Supporting innovative companies with social impact is one of the strategic pillars of Private Equity. The investment in scale-up Nobi is a perfect example of this commitment.

Together with LSP Health Economics Fund, LSP Dementia Fund and PMV, BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity is investing more than 13 million euros in the Belgian scale-up Nobi, known for its smart lamp that focuses on fall detection and prevention for the elderly. The existing shareholders are also stepping into this second, by Belgian standards substantial and international, influx of capital. In so doing, they confirm their confidence in a company that, on the one hand, wants to make a fundamental difference to the lives of elderly people in assisted living centres, service flats or simply at home. On the other hand, the smart lamp also serves the broader society, which, due to the rapid ageing of the population, is seeing the cost of care due to falls increase year after year.

The 13 million euros of new capital will be used to further develop long-term collaborations with assisted living centres, service flats and hospitals around the world, and to launch Nobi in people's homes. Nobi will also be investing in the redesign of its first generation lamps. Despite rising raw material prices, the company aspires to a lower-cost lamp to help as many people as possible. To achieve all this nationally and internationally, team Nobi will grow from 10 to more than 40 employees by the end of 2022.

Didier Beauvois, Head of Corporate Banking & Member of the Executive Board BNP Paribas Fortis: "This investment underlines our mission to support innovative companies with a positive social impact. Together with the reputable investment consortium, we are happy to support Nobi’s further expansion in order to meet one of the greatest challenges in our society in the coming years."

Read the full press release here

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Mel de Vogue, CFO of the Etex building materials group, accepted the award at Brussels Expo on 24 May, succeeding Karim Hajjar of Solvay. Mel de Vogue joined Etex as CFO in 2015 and was instrumental in laying the foundation of the new strategy adopted by the company a few years ago.

copyright Leyla Hesna

Focus on sustainability

"The then CEO, Paul Van Oyen, understood very early on that sustainability had to be at the heart of the strategy and that this had to translate into divesting some activities and adding others," says de Vogue. Etex sold a number of businesses and eliminated EUR 1 billion in debt. This strong financial position allowed the company to make a major acquisition last year. Etex put EUR 1 billion on the table to acquire Spanish insulation specialist URSA. The finance department, which employs almost 600 people, played a central role in these operations.

At the same time, de Vogue worked to internationalise and feminise his department. Of the twelve directors, there are now five foreigners and three women.

De Vogue won out over four other strong candidates: Alessandro Mazzocchetti (Odoo), Frédéric Deslypere (Sibelco), Nadine Aerts (SD Worx) and Ann Desender (Barco).

WDP wins the 'Deal of the Year 2023'

For the fourth time Trends also awarded a 'Deal of the Year' award. All mergers, acquisitions and capital operations involving a Belgian company in 2022 were eligible. The most important criterion is the financial and strategic added value that the operation created for the stakeholders.

There were five deals in the running, and the one from WDP emerged as the winner. Last year, the real estate company raised EUR 300 million of fresh money – in difficult market conditions. As a result, WDP can finance its future projects without causing its debt ratio to rise sharply.

Elke Toye of Vyncke is 'CF'Hope of the Year 2023'

With this brand-new award, Trends highlights a young CFO of a promising medium-sized company that is experiencing significant growth. Elke Toye, CFO of the West Flemish family company Vyncke, was the lucky winner.

Vyncke designs industrial incineration plants that convert residual streams into green energy. These are large projects involving large sums of money and long lead times. Financial risk management is therefore Elke Toye’s most important task. In her finance department, the CFO prefers to focus on one major project per year. 2023 is dedicated to preparing reporting on ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) sustainability criteria.

Partnership

Since 2012, BNP Paribas Fortis and Trends have been putting the spotlight on the exceptional qualities of a CFO of a top 500 company in Belgium. Later, the crowning of the 'Deal of the Year' was added, and since this year a 'CF'Hope of the Year' has also been chosen. Virginie Martens, Head of Corporate Coverage Belgium at our bank, was a member of the jury.

Congratulations to the winners and to all the other candidates! Because rewarding and encouraging contributors to our economy is also Positive Banking.

Read the full interview with Mel de Vogue, CFO of Etex and Elke Toye, CFO of Vyncke.

On 24 May, we will know who will be succeeding Karim Hajjar, CFO of Solvay, as the 12th CFO of the Year. The jury also selected 5 deals with a chance to win Deal of the Year. New award: the CF'Hope of the Year.

CFO of the Year

With the CFO of the Year award, Trends and BNP Paribas Fortis highlight the achievements of a Belgian chief financial officer for the twelfth time. The jury pays particular attention to the CFO’s professional knowledge and communication and leadership skills, as well as the contribution they make to the strategic management of the company.

The candidates for the title of ‘Trends CFO of the Year 2023’ are:

• Alessandro Mazzocchetti, CFO Odoo
• Mel de Vogue, CFO ETEX
• Frédéric Deslypere, CFO Sibelco
• Nadine Aerts, CFO SD Worx

• Ann Desender, CFO Barco

Check out the portraits of the candidates

Deal of the Year

The Deal of the Year rewards a particular transaction (merger or acquisition, capital increase ...) by which a Belgian company has particularly distinguished itself in the course of 2022. The jury will draw up a list of five deals from which a winner will be chosen. The most important criterion is the financial and strategic added value that the operation created for the stakeholders. The award is being presented for the fourth time.

The nominees for the 'Trends Deal of the Year 2023' are:

• DEME
• ETEX
• WDP
• Biobest
• Stadsbader

Find out more about the deals

CF’Hope of the Year

With this new award, Trends and BNP Paribas Fortis highlight a young CFO of a promising medium-sized company that is experiencing significant growth. The jury's preference is for a CFO working in a private company controlled by Belgian capital. Key criteria include financial and management experience, strategic vision, communication skills and adaptability.

The candidates for the 'CF'Hope of the Year 2023' are:

• Karolien Vlassenroot, CFO Caminogroup/Durabrik
• Cecile Cornez, CFO Tilman
• Elke Toye, CFO Vyncke

Find out more about the candidates

The winners will be announced in Brussels Expo on 24 May. Virginie Martens, Head of Corporate Coverage Belgium at BNP Paribas Fortis, is a member of the jury.

We wish all candidates the best of luck! Rewarding and encouraging people and businesses that contribute to our economy, another example of Positive Banking.

(Source: Trends)

With EUR 30 million in raised start-up capital, the Leuven biotech company AstriVax can further develop its vaccines. This is the largest amount of start-up money ever raised by a KU Leuven spin-off. BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity is one of the investors in this innovative Belgian company, which can now shift up a gear.

Tackling challenges in vaccinology

AstriVax focuses on the development of innovative vaccines, both preventive and therapeutic. With the start-up capital raised, the company will clinically develop its first thermostable yellow fever vaccine and further develop its candidate vaccines against rabies and chronic hepatitis B.

The company is building a highly innovative plug-and-play vaccine platform for this, based on the ground-breaking work done by co-founders Professor Johan Neyts and Doctor Kai Dallmeier from the KU Leuven Rega Institute. In this way, AstriVax seeks to design and produce vaccines faster and more cost-efficiently. The aim is to combine long-term protection with thermostable production, which requires no cooling. This makes it easy for vaccines to reach patients, even those in tropical and subtropical areas.

Ground-breaking scientific work with social relevance

In addition to BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity, PMV, Thuja Capital, Ackermans & van Haaren, OMX and the KU Leuven Gemma Frisius Fund are all participating in this financing round, led by V-Bio Ventures and Fund+.

"The Rega team has done fantastic scientific work in recent years, which they can now turn into valuable medical products. Investing in innovative companies with a strong social vision and promising potential, is perfectly in line with our Private Equity strategy", says Raf Moons, Head of BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity.

Read the full press release here.

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BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity takes stake in Van de Velde Pipe Inspections & Solutions. The Lier-based company is a one-stop-shop for all piping solutions.

Van de Velde’s strength is that they offer an all-in-one solution: maintenance, inspection, advice, cleaning, renovation and repair of all kinds of pipes, tubes, storage tanks and sewers. Thanks to their solution-oriented approach, good service, and the use of modern techniques and materials, they have become a leading and forward-thinking player in their niche.

The company has boosted its investments in new technologies and digitalisation, offering robot cleaning and using drones for inspections, among others. The experienced management team focuses on projects with high added value that require specific expertise and technologically advanced material. Thanks to this forward-looking vision, Van De Velde dares to think out-of-the-box and is able to apply its know-how and solutions across the board for many applications in various industries.

"Van de Velde Inspections is an innovative company with a lot of growth potential and a strong management team with an excellent vision. This investment shows that we are not just focussed on large corporates", says Raf Moons, Head of BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity. "Private Equity is increasingly investing in SMEs. Companies such as Van de Velde Pipe Inspections & Solutions are an essential part of our Belgian economic fabric, and we are happy to support them."

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Also read the article that was published in De Tijd on 13 April 2022 (in Dutch only)