BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boyden, a global leader in retained executive search and talent advisory services with more than 70 offices in over 40 countries, today announced that the firm has opened an office in Brussels, building its market leadership in Europe.
Francis Vaningelgem and Baudouin Contzen, previously founders of Executive Square and widely known experts on board, CEO and senior executive concerns, will lead the new Boyden Belgium & Luxembourg team. The expansion builds on Boyden’s recent launches in the Netherlands and Geneva, Switzerland.
The Brussels office will cover the full range of Boyden services in executive search, leadership consulting and interim management in:
- Consumer & Retail
- Financial Services
- Industrial, Aerospace, Energy, Cleantech and Utilities
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Technology and Telecommunications
- Professional Services
- Public Sector & Not-for-Profit
“Our clients’ needs are local but also international,” said Francis Vaningelgem and Baudouin Contzen in a joint statement. “Becoming Boyden BeLux allows our clients to access Boyden’s full capabilities anywhere they conduct business. Through the expertise of its various practice groups and the dedication of its international partners who act as trusted strategic advisors, Boyden is quite unique in understanding each client’s sector dynamics and specific goals and working closely with them to identify the best leaders to meet and often surpass expectations.”
“The new Boyden Belgium & Luxembourg team will be an integral part of our firm’s strategy to provide our clients with the best talent advisory services in EMEA,” said Trina Gordon, President and CEO of Boyden World Corporation. “In close collaboration with our world-class partners across Europe, the Americas and Asia/Pacific, Francis and Baudouin bring outstanding experience to meet our clients’ most complex challenges and leadership and senior executive talent decisions.”
Francis Vaningelgem: Mr. Vaningelgem focuses on the firm’s Healthcare & Life Sciences, Technology, and Human Resources Practices. He has over 20 years of global executive search experience across a great variety of industries and functional spectrums, with a keen interest and particular understanding of the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, as well as professional services and technology.
He was a founding member of BEXSA, the Belgian Executive Search Association,giving clients the benefit of his vast professional network and deep industry knowledge.
Prior to joining Boyden, Mr. Vaningelgem was a key figure at several leading search firms. He was a Founder and Managing Partner of Executive Square, serving clients ranging from large multinational groups to start-ups. Concurrently, he was a Senior Partner at Action Consulting, where he helped companies implement human capital strategies.
Previously, he co-founded and led Ray & Berndtson S.A. (now Odgers Berndtson) as Managing Director, building the Brussels-based company into a top Belgian firm during his 15-year tenure. He also co-founded its associated management consultancy, Talentium, where he served as Senior Partner. In his earlier position as a Partner at Ward Howell International, Mr. Vaningelgem contributed to the firm’s success in strategic leadership consulting. This followed a successful tenure as Senior Manager at KPMG and as Associate Partner at Team Consult, where he helped restructure public sector and non-profit organisations. He launched his career recruiting management talent at Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et du Tourisme, Schlumberger, and Honeywell Bull.
Mr. Vaningelgem holds a degree in applied economics from Antwerp University and a postgraduate certificate in information technology. He is fluent in Dutch, English, French and German.
Baudouin Contzen: Mr. Contzen focuses on the firm’s Industrial, Consumer & Retail, and Board Services Practices, and also has expertise in the Energy / Utilities, Aerospace and Professional Services sectors. He has client experience spanning more than 100 countries on five continents as well as expertise in industry restructuring and business transformation.
He joins Boyden from Executive Square where, as Senior Partner, he helped bring the Brussels-based search firm to prominence throughout Belgium. He also served concurrently as Managing Partner of Action Consulting, where he brought his considerable management experience to bear in identifying human resource solutions to further companies’ strategic goals.
Previously, Mr. Contzen co-founded the management consultancy Talentium, focusing on aligning strategy and human resources, after consulting for 11 years with Arthur D. Little and four years with KPMG Consultants Belgium (now Unisys Consulting). Prior to his consulting career, Mr. Contzen was a Sales Manager in the energy division of C.M.I. Cockerill Mechanical Industries.
A noted authority in both the business and academic worlds, Mr. Contzen teaches industrial strategy and marketing for the EMM-CEPAC postgraduate management programme of the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management at the Free University of Brussels. He has also lectured on “consulting in a global environment” at the Bordeaux School of Management (now Kedge Business School).
Mr. Contzen holds a master’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from l’Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles (Brussels School of Engineering) at l’Université libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels) and an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau (France). He is fluent in French, English and Dutch, and has a working knowledge of German and Italian.
About Boyden World Corporation
Boyden is a global leader in executive search and talent advisory services with more than 70 offices in over 40 countries. Founded in 1946, Boyden specializes in high level executive search, interim management and human capital consulting across a broad spectrum of markets and sectors. For further information, visit the firm’s website at www.boyden.com.