is active with advisory roles with e-commerce logistics companies, both start-ups and established businesses. These roles have given him a broad understanding of the e-commerce, digital communications and logistics markets, in addition to his detailed knowledge of the commercial and operational challenges in the postal and parcel markets.

Jules Noten

Independent Director

Jules Noten is an experienced executive with a strong background in consumer goods and industrial management. He began his career at Unilever in 1985, where he held several international leadership roles before becoming Chairman of Unilever Belgium in 2001. He later served as CEO of Massive and Balta Group before joining Vandemoortele Group, where he was CEO from 2014 to 2020.

Currently, he serves as an independent director for several companies, including Sioen Industries NV and the Port of Antwerp.

Jules Noten studied at KU Leuven and Vlekho Brussels and has completed executive education programs at Kellogg Business School (Northwestern University) and Harvard Business School.

Lionel Desclée

Independent Director

Lionel Desclée is a global business leader with a strong track record in leading omnichannel retail, consumer goods, and service organizations. Until 2024, he served as Group CEO of The Very Group, a multi-brand online retailer and financial services provider operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Prior to that, Lionel was President and CEO of Walmart Japan and previously served as CEO of the European pet retail chain Tom & Co. Earlier in his career, he spent over a decade at Delhaize Group, holding senior leadership positions across Europe and the United States, where he developed deep expertise in omnichannel retail and large-scale business transformation.

He holds a Master’s degree in Financial Management from Vlerick Business School and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL).

David Cunningham

Independent Director

Mr. Cunningham spent 36 years with FedEx, the world’s largest express transportation company. As president and CEO, he was responsible for the leadership and direction of the FedEx Express group, which includes FedEx Express and TNT. He led all customer-facing aspects of the company’s U.S. operations and its international business, spanning more than 220 countries and territories across the globe. Before being president and CEO, Mr. Cunningham was notably chief operating officer and president-international, regional president of the Asia Pacific division, chief financial officer of FedEx Express Asia Pacific. Mr. Cunningham is a member of the Board of Governors of Junior Achievement Worldwide, was a board member of the U.S.-China Business Council, a board member of Christian Brothers University and a former Chairman of U.S. Chamber in Hong Kong. He holds a Master Business of Administration from the University of Memphis.

Hakan Ericsson

Independent Director

Håkan Ericsson is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in logistics, transportation, and travel management. From 2013 to 2019, he served as CEO of PostNord Group, leading one of the largest postal and logistics providers in Scandinavia. Prior to that, he held senior leadership positions at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Loomis AB, SAS AB, and DHL, gaining deep expertise in strategic management and business transformation. Since 2020, he has been working as an independent consultant and strategic advisor for various companies, including Oliver Wyman, Scania/Lots Group, and Einride AB. Håkan Ericsson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics from Stockholm University and has completed an Executive Management Program at INSEAD.