ITM announces five new board members

ITM launched a call for candidates to join its Board of Governors in December 2021. The reason for the call was the expiry of four memberships in July 2022. 41 candidates applied and after a transparent selection procedure, they were narrowed down to five new board members. We proudly present them to you.

 

Ann Aerts

Ann Aerts is Head of the Novartis Foundation, a non-profit organisation that uses data, digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to shape global health and care. Ann holds a degree in medicine, a Master's in Public Health from the KU Leuven, and a degree in tropical medicine from ITM.

Today, she focuses on the innovation and transformation of the health sector, multidisciplinary collaborations between public, private and academic sectors, and harnessing new technologies, data and artificial intelligence to solve health challenges. Prior to joining Novartis, she served as head of the health services division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), among others. In addition to her current role as Head of the Novartis Foundation, she holds several board memberships, including in the Philips Foundation and the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

 

Ann Adriaensen

Ann Adriaensen is Secretary-General and Director of Public Health at pharma.be, the federation of the innovative pharmaceutical industry in Belgium. She holds a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from KU Leuven.

Through her work, Ann has built up experience in strategy and political negotiations related to public health dossiers, good governance, HR policies and the recruitment of new members and partners. She used this expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic through continuous cooperation with the government, the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, hospitals, health professionals (doctors, pharmacists, nurses,...) and the pharmaceutical industry. She also holds various external mandates, including at the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP), the Poison Control Centre and the Belgian Medicines Verification System Organisation (BeMVO).

 

Inge Basteleurs

Inge is director and owner of Calexin. Through Calexin she offers legal services, management advice and advice on compliance and data privacy. She holds degrees in Law and Administrative Economics from the KU Leuven and a Master’s in International & Economic Law from University College London.

Inge has over 27 years of international experience, mainly in the legal field, but also in communication, in setting up local structures in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She has been involved with start-ups as well as multinationals in the healthcare sector, pharma, hospitals, academia, setting up/monitoring clinical partnerships and non-profit organisations. She has established several international collaborations in research on disease education and management, including in India and Africa (epilepsy). As a director, Inge has experience in both listed and unlisted companies.

 

Luc Broos

For 16 years, Luc Broos was at the head of POM Antwerp, the executive arm of the socio-economic policy of the Province of Antwerp. He is an economist by training and obtained his Master's degree in Applied Economic Sciences at the University of Antwerp.

He has experience in general management, strategy and finance, real estate, organisational structure, human resources and commercial management and he has a very extensive network. He was especially active in the ICT sector, protection of intellectual property rights, business consulting and government. He is a member of the General Council of the Antwerp Management School and a Boards member of NV UBIS and NV BlueChem.

 

Jo Bury

Jo Bury was until recently the Managing Director of VIB, the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology. The VIB is a research institute for life sciences where 1,800 scientists and technicians study molecular mechanisms. Jo Bury holds a degree in pharmacy and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (University of Ghent). He obtained an MBA from the Vlerick School for Management in Ghent.

After several years of scientific research in the field of atherosclerosis, he made a career in science policy. As founder and director of the VIB, he has 25 years of experience in leading a research centre with world ambitions, both in basic research and in its economic and social valorisation. He has expertise in the management of academic institutions (VIB, Temasek Life Science labs, ...), granting bodies (Hercules, FWO) and companies (Seghers Genetics and Nutrition, Vitamex, Oystershell, ...) and is a member of numerous advisory boards of international centres of excellence in life sciences.

 

Selection procedure

The members of the Board of Governors are appointed by the General Council of ITM. A selection committee was set up to assess the applications, consisting of several members of the General Council, who were supported in their work by the ITM General Manager and the Board Secretary. ITM sought excellent candidates with an affinity to the institute. During the assessment, particular attention was paid to management experience, political and administrative network and experience in finance, audit and real estate.
After testing against these criteria, the 41 candidates were narrowed down to 12. Based on interviews, a shortlist of seven candidates was drawn up. After a second internal discussion, the five new board members were finally appointed. The procedure, communication and transparency of the selection process were praised by several candidates.

Chair Cathy Berx passes on the torch

After 14 years as chair, Provincial Governor Cathy Berx steps down from the ITM Board. The new chairperson will be appointed by the new Board of Governors. His or her mandate will take effect on 1 January 2023. During the transition period, the current vice-chair, Herwig Leirs will take over the chairpersonship of the Board of Governors. ITM would like to thank Cathy Berx, and the other departing members, Patricia Lanssiers and Dirk Moens, for their boundless dedication and the great contribution to the success of the institute. The Board is overseen by the General Council and assisted by the Scientific Advisory Council of the ITM.

 

The other board members are Roel Coutinho, Steven Serneels, Ajit Shetty, Patricia Supply, Stefaan Van der Borght, Christel Van Geet and Marc-Alain Widdowson.