Fund+ appoints Luc Debruyne and Gérard Lamarche to the Board of Directors

In accordance with the Company’s governance charter, Honorary Chairman Désiré Collen, Arnoud de Pret, Pierre Drion and Hilde Laga have stepped down from the Board following expiry of the term of their office. Désiré Collen, Honorary Chairman, will remain as a Board observer.

Chris Buyse, Managing Partner and Executive Board Member of Fund+, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Luc Debruyne and Gérard Lamarche to the Board. Luc Debruyne brings outstanding scientific and commercialisation experience from GSK, where he led the global vaccines business; and a wealth of international expertise having worked across Europe and managed businesses globally including significant focus and experience in the US. Gérard Lamarche will leverage his track record of successful transactions and brings an invaluable perspective to the Board following an impressive track record of strategic roles at well-established industrial companies.”

Mark Waer, Chairman of the Board, said: “On behalf of all Board Members, I would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for the exceptional contributions our colleagues Désiré Collen, Arnoud de Pret, Pierre Drion and Hilde Laga have made since the start of Fund+ in 2015. Their expertise and support have been very important in guiding the Company’s strategy and helping Fund+ to create a strong portfolio of leading innovative companies each with the potential to bring important breakthrough therapies to patients.”

Désiré Collen said: “I am very proud of the achievements of Fund+ and would like to thank my fellow board of director members and our investors for their support over the years. Our strong patient-centric approach, addressing unmet medical needs and aiming to make a significant societal contribution to the Belgian ecosystem has led to investment in 13 portfolio companies with two exits, Ogeda S.A. and Qbiologicals NV. I am very excited to welcome Luc Debruyne and Gérard Lamarche to our Board and look forward to their contributions and support for the next stage of Fund+ growth.”

Fund+ also announced the promotion of Dr Louis Declerck, currently Investment Analyst at Fund+, to Associate. Louis holds an M.D. degree (pre-specialisation Neurosurgery) from the KU Leuven, Belgium and has combined his medical degree with an M.A. in Civil Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) at UGent, Belgium.

Luc Debruyne

Luc Debruyne was President of Global Vaccines and member of the Corporate Executive Team at GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), a position he was appointed to in 2013, accountable for 17,000 people and growing revenues to more than $7bn in 2018. He joined GSK in 1991 as a commercial strategy director in R&D, and since then has served in multiple capacities in many countries. A business leader with more than 30 years’ experience in the life sciences industry, Debruyne is currently Board Member of the Institutional Advisory Board of VIB Life Science Institute, Strategy Advisor to the CEO of CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), Life Science Advisory Board Member of Greenlight Biosciences and Research Fellow at KU Leuven (Economics & Business Faculty). Luc Debruyne holds a Master in Physical Education and Kinesiology from KU Leuven, Belgium. He attended a Sustainability Leadership Programme at the Institute for Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge.

Gérard Lamarche

Gérard Lamarche is a Director and member of the Standing Committee of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert. In 2019 he joined, as Chairman of the Board, Multifin S.A., the Family Office and anchor investors of ABInBev, and has held Directorships at LafargeHolcim, Total and SGS. In 2000 he joined NALCO (a US subsidiary of the Suez group, world leader in industrial waste water treatment) as Managing Director before being appointed CFO of the Suez group in 2003. Earlier in his career from 1995-1997, Gérard Lamarche joined Compagnie Financière de Suez as Advisor to the Chairman and Secretary to the Executive Committee before being appointed Deputy Director in charge of Planning, Control and Accounting. He graduated in Economics from the UC Louvain and the INSEAD Management Institute (Advanced Management Program) for Suez Group Executives. He also trained at the Wharton International Forum in 1998-1999 (Global Leadership Series).

About Fund+

Fund+ is a Belgian venture capital firm that invests in innovative European Life Sciences companies developing drugs, medical devices and diagnostics, with a strong focus on patient-centric approaches and major unmet medical needs. With over €200M in assets under management, Fund+ has built a strong track record since 2015, investing in 13 portfolio companies with two major exits. The fund is managed by a specialist team of seasoned life sciences professionals with healthcare industry, corporate finance and strategy consulting experience, supporting companies throughout their growth cycle. The company aims to maintain a leading position in the Life Sciences sector, creating sustainable value for its shareholders and a tangible impact on society. www.fundplus.be