Nominations announced for Entrepreneur of the Year

The prize is administered by accountants Ernst & Young, together with financial daily De Tijd and BNP Paribas Fortis. The prize goes annually to a Flemish company that has invested in growth at national and international levels, as a reward for ambition, effort and vision. Last year’s winner was the Mechelen-based property developer Willemen Group.

Katoen Natie is a logistics company based within the Port of Antwerp, employing 9,300 worldwide, including 3,000 in Belgium. The company was set up in 1854 and now has just one shareholder: the irascible and individualistic Fernand Huts (pictured). Huts, son of a farmer, took over in 1981 and has transformed the company from a small business to a multinational.

Ghent-based Kinepolis, meanwhile, was formed in 1997 by the fusion of two family companies and now has 34 cinema complexes in Europe, including across Belgium and in Spain, France, Switzerland and Poland. Half of all cinema tickets sold in Belgium is for entry to Kinepolis.

Ontex in Zele, East Flanders, is the world’s largest private-label manufacturer of disposable nappies, sanitary towels and incontinence protection. It has 15 production sites in 10 countries. The company was sold in 2010 for €1.2 billion to Goldman Sachs Capital Partners.

Van De Velde, based in Schellebelle, also in East Flanders, started in 1919 as a corset factory and is now a lingerie company selling under the labels Marie Jo, Prima Donna and Andres Sarda. The products are designed in Flanders, and the brand has its own stores in Belgium, Germany and France.

Vyncke from Harelbeke, West Flanders, is a family-owned company run by fourth-generation CEO Peter Vyncke. The company manufactures and installs industrial energy products based on biomass.

The award jury is chaired by Paul Buysse, formerly chair of Bekaert. The prize is handed over by King Filip.