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Speakers & Presentations

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TIMETABLE - 27th September 2024
08:30 - 08:40 Welcome by the host
08:40 - 08:55 Bart Tommelein, Mayor of the City of Ostend
08:55 - 09:05 Introduction to the FEFPEB Congress 2024, Moderator FEFPEB President Rob van Hoesel
09:05 - 09:50 Koen De Leus - BNP Paribas Fortis
09:50 - 10:30 Paul Brannen - CEI-Bois
10:30 - 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 - 12:00 Prof. Stefaan Walgrave – Antwerp University
12:00 - 12:30 Aurélie Maes – Maes Mattress Ticking
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 14:00 Fons Ceelaert & Dominic Weaver - FEFPEB
14:00 - 14:30 Nikhil Varghese and Olalla Michelena - DGA
14:30 - 15:00 Coffee break
15:00 - 15:30 Luc Van de Vondel - Valipac
15:30 - 16:30 Thierry Moubax - Strategic expert in International Marketing & Business Development
16:30 Congress round up and closing remarks by Rob van Hoesel

"The New World Economy"
By Koen de Leus (B), Chief Economist – Research BNP Paribas Fortis
What can you expect as a business leader in the next 10 years? Is deglobalisation going to completely disrupt your supply chain? Are interest rates and inflation going to go structurally higher? What is the impact of the climate transition? High government debts? Ageing population?

"After the European elections: The EU landscape changing – impact on the wood sector"
By Paul Brannen (UK) / CEI Bois – Director of Public Affairs (formerly MEP)
The 2024 European elections in June resulted in some changes – nothing too drastic – of the composition of the European Parliament, the most notable of which was a small shift to the political right. In his talk Paul will explore the potential impact of these changes linking them to the new distribution of seats in the Parliament and the changes in staff at the top of the Commission. How might these changes impact on the future development of the European wood sector? He will also speculate on the main opportunities and threats unfolding for our sector as we enter the 2024-29 political term​.

"Belgium for Dummies"
By Professor Stefaan Walgrave (B) - Antwerp University

"Succession in family businesses - a testimonial"
By mrs Aurélie Maes (B), CEO of Maes Mattress Ticking

Aurélie will talk about the family business, the transition to the next generation each time, including now with us the 4th generation. The different perspectives, the learning points, the context and the spirit of the times. Each generation has new challenges, both personal and economic. Each generation also has different expectations. Her personal trajectory and experience will also be highlighted.

"FEFPEB Business – EUDR and FEFPEB statistics"
By Fons Ceelaert (NL), secretary general FEFPEB

"FEPFEB Business - PR / The revised Packaging from Nature Campaign"
By Dominic Weaver (UK), PR consultant FEFPEB

Fons Ceelaert & Dominic Weaver
EUDR and FEFPEB statistics. Fons will present a look at the current topics and developments, specifically the state of affairs EUDR and the FEFPEB statistics 2023.
PR / The revised Packaging from Nature Campaign. Dominic will talk about the latest developments in FEFPEB's communications, including the Packaging from Nature campaign and FEFPEB's social media activities.

"Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation - Impact on the sector and state of play"
By mrs Olalla Trenor Michelena (ES) and Nikhil Varghese (ES), Denton Global Advisors DGA (B), advocacy partner FEFPEB on this item
The PPWR is an ambitious proposal aiming to overhaul the current Directive, which has been found inefficient in preventing the growth of packaging waste and reducing its impact. Consequently, the Commission has proposed a Regulation that significantly changes the status quo by introducing waste reduction targets, reuse targets, recyclability criteria, and banning certain types of packaging. Wood packaging and pallets will be affected by several provisions of the regulation, making it important to develop compliance strategies upon adoption. Therefore, it is crucial for the industry to participate in the development of secondary legislation and the specific requirements for each obligation, such as how to count reuse targets, recyclability criteria per material, and how to calculate the empty space ratio.

Valipac – Impact of the new European regulation on commercial & industrial packaging
By Luc Van de Vondel​ (B), Valipac
1. Presentation of the new obligation for producers.
2. Focus on the specific and challenging goals around reuse.
3. The significance of collaboration with the various actors of the chain both at national and European scale.

Artificial Intelligence – opportunities for the wooden pallet and packaging industry
By Thierry Moubax (B), Marketing expert Business Development and Innovation

Congress round up and closing
By Rob van Hoesel (NL), President FEFPEB

* BIOGRAPHY SPEAKERS

KOEN DE LEUS

Koen de Leus, Chief Economist - Research BNP Paribas Fortis. Koen (born in 1969 in Bonheiden) graduated in Commercial Science from the Saint Aloysius Economics High School (EHSAL). He worked as an analyst for Uitgeversbedrijf Tijd, the publishing company behind De Tijd and L’Echo, from 1998 till 2006. During the last two years he served as Chief Economist.

From 2006 to July 2012, Koen served as a Market Strategist at Bolero, the online broker of KBC Securities, before moving over to take up the post of Senior Economist at the parent company KBC in August 2012. Since September 2016 he is Chief Economist at BNP Paribas Fortis. He is also a guest lecturer in ‘Behavioral Finance’ on the Investment Management program at EHSAL Management School.

On a regular basis, Koen is invited on radio or television programs on channels such as VRT and Kanaal Z to discuss economic affairs. Furthermore, he is often quoted in the financial and specialised press.

Koen published his first book in 2006 entitled ‘Naar Grijsland’ an in-depth analysis of the social and economic consequences of an ageing population. In 2012 he published Gouden Beursleuzen, a book that dives mostly into the behavior of stock investors. In June 2017, Koen published his 3rd book about the digital revolution and its economic and social impact on our society : “The Winners' Economy: Challenges and opportunities of the digital economy”. His last book about the five main trends for the coming decades named ‘The New World Economy in 5 trends – Investing in times of superinflation, hyperinnovation & climate transition’, was written together with chief strategist of BNP Paribas Fortis, Philippe Gijsels, and was published in December 2023 in French and Dutch and in April in English.

Paul Brannen

Paul Brannen, Director Public Affairs, CEI-Bois and EOS. Paul leads the advocacy engagement of the European woodworking and sawmill industries towards the European institutions. He is a former UK Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who in the 2014-19 parliament served on both the Environment Committee and the Agriculture Committee.
Before becoming an MEP Paul worked for the development charity Christian Aid as head of advocacy working primarily on climate change. Earlier roles were with the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the Labour Party and HSBC.
Paul is the author of Timber! How wood can help save the world from climate breakdown.

Stefaan Walgrave

Professor Stefaan Walgrave, Professor of political science at the University of Antwerp. Stefaan Walgrave is a professor of political science at the University of Antwerp since 1995. He is a specialist of elections and public opinion. He regularly appears in the Belgian media to comment upon current political developments. His own research focuses on political protest, news media and elected representatives.

Aurélie Maes

Aurélie Maes, CEO Maes Mattress Ticking. Aurélie began her academic journey at the Catholic University of Leuven, where she earned her law degree, and later expanded her expertise with a master's in marketing and quality management in Lille, France. Aurélie's professional career took off at tesa in Brussels, where she spent three years as a marketing manager. Her role evolved from focusing on B2B to B2C marketing. For the past decade, Aurélie has been a part of her family's business, Maes Mattress Ticking, a renowned producer of woven and knitted fabrics for mattresses. As part of the fourth generation, she has held various roles such as purchasing, sales and development. This year, Aurélie stepped into the role of CEO.

Fons Ceelaert

Fons Ceelaert, secretary general of FEFPEB. Fons was appointed secretary general of FEFPEB in 1997 and is a seasoned association manager in the field of the manufacturing industry.
FEFPEB gradually became the representative European Federation for the Wooden Pallet and Packaging Industry, and has a pivotal role in defending the interests of our industry, part of the European woodworking industries.

Dominic Weaver

Dominic Weaver, PR consultant of FEFPEB. Dominic is a well-established public relations professional specialising in packaging, logistics, and other B2B industries. He has more than 15 years’ experience working closely with companies in the international pallet and packaging sector. As founder of communications business Twelve, Dominic has played an instrumental role in boosting the visibility of industry clients in the B2B and broader media, among politicians, and directly to customers. His expertise spans public relations, internal communications, digital marketing, and social media campaigns.

Olalla Trenor Michelena

Olalla Trenor Michelena, Partner Sustainability, DGA Group

  • Olalla is a seasoned EU public affairs and communications professional, with more than 20 years’ experience focused on environmental and social affairs. She advises clients on upcoming regulatory challenges concerning the European Green Deal and in particular on circular economy issues.
  • Previously, she worked for 8 years at Burson, a global Public Affairs and communications consultancy where she ran pan-European and Brussels based campaigns for major corporations on environmental and social issues.
  • A lawyer by training, she holds a Law degree from Universidad San Pablo CEO in Madrid and an LLM in European Law from the Université Libre of Brussels.
  • A Spanish national, she is fluent in English and French and has a good command of German, Italian and Portuguese.

Nikhil Varghese

Nikhil Varghese is a Senior Associate for Circular Economy in DGA’s European Affairs practice, advising corporate clients and industry associations on sustainability. His expertise includes packaging, waste management, carbon reduction, and circular business models. Nikhil has led advocacy strategies on legislative files like PPWR and WFD, focusing onanalysing their impact on client operations. Prior to DGA, he worked in Environmental Policy and Strategic Consulting, with experience at the OECD, Ministry of Environment in India, and clients from EEE and waste management sector.

 

Luc Van de Vondel

Xavier Lhoir is unfortunately unable to attend and Luc Van de Vondel (Valipac) will replace him.

Rob van Hoesel

President FEFPEB, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Graduated as Forest Engineer Rob served as managing director of several companies in forest logging, the paper industry, saw milling and the pallet industry. In 2000 he acquired PKF one of the leading pallet manufacturers in the Netherlands. In 2013 he transferred the company to his son and since then he is active for the common interest of our industry, with several functions national and international and since 2013 he is president of FEFPEB.

Filip De Jaeger

Filip De Jaeger is currently Chief Services Officer at Fedustria, responsible for contacts with members and fellow organisations. He graduated from Ghent University with a MA in English and German in 1987. Prior to joining Fedustria in 2013 he worked for former Febelbois (Belgian federation for wood and furniture) and for a variety of European woodworking organisations such as WEI (wood preservation) and FEP (parquet) before taking up the position as secretary general of CEI-Bois (European Confederation of Woodworking Industries) and EOS (European Organisation of the Sawmill Industries); a position he held for more than 12 years. During these years he worked actively with FEFPEB. Filip still sits on the Board of CEI-Bois with a continued interest in European affairs.