Jan Coene
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Jan Hugo Isidoor Coene born in 1957, is a Belgian businessman.
He joined Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC) Workshops in Brussels as a young trainee. In few years, he rose and reached management position inside the company. During these years he negotiated several acquisitions and mergers. In 1988, BBC merged with ASEA, to become ABB Asea Brown Boveri.
In 2001 he left ABB and became the CEO & Chairman of Picanol a world-wide leader textile machinery and related services.
In 2003, he became Chairman of Belgacom, the Belgian national telephone company which he led to an IPO working closely with its owner, the Belgian Government.
In 2004, the press revealed the level of his incomes from Picanol[1]. These incomes were judged greatly excessive by the press, regarding usual remunerations in Belgium for this kind of functions. The lack of transparence was also pointed out, in particular by company's minority shareholders[2]. Facing growing criticism, Jan Coene was forced to resign from both Picanol and Belgacom in October 2004[3].
The affair became political in Belgium: a bill was introduced in Parliament (the "Picanol law") to force big companies to publish the remuneration of their management staff.
Other Jan Coene's professional activities include: Director and Board Member of various companies: Domo, Committee Koning Boudenwijnsticthing, Flanders, Federation of Flemish Enterprises, co-founder of BBE (Belgian Business for Europe), member of the World Economic Forum (since 2002), Chairman of Siveco Group SA, a company providing CMMS products worldwide.
Jan Coene is married with 2 children.
[edit] Links and references
- ^ Source: RTBF.be's article (in french)
- ^ Source: Deminor's article (in french)
- ^ Source: L'Essentiel's article
