Family Business Award - De Tijd

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Interview CEO Guido Vanherpe.

PRESS RELEASE, 7 DECEMBER 2016

During the evening of 7 December 2016 in Brussels, La Lorraine Bakery Group was elected to become ambassador of the Belgian “Family Business Award of Excellence.” Ernst & Young (EY) organised this initiative together with FBN Belgium and GUBERNA, three key players committed to the development of family businesses in Belgium. The other finalists were Ardo, Puratos, Van De Velde and the Van Roey Group. Chaired by Luc De Bruyckere, the panel of judges commended La Lorraine Bakery Group in particular for its authenticity, enthusiasm and entrepreneurship, qualities forming a unifying theme within an outstanding governance structure.


This award is made in recognition of family businesses that stand out in terms of good governance both in the family and business, their vision and maintenance of family values, ensuring the entrepreneurial spirit is passed on from generation to generation, their communication strategy and social commitment.

Guido Van Herpe, La Lorraine Bakery Group CEO, was handed the award by panel member De Bruyckere. A wholly Belgian family-owned group operating in the European bakery sector, La Lorraine Bakery Group is a market leader in Belgium for the manufacture and distribution of a wide range of freshly baked bread and pastry products. It also one of the leading players for frozen bakery specialities and bread packed in a protective atmosphere. Operating in 25 countries, the group is under the management of the third generation. Employing more than 3,000 people, this fast-growing family business posted a turnover of €620 million in 2015. Their Panos store concept is the standard by which others are judged on the Belgian filled soft roll market.

Rudi Braes, Managing Partner of EY Belgium explains: “The Family Business Award of Excellence is designed first of all to pay tribute to high-performance family businesses in our country. This initiative is aimed at encouraging such businesses to share their experiences and best practices. They are the basis of, the engine behind our economy. All the finalists are excellent organisations with enviable track records and prepared to continue developing their legacies in the midst of this disruptive world.”

 

Rewarded for authenticity, enthusiasm and entrepreneurship


The panel of judges chose as their criteria good governance, vision and the maintenance of family values, ensuring the entrepreneurial spirit is passed on from generation to generation, the communication strategy and the social commitment of the company. Chaired by Luc De Bruyckere the panel members were Christ’l Joris, Catherine Noel, Jacques Crahay, and Matthieu Boone.

The panel chairman Luc De Bruyckere explains how the panel reached its decision: “La Lorraine Bakery Group is a copybook example of how it should be done. Its strong and clear vision for the company and family and has been remarkably successful in reflecting this vision within the structures. La Lorraine has created specific tools for ensuring that an outstanding system of governance is developed that is espoused and applied within the family and between the family and management. What is more, the enthusiasm and feelings are clearly perceptible, while the emphasis continues to be firmly placed on entrepreneurship. Excellent and timely preparations have also been made for the succession. La Lorraine is authentic and able to count on a fluent discourse. The company has demonstrated how very resilient it was in the wake of the serious fire that devastated the main registered office in 2008. Finally, it has succeeded in adopting a visionary approach to developing a controlled international presence. La Lorraine is therefore an excellent example of what we seek to highlight with this award”.

 

Award for Belgian family-run businesses that excel


This is the third time EY has joined forces with FBN Belgium and GUBERNA to organise the Family Business Award of Excellence. La Lorraine Bakery Group is following Reynaers Aluminium (2015) and Cosucra (2014). La Lorraine Bakery Group was also chosen to be the “Company of the Year” in 2012. As Belgian ambassador of the ‘Family Business Award of Excellence’, La Lorraine Bakery Group will represent our country during the annual Family Business Summit being held in Monte Carlo in early June.

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