The four finalists are:

• Liese Verhaeghe, owner of Beauty&Energy, a firm which specialises in food supplements, and which was previously the company started by her parents in De Panne in West Flanders; supplying to all sorts of wellness and fitness businesses. Her inspiration, she says, was her mother’s desire to do more as a beauty specialist than apply creams and lotions;

• Anne Chapelle, a former nurse at the Institute for Tropical Medicine and now CEO of bvba 32, which represents fashion designers Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackermann. She is also in demand by fashion schools as a mentor for young talent. The business employs 87 people, and had a turnover in 2011 of €29 million;

• Daniëlle Vanwesenbeeck, who worked in the mailing sector and set up her own business in Leuven eight years ago, specialising in the coordination of direct mailing campaigns. The business, Mastermail, made €2.8 million last year and employs 15 people using state-of-the-art mailing technology;

• Greetje Demuelenaere, who worked in advertising and marketing in Brussels and Bruges before taking the big step in 2004 of starting her own business, comma, merkenmarketeers in Zedelgem in West Flanders, which provides a total package of marketing and communications. The company offers, she says, a package of A to Z, from conception to delivery.

Voting for the four candidates is open until 16 February, and the winner will be announced on 14 March.

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