John J. Goossens

Baron John J. Goossens (25 November 1944-8 November 2002) was a Belgian businessman. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Belgacom and lead the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium. He was made a Baron by H.M. King Albert II in 1999.

Education

After his secondary education at the Collège Saint Michel in Brussels, he obtained a licentiate, in trade - and financial sciences from the Louvain School of Management at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) in 1968. In 1971, he obtained a Master of Business Administration at the Columbia University in New York. He was a member of "Up with People".

Career

In 1968, he started his career at General Motors Overseas Corporation. In 1971, he leaves the United States and returns to Belgium as a management trainee at Texaco. In 1976, he is promoted to sales manager and then general manager. In 1989, John Gossens takes the lead of the Antwerp subsidiary company of the French telecom group, Alcatel Bell.

In 1995, John Goossens succeeds Bessel Kok as the head of Belgacom. He becomes thus the first CEO representing the new S.A. Belgacom after its privatization. He prepares the company for the liberalization of the telecom market via the plans Turbo and BeST. In 2003 he was succeeded by Didier Bellens.

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