6 June 2023 - 7 min Reading time
Following its General Meeting of June 5, 2023, BEAMA vzw (Belgian Asset Managers Association) will announce its new Chairman.
The choice was made by general consensus to Koen Van de Maele, representative of Candriam - Belgian branch.
He succeeds Johan Lema (KBC Asset Management), whose mandate could not be extended by statute. BEAMA is very grateful to the outgoing Chairman for this role, which he has performed excellently during the previous three years.
The terms of the members of the Board of Directors BEAMA vzw were renewed at the General Meeting of June 5, 2023 for a further term of 3 years, running from June 5, 2023 until the end of the Annual General Meeting of BEAMA vzw of 2026.
When choosing the new Chairman Koen Van de Maele, the Board of Directors of BEAMA vzw, among its members, also put forward a Vice-Chairman: Gregory Swolfs, representative of Capfi Delen Asset Management. Myriam Vanneste () is an additional director, as permanent representative of Candriam - Belgian branch. Marc Van de Gucht () is the Director General of BEAMA.
(*) The additional director and the Director General participate in the Board of Directors of BEAMA without voting rights.
Who is BEAMA?
BEAMA vzw represents the asset management sector in Belgium.
Our mission is to represent the asset management profession and to develop the asset management activity in Belgium, as well as to promote its image and that of its members.
Asset management includes the promotion, portfolio management, distribution and administration of investment funds. In addition to collective products, the term also refers to mandates for institutional and private clients and investment advice.
BEAMA is part of the umbrella associations Febelfin (Belgian Federation of the Financial Sector) and EFAMA (European Fund and Asset Management Association).
The new Chairman will enthusiastically continue the policy line of his predecessor with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of the funds and asset management sector. The focus will include facilitating access to funds and asset management solutions including pension planning, transparent reporting, tax neutrality, sustainability, monitoring technological developments, financial education, inclusion and attention to alternative and less liquid assets.
The BEAMA website offers a general overview of the asset management sector in Belgium. In addition to information for the general public about the collective investment schemes (UCIs) market in Belgium, professional messages for members are also included. The most recent sector figures are included in the just-published annual report “Facts & Figures 2022”.
Attention to sustainability has become indispensable in our current society. While a few years ago sustainable financial products were still labeled as a “niche”, today these products are seen as the new normal.
The Belgian asset management sector is further expanding its pioneering role in the field of sustainability and thus meets the needs of current and future generations of investors. Almost three quarters of the assets of Belgian and foreign public funds marketed in Belgium either have sustainability features or are invested sustainably. Sustainable investments thus play a prominent role in the sector's efforts for a sustainable planet and society.
BEAMA is strongly in favor of the combination of the supplementary work-related pension of the second pillar with individual third-pillar pension savings and with investing in the so-called additional fourth pillar.
The second pillar takes the form of a pension fund or group insurance. This pillar is organized by the employer.
The third pillar is individual additional saving through pension savings insurance, pension savings funds or long-term savings. The banking pension savings funds of the third pillar are a democratic and easily accessible product. Pension savings funds are subject to the performance of the financial markets.
The fourth pillar includes any form of personal saving or investing where funds can be used to further build up capital. The development of multi-asset solutions has been very successful and benefits the diversification of investments. Professional managers manage the portfolios actively and in the best interests of the clients. They spread the underlying assets over a wide range of financial instruments.
This complementary system can ensure that future living standards are maintained in the context of the increasing aging of the population.
The earlier the step from saving to investing is taken, the greater the potential accumulated capital can become. After all, funds enjoy the power of capitalization. The investor thus enjoys “interest on interest”. The earlier you join a fund, the more years you can enjoy this effect.
Systematic investing through planned deposits also offers the advantage of periodically spreading the savings effort and smoothes out the effect of price fluctuations of the underlying assets.
In addition, the Belgian fund market has seen a strong development in recent years of multi-asset solutions that can be used as building blocks of an investment portfolio, depending on every possible risk profile. The sector will further utilize its accumulated experience and expertise optimally and thus offer suitable investment solutions to investors who want to get the best possible return on their accumulated savings.
The asset management sector is highly regulated and new legislation, especially European legislation, is regularly introduced. BEAMA advocates a clear, uniform and less complex regulatory framework. This benefits transparency for current and future generations of investors. Clear regulations serve investors who are entitled to adequate protection and support them in making informed decisions from the wide range of investment options offered. Savers and investors must be able to invest in the combination of products that best suits their needs and sustainability and risk profile.
As a sector association, BEAMA plays a leading role, together with regulators and the supervisory authority, to ensure that existing regulations can be applied consistently and that the implementation of future regulations is optimal and coordinated.
To this end, BEAMA consults with all stakeholders to make adjustments where possible and to support the members.
Professional biography - Koen Van de Maele
Koen Van de Maele, CFA is Chief Investment Solutions Officer and member of Candriam's Executive Committee since October 2017 and member of the Group Strategic Committee since May 2023.
He joined Candriam in 2001 as a bond fund manager and quantitative analyst. In 2009 he was appointed Global Head of Fixed Income.
In 2012, Koen Van de Maele became responsible for Candriam's Investment Engineering department, which was responsible for improving Candriam's investment processes and developing tailor-made investment solutions for institutional clients, including insurance companies, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds.
In June 2016, he became Deputy Chief Investment Officer for Traditional Investments and thus helped determine Candriam's overall investment strategy and communicated about it with customers, prospects and the media.
Koen Van de Maele is a guest lecturer at the EHSAL Management School and Vlerick Business School in Brussels.
Koen Van de Maele is a Civil Engineer and holds a Master's degree in Industrial Management from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He has been a CFA charter holder since 2005 and is a member of the board of directors of several SICAVs under Belgian and Luxembourg law. Since 2020, Koen Van de Maele has also been vice-chairman of BEAMA.