I am just back from a fortnight in our paradise in the Dordogne ! It was great, as always, but could have been a bit warmer and drier the first week. Thinking back 12 years to March 24 2012 when Barbara and I got married in Brussels we were incredibly lucky with the weather, it was virtually a summer day and we took the apéro in the garden as some of you will remember. No sight of climate change during our first week in the South West of France, fake news!! I’m kidding of course because afterwards it came back with a vengeance (which we appreciated). Somewhere I read that Belgium has never produced more wine than this year. Interesting news but it comes a bit too late for me as I have decided to stop drinking wine containing alcohol 😊 😊. My better half made me understand that I had taken the habit of drinking a glass too many in the belief that that would help me cope with this changing world which worries all of us; wars in Ukraine and Gaza, climate change, climate migrants, rising energy prices, ever more violence and so on ….(strangely enough I don’t miss alcohol at all, and so it is no problem for me to occasionally share a glass of bubbly at festive events). There is not much we can do to alter the course of the world at this juncture. This being said, I was listening on France Inter to Heinz Wisman, a German philosopher, who explained – amongst many other fascinating thoughts – that change is and has always been the very essence of Europe; we are what we are only because we have accepted change and are evolving with change. This tends to confirm my view that populist and extreme right movements who try to convince us that things were better in the past and that simple remedies are available are not in sync with the course of history. But it is also true that I was incredibly lucky to have been born in Europe at the end of the 50ies, allowed to choose the studies and line of work I wanted, to build a more than decent career, to meet great people – you – in and from all over the world, to decide to move to the social economy more than 10 years ago and to still feel useful at what I did and do. I’m afraid today’s young people are almost certainly facing a less promising future.
My better half also helped me to no longer exclusively read serious stuff and Le Monde but open up to the wonderful world of novels! I started with one by Ken Follet….and am now reading my fourth!! I’ve always been fond of history and am now thoroughly enjoying books that acquaint you with fictitious persons in a genuine historical setting, allowing you to follow their lives across the centuries from the Middle Ages to today.
We are still singing, too. On April 13, 2024 we’ll be performing the Mozart Requiem for the 5th time but this time it will be at the prestigious big Hall at Flagey in Brussels. 800 seats, 15.30h and 19.00h, fully booked!!! We are also working on the Requiem by Verdi which I like less because it actually is much more an opera than a requiem.
Very well Olivier but you are still quite busy as far as I know. Can you tell me a bit more?
Yes of course! Let’s begin with microStart, the company which provides microloans and counselling to microentrepreneurs ( www.microstart.be). Which is far from easy obviously, the energy price increase after Covid having put these entrepreneurs under a lot of stress. We try to accompany them as best we can; it is clearly not in our interest either if they are forced to throw in the towel. We succeeded in recruiting an excellent new female Director general, fantastic! We also reinforced its two Boards of Directors. As to me, I quit the position of Chairman of the asbl after more than 10 years to become a simple Board member but I am no less committed to the cause than before. Turning to SIREAS (www.sireas.be), they too changed a lot in trying to adjust to the situation and prepare the future. Here again a very dynamic new DG is now in the driving seat. I have taken on a new mission as member of the Comité Sociétal of NewB (www.newb.coop) whose task is to monitor that NewB (and since the merger also VDK) adhere to the principles laid down in the social and environmental Charter. It is a homecoming of sorts as I have been a Board member of NewB from the very start of that adventure, stepping down only when NewB was granted its banking licence. Sadly, however, we failed to raise the capital required by the Belgian National Bank which is why we signed an agreement with VDK bank. NewB is the exclusive bank agency of VDK in Brussels and Wallonia.
Finally, I am still a Board member of EMMI (www.emmi-benchmarks.eu), not much to report on that front. Their teams are super efficient and are doing a great job. To wind up, I am still involved in various social entities where I try to contribute by unearthing members for their Boards. Abbeyfield (www.abbeyfield.be) is a wonderful example; they help to create collective homes for people aged 55 and over. 10 such spaces are presently in operation in Belgium and the scheme is expanding by inviting private investors to join the movement.
That’s it! As you can see, I am still busy and very much enjoying what I do.
I sincerely hope that there will be opportunities to see each and everyone of you in the course of this year!
Olivier, April 2024
