Board of Directors

Creafund's Board of Directors is composed of entrepreneurial and dynamic members

Board of Directors

Creafund's Board of Directors is composed of entrepreneurial and dynamic members

 

The Board of Directors of Creafund convenes on a monthly basis and serves both as an investment committee (i.e. deciding on the investment opportunities) and as a monitoring committee (i.e. monitoring the evolution of the portfolio companies). The Board of Directors hence contributes with its dynamic entrepreneurial spirit to the expertise and experience of Creafund and acts as a sounding board for the management team of Creafund.

 

Jacques Pollet, Chairman of the Board of Directors

 

Jacques is a self-made entrepreneur who started his family business in 1969 with the operation of a Unic supermarket. Later, Hubo and Gamma DIY stores were added and after several takeovers, the Pollet distribution group consisted of 9 Carrefour supermarkets and 16 Gamma DIY stores in Belgium, the last of which were sold in 1994. From 1992 onwards, he also invested in the first company active in water treatment (Euraqua Europe), which he expanded internationally through takeovers. From 2002 onwards, companies active in the distribution and production of swimming pool parts were also added and in 2019, a medical department was started. The latter is active in the production and supply of medical devices and accessories for kidney dialysis treatment and also provides a sterilization service to hospitals and manufacturers. The Pollet Group has now grown into an international player active in 3 tasks, good for a turnover of EUR 630m. Jacques has been active at Creafund since 2002 as a director and since 2013 as chairman. In addition, he was a commissioner on the Board of Directors of the franchisor Intergamma Nederland for 10 years.

Herman Wielfaert, member of the Board of Directors and Senior Advisor

 

During 25 years, Herman was CEO of Creafund where he was responsible for the impressive growth trajectory of this evergreen investment holding. Today he is a member of the Creafund board and also a senior advisor to its current partners, where he continues to share his strategic vision and expertise.   

 

Today he also holds board seats at Banque Thaler SA, Biobest NV, the Floridienne Group, Beddeleem NV and at De Bree NV. As from Sept 2012 he is a member of the Advisory Board of the Swedish W-Family Office. Previously he was also a board member at Vision Healthcare, Aalterpaint, Purna, the Ghistelinck Group, Transics International and IBt.   

 

Herman started his career in 1988 as corporate finance specialist at ALSK (now BNP Paribas Fortis). Herman subsequently worked from 1991 till 1999 for the Daimler-Benz Group, during which he took up the CEO role for Daimler-Chrysler Capital Services Belgium and The Netherlands, active in alternative financing techniques (tax lease and rentals) for the Daimler-Benz products in shipping, aircraft, and railway assets.

 

Serge Braun, member of the Board of Directors


Serge obtained his master's degree in Law at the K.U.L. in 1990 and the Post-University Business Management degree from the Vlerick School for Management (R.U.G.) in 1991. After a year of sales experience in an external company, he started in 1992 in a family business active in the niche of cleaning tools. He gradually led the company towards operational excellence, made acquisitions, set up a department in the U.S.A. and introduced new product ranges to grow the business. Besides this he is also active in real estate and PE investments. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Creafund since 2011 and since 2024 he has chaired the Audit & Risk Committee. 

Christophe Desimpel, member of the Board of Directors

 

Christophe obtained his master’s degree in applied economics at KU Leuven and Postgraduate Management at Vlerick School of Management in 1991. He became a director at Desimpel Bricks, Remi Claeys Aluminium, Telindus, Leasinvest, Accentis and several non-stock quoted companies. He has been a Creafund Board member since 2002 and is mainly active in construction and real estate with a particular focus on the healthcare industry.

Jos Deslee, member of the Board of Directors

 

Jos is an experienced Executive President with a demonstrated history of working in the textiles industry & building businesses in different regions in the world (Europe, Asia, the America's, Africa). He is a seasoned entrepreneur skilled in Business Strategy, Executive and Non-executive Management, Digital Transformation, Scaling Businesses and Textiles. Jos has been a member of the Board of Directors of Creafund since 2019.

Bob Donck, member of the Board of Directors

 

After his master's degree in commercial sciences, Bob gained international work experience at trading companies in Spain and Germany, after which he returned to the family business Donck NV. There he held various roles, such as IT manager and purchasing manager Southern Europe. All this while he also continued to develop himself by following an intensive management course at the Vlerick Business School. He currently holds the role of CEO of the family business. He is also a director in the company Floramor and has been a member of the Board of Directors of Creafund since 2024.

Filip Engelen, member of the Board of Directors


Filip has been leading the family business active in the petroleum sector since 1988. Spread over 15 companies, the activities range from international trading, storage of petroleum products to wholesale and distribution. He is also chairman of Avia-Belgium. 35 petrol stations are operated under this brand. He holds various management positions at BOFAS (fund for the remediation of soil and water at petrol stations), Compagnie Financière Thaler, Belgomine, Liège Tank Storage and the Witte Huis in Rotterdam. Filip has been a member of the Board of Directors at Creafund since 2021 and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Sabine Neyman, member of the Board of Directors

 

Sabine joined the Board of Directors in 2017 and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee in 2024. She obtained her Master's degree in Applied Economics in 2002 and the Post-Graduate degree in International Relations in 2003 at KU Leuven, University Galway and HEI Geneva. Sabine then left permanently to settle in Switzerland and is now an Associate Partner at Banque Thaler, a boutique private bank. She is responsible for client relations in combination with a role in the bank's investment committee for alternative investments and private equity.

Ivan Van de Maele, member of the Board of Directors

 

Ivan obtained his master’s degree in Commercial Engineering at KU Leuven in 1988 and his Graduate in Fiscal Sciences at the Fiscal College Brussels in 1989. He is a director at Sibomat, Happynest and Vicinity. He is Secretary General of Matexi since 1988 and of the Abacus Group since 2007. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Creafund since 2000. 

Bart Van der Stockt, member of the Board of Directors

 

Bart obtained his master's degree in law at Ghent University in 2004, after which he started his career at the Unilin Group, an international player in the flooring, panel and insulation industry, part of the US listed Mohawk Industries. He specialized in the exploitation of intellectual property rights. After several legal and commercial roles in Ireland and Luxembourg, and an MBA at Vlerick Ghent, he became Managing Director of the IP business unit in 2009. In this role, and as a director at Unilin BV, he transformed the IP business unit from a single technology company into a fully-fledged successful division with various licensable technologies, active in different geographies. Bart has been a director at Creafund since 2024.

Georges Van Nevel, member of the Board of Directors

 

Georges Van Nevel obtained his master’s degree in applied economics (University UFSIA - Antwerp) and then an MBA from Vlerick Ghent. Georges founded the agency DVN in 1985, a pioneer specialized in Direct Marketing and interactive communication, which has won numerous Belgian, European and American Awards. In 2016, he passed the torch to a generation of young shareholders. In addition, he chaired the Marketing Congress of Stichting Marketing (now BAM) for 20 years and was inducted into the 'DM Hall of Fame', received a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' and received the honorary title of 'Master Marketeer'. As an entrepreneur in heart and soul, he is still very active in numerous social organizations in the non-profit sector. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2008.

 

This website uses cookies The website of Creafund Asset Management nv uses functional cookies. In case of analysing our traffic or advertising, we also place cookies that share information about your use of our site with our analytics partners, our social media and advertising partners, who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services.
Show details Hide details
Allow selection Allow all cookies