I have tried to reflect on this excursion and simplify a pretty fulsome experience to things that might inform the situation we find ourselves in.
It is a given that the taxi group followed the 2percent group, and that everybody in both groups was trying their best to influence things for the betterment of Charlton Athletic. And from my own experience those in the taxi group were to a man and woman totally dedicated to 'the cause' first and foremost, they were an awesome bunch.
So what are my first hand impressions?
One part of the mood music I experienced in St Truiden itself, and I must have interacted with about 50 local people in the street, the bat, the taxi and the hotel is that Roland is all about money...this was stated absolutely consistently.
However there was also a conundrum in that Roland was also seen as scrooge like. Both with his ownership of St Truiden, but in personal ways like driving an old banger, or not buying decent clothes. So the question remained well what does he want the money for?
One theory is that nobody understands, he is unfathomable, and probably a rich nutcase.
However two angles were put to me. One was that his wife is a pretty well known and influential figure around the place, information that people volunteered and that I didn't need to deduce. Maybe one answer as to why Roland is so acquisitive is the influence of Mrs Duchatelet in all this, maybe it isn't just about what he want's but also somehow what she wants.
The other angle was put to me by a Belgian man in a cafe. This guy interrupted proceedings and insisted on buying a group of us coffees. He was an ex-footballer but had spent most of his life as a school sports teacher. The money he suggested was simply about having power for the sake of power, that control is seductive and compelling to Mr Duchatelet.
I will leave it to others to decide if those impressions can help focus on how to unseat Mr Duchatelet.
Another major impression I certainly felt was the sheer influence and presence Mr Duchatelet has there.
Very friendly police visited us in the square twice. Firstly to suss out what was going on, and then they shortly returned and actually asked 'when are you going to deliver the presents to Mr Duchatelet'. We said in about ten minutes. The people at the stadium were certainly prepared for our arrival
I was in the second vehicle to arrive at the stadium (the taxi) and it was quite a full on experience which would take too long to cover completely.
However some things are true in terms of my first hand experiences and what i made of them. The people working in the vicinity of the ground were on edge. The wanted to control the space, suggesting nearly everywhere was private property (the pavement even), we couldn't park, the police were on their way, the hotel was full, we should go. This was expressed in the clumsy context of pathetic attempts to deceive, pretend filming to identify us and especially lies. The bloke I had most to do with was cool about accepting he was frequently lying. I felt pretty annoyed by him.
However in my encounters with him he said everybody was happy with Duchatelet in St Truiden, and denied with a 'no no no' that Duchatelet hated us, but offered the opinion that the problems were created by the players not Mr Duchatelet. He (like others back in town) was aware of Thomas Dreisen too. When I said to him it wasn't going to stop (the protests) and that we would be back, and keep it all up, he seemed a bit annoyed about that.
I suppose all this adds up to a sense of scurrying reaction from some Duchatelet loyal locals, and meant they were fully aware we were around and they didn't like it.
This sense was mirrored the next morning at Melexis when two employees came out to debate the degree to which Mr Duchatelet was involved with the company (a lot of half truths here, and equivocation), but they really didn't like us pitching up and wanted us gone. They were very exercised in trying to persuade us how distant Mr Duchatelet was from their company.
Being out there I only have a vague idea of how it was impacting in a wider sense, but seeing immediate coverage in the Belgian media suggested to me that things we were doing were thought to be newsworthy.
As I say this is part of the story told from the perspective of one of the people who went, but I have tried to make it similar to a reportage and will leave it to others to extrapolate what they will from it.
If the poor fellow cant even go out and enjoy a nice family meal out then i think this time cards overstepped the mark invading his personal space !! Ha good hes ruined our lives enough
I have tried to reflect on this excursion and simplify a pretty fulsome experience to things that might inform the situation we find ourselves in.
It is a given that the taxi group followed the 2percent group, and that everybody in both groups was trying their best to influence things for the betterment of Charlton Athletic. And from my own experience those in the taxi group were to a man and woman totally dedicated to 'the cause' first and foremost, they were an awesome bunch.
So what are my first hand impressions?
One part of the mood music I experienced in St Truiden itself, and I must have interacted with about 50 local people in the street, the bat, the taxi and the hotel is that Roland is all about money...this was stated absolutely consistently.
However there was also a conundrum in that Roland was also seen as scrooge like. Both with his ownership of St Truiden, but in personal ways like driving an old banger, or not buying decent clothes. So the question remained well what does he want the money for?
One theory is that nobody understands, he is unfathomable, and probably a rich nutcase.
However two angles were put to me. One was that his wife is a pretty well known and influential figure around the place, information that people volunteered and that I didn't need to deduce. Maybe one answer as to why Roland is so acquisitive is the influence of Mrs Duchatelet in all this, maybe it isn't just about what he want's but also somehow what she wants.
The other angle was put to me by a Belgian man in a cafe. This guy interrupted proceedings and insisted on buying a group of us coffees. He was an ex-footballer but had spent most of his life as a school sports teacher. The money he suggested was simply about having power for the sake of power, that control is seductive and compelling to Mr Duchatelet.
I will leave it to others to decide if those impressions can help focus on how to unseat Mr Duchatelet.
Another major impression I certainly felt was the sheer influence and presence Mr Duchatelet has there.
Very friendly police visited us in the square twice. Firstly to suss out what was going on, and then they shortly returned and actually asked 'when are you going to deliver the presents to Mr Duchatelet'. We said in about ten minutes. The people at the stadium were certainly prepared for our arrival
I was in the second vehicle to arrive at the stadium (the taxi) and it was quite a full on experience which would take too long to cover completely.
However some things are true in terms of my first hand experiences and what i made of them. The people working in the vicinity of the ground were on edge. The wanted to control the space, suggesting nearly everywhere was private property (the pavement even), we couldn't park, the police were on their way, the hotel was full, we should go. This was expressed in the clumsy context of pathetic attempts to deceive, pretend filming to identify us and especially lies. The bloke I had most to do with was cool about accepting he was frequently lying. I felt pretty annoyed by him.
However in my encounters with him he said everybody was happy with Duchatelet in St Truiden, and denied with a 'no no no' that Duchatelet hated us, but offered the opinion that the problems were created by the players not Mr Duchatelet. He (like others back in town) was aware of Thomas Dreisen too. When I said to him it wasn't going to stop (the protests) and that we would be back, and keep it all up, he seemed a bit annoyed about that.
I suppose all this adds up to a sense of scurrying reaction from some Duchatelet loyal locals, and meant they were fully aware we were around and they didn't like it.
This sense was mirrored the next morning at Melexis when two employees came out to debate the degree to which Mr Duchatelet was involved with the company (a lot of half truths here, and equivocation), but they really didn't like us pitching up and wanted us gone. They were very exercised in trying to persuade us how distant Mr Duchatelet was from their company.
Being out there I only have a vague idea of how it was impacting in a wider sense, but seeing immediate coverage in the Belgian media suggested to me that things we were doing were thought to be newsworthy.
As I say this is part of the story told from the perspective of one of the people who went, but I have tried to make it similar to a reportage and will leave it to others to extrapolate what they will from it.
This sense was mirrored the next morning at Melexis when two employees came out to debate the degree to which Mr Duchatelet was involved with the company (a lot of half truths here, and equivocation), but they really didn't like us pitching up and wanted us gone. They were very exercised in trying to persuade us how distant Mr Duchatelet was from their company.
This isn't a dig as you lot have done wonders the past few days but i'm pretty sure if a group of protesters pitched up in the foyer of any company, then reception or security would be pretty quick to want rid of them off the premises.
This sense was mirrored the next morning at Melexis when two employees came out to debate the degree to which Mr Duchatelet was involved with the company (a lot of half truths here, and equivocation), but they really didn't like us pitching up and wanted us gone. They were very exercised in trying to persuade us how distant Mr Duchatelet was from their company.
This isn't a dig as you lot have done wonders the past few days but i'm pretty sure if a group of protesters pitched up in the foyer of any company, then reception or security would be pretty quick to want rid of them off the premises.
I would normally agree with this except the place did not have security as such, but the people we engaged with need only to have told us straight away to go and we would have done, but their opening gambit was to start the conversation about their relationship with Mr Duchatelet.
We could have videoed the chat ourselves and shown the true nature of the conversation. Anyway I believe the fact that someone would have got face to fact to him like the Liege fans might have gone some way in him thinking - Is it worth all the agro if I cant even have a Birthday meal in peace. I think someone explaining exactly what we thought of him and Meire ( not in an overly aggressive way) in front of his family or whoever was eating with him would have really embarrassed him even more. I'm guessing he pretty much decided to sack Slade just out of spite. What is the worst that could have happened?
It is a difficult situation. Perhaps Jimmy Stone could be persuaded to undertake a BBC Watchdog style door-stepping of Duchatalet for his film on the regime?! You can get away with some aggressive questioning with a mic and a camera.
Probably the most striking thing from my perspective was the similarity between Katrien's lying and 3 of the staff of RM we met. The bloke at the stadium (Peter) who first came out and pretended to be a local reporter, then said everything is private property (as Seth said) including the pavement, also that there were no vacancies at the hotel (St T in Novemeber? I don't think so). Followed by the, much more pleasant, senior managers who came out at Melexis and repeatedly denied RM has anything to do with Melexis (staff I spoke to on their way in talked about RM, and what he was like as a 'boss', saying they hadn't seen him in the last 6 years). The ease and spontaneity that they came out with the lies - as if they totally believed them. Their facial expressions were that of total belief that black was white. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if they could pass a lie detector test.
We could have videoed the chat ourselves and shown the true nature of the conversation. Anyway I believe the fact that someone would have got face to fact to him like the Liege fans might have gone some way in him thinking - Is it worth all the agro if I cant even have a Birthday meal in peace. I think someone explaining exactly what we thought of him and Meire ( not in an overly aggressive way) in front of his family or whoever was eating with him would have really embarrassed him even more. I'm guessing he pretty much decided to sack Slade just out of spite. What is the worst that could have happened?
Given that there were lots of other diners in the Restaurant and as the CARD people will confirm the police are very, very, mindful of Roland, the worst thing that could have happened is us getting arrested. We have all considered the possibility of getting arrested whilst out there,but we are not craving it. We came nearest to it on our first trip there in February.
As it is, we embarrassed him and it was the start of a long uncomfortable weekend for him. The publicity has been overwhelmingly positive. ( See today's Mail online ) We are happy with that.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
Or failing that nominate someone to dress up as a woman next time!
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
Yawn, dont you just love it when someone sits in their armchair giving out instructions on how/where and when to do it.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
Or failing that nominate someone to dress up as a woman next time!
Agree with Roland Out!
You will I'm am sure have noticed how restrained both the CARD and B20/2 per cent protests were.
This may well have been because there is a recognition from all fans of the club that the current management have manipulated any possible angle to their advantage. Giving them no angles to attack but making a point is tricky and I think there is too much blame here between fans who want the same thing.
I understand that the B20 protests were going to have female representation this time out with other complications ultimately meaning this didn't happen.
It would be good to broaden the base of protesters into Belgium as wide as possible as often as possible.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
Yawn, dont you just love it when someone sits in their armchair giving out instructions on how/where and when to do it.
Come on stu, I didn't read it like that. We've just had one of the most productive protest weekends because different groups worked together. Let's keep going in that vein.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
Yawn, dont you just love it when someone sits in their armchair giving out instructions on how/where and when to do it.
Come on stu, I didn't read it like that. We've just had one of the most productive protest weekends because different groups worked together. Let's keep going in that vein.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
Yawn, dont you just love it when someone sits in their armchair giving out instructions on how/where and when to do it.
Come on stu, I didn't read it like that. We've just had one of the most productive protest weekends because different groups worked together. Let's keep going in that vein.
Agree with your sentiment Oli, but there's still this perception that 1) that visit was intimidating and aggressive (it was anything but) and 2) Who really gives a toss what Danny Murphy thinks? Just because a few folk on an Internet forum think this was disgusting, doesn't mean that the majority do. Some people think that even the B20 protests have been too meek, so there are a wide range of views out there. At the end of the day no-one did anything illegal, and each time after we've gone to Belgium, Roland and/or Katrien has been rattled and spouted nonsense in the press.
I agree though that we should ALL want the same thing. These arseholes to sell.
Yep, please continue as you are. Keep it polite etc and you'll maintain the backing of the majority of the fans and the media. Cross the line even slightly & you'll provide the ammunition against the protestors. But of course you know this from the reaction to previously banging on the door of Meire's parents. There were a substantial amount that thought that was too much & Talksport also said the same.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
Yawn, dont you just love it when someone sits in their armchair giving out instructions on how/where and when to do it.
Come on stu, I didn't read it like that. We've just had one of the most productive protest weekends because different groups worked together. Let's keep going in that vein.
Agree with your sentiment Oli, but there's still this perception that 1) that visit was intimidating and aggressive (it was anything but) and 2) Who really gives a toss what Danny Murphy thinks? Just because a few folk on an Internet forum think this was disgusting, doesn't mean that the majority do. Some people think that even the B20 protests have been too meek, so there are a wide range of views out there. At the end of the day no-one did anything illegal, and each time after we've gone to Belgium, Roland and/or Katrien has been rattled and spouted nonsense in the press.
I agree though that we should ALL want the same thing. These arseholes to sell.
It is about perception, and as soon as you're trying to explain yourself, that's half the story lost. While I couldn't care less what DM thinks, he has a huge audience, not aware and not fussed of the nuance around stories. So that's why the overriding message has to be simple, and positive - and leaves RD no place to move. That's why it was so good to hear him rattle against the protestors being sexist with no reason, he had lost the argument and had nothing to fall back on.
Of course there's a wide variety of views, and that diversity should be celebrated and used to build momentum towards the one goal. The approach taken the last weekend was the right one and you all rightly deserve plaudits on here, in the press and in Belgium.
Actually there is a woman member of our group and her work is indispensable to us. She also gave some help to CARD for their trip to Belgium. She would not want to be named on here but we would all want to thank her for her contribution.
In addition to that, The President likes to show his feminine side by relaxing of an evening by wearing a fetching pink off the shoulder number with matching accessories.
Actually there is a woman member of our group and her work is indispensable to us. She also gave some help to CARD for their trip to Belgium. She would not want to be named on here but we would all want to thank her for her contribution.
In addition to that, The President likes to show his feminine side by relaxing of an evening by wearing a fetching pink off the shoulder number with matching accessories.
OK, I confess.
However, its not always pink, sometimes I go out with a rather nice black and white Roland Out scarf around my face.
Actually there is a woman member of our group and her work is indispensable to us. She also gave some help to CARD for their trip to Belgium. She would not want to be named on here but we would all want to thank her for her contribution.
In addition to that, The President likes to show his feminine side by relaxing of an evening by wearing a fetching pink off the shoulder number with matching accessories.
OK, I confess.
However, its not always pink, sometimes I go out with a rather nice black and white Roland Out scarf around my face.
Probably the most striking thing from my perspective was the similarity between Katrien's lying and 3 of the staff of RM we met. The bloke at the stadium (Peter) who first came out and pretended to be a local reporter, then said everything is private property (as Seth said) including the pavement, also that there were no vacancies at the hotel (St T in Novemeber? I don't think so). Followed by the, much more pleasant, senior managers who came out at Melexis and repeatedly denied RM has anything to do with Melexis (staff I spoke to on their way in talked about RM, and what he was like as a 'boss', saying they hadn't seen him in the last 6 years). The ease and spontaneity that they came out with the lies - as if they totally believed them. Their facial expressions were that of total belief that black was white. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if they could pass a lie detector test.
It is, I suppose, just about possible the Melexis people were being straight. A quick look at the Melexis web site shows that RD's position as chairman is a non-executive role. There are others that appear to hold down the executive jobs. Although it is a little odd that five of the six board members are non-execs. The exception being Ms Chombar who is CEO. It is also odd that her degree is in language translation rather than anything to do with management, engineering or electronics! Also there appears to be no one on the board with a finance role. How does that work?
Anyway, although RD founded the company, it is possible that all he does now is attend the board meetings and pick up his dividend cheque. Although, allegedly, he does have a live stream sent to his home address of the operators working on the production floors...
Updated to say the annual report & accounts seem to indicate that he doesn't even take remuneration for being Chairman. The largest shareholder, owning over half the business, seems to be another company called Xtrion. I seem to recall that we know RD and someone called De Winter own this business, is that right?
Comments
It is a given that the taxi group followed the 2percent group, and that everybody in both groups was trying their best to influence things for the betterment of Charlton Athletic. And from my own experience those in the taxi group were to a man and woman totally dedicated to 'the cause' first and foremost, they were an awesome bunch.
So what are my first hand impressions?
One part of the mood music I experienced in St Truiden itself, and I must have interacted with about 50 local people in the street, the bat, the taxi and the hotel is that Roland is all about money...this was stated absolutely consistently.
However there was also a conundrum in that Roland was also seen as scrooge like. Both with his ownership of St Truiden, but in personal ways like driving an old banger, or not buying decent clothes. So the question remained well what does he want the money for?
One theory is that nobody understands, he is unfathomable, and probably a rich nutcase.
However two angles were put to me. One was that his wife is a pretty well known and influential figure around the place, information that people volunteered and that I didn't need to deduce. Maybe one answer as to why Roland is so acquisitive is the influence of Mrs Duchatelet in all this, maybe it isn't just about what he want's but also somehow what she wants.
The other angle was put to me by a Belgian man in a cafe. This guy interrupted proceedings and insisted on buying a group of us coffees. He was an ex-footballer but had spent most of his life as a school sports teacher. The money he suggested was simply about having power for the sake of power, that control is seductive and compelling to Mr Duchatelet.
I will leave it to others to decide if those impressions can help focus on how to unseat Mr Duchatelet.
Another major impression I certainly felt was the sheer influence and presence Mr Duchatelet has there.
Very friendly police visited us in the square twice. Firstly to suss out what was going on, and then they shortly returned and actually asked 'when are you going to deliver the presents to Mr Duchatelet'. We said in about ten minutes. The people at the stadium were certainly prepared for our arrival
I was in the second vehicle to arrive at the stadium (the taxi) and it was quite a full on experience which would take too long to cover completely.
However some things are true in terms of my first hand experiences and what i made of them. The people working in the vicinity of the ground were on edge. The wanted to control the space, suggesting nearly everywhere was private property (the pavement even), we couldn't park, the police were on their way, the hotel was full, we should go. This was expressed in the clumsy context of pathetic attempts to deceive, pretend filming to identify us and especially lies. The bloke I had most to do with was cool about accepting he was frequently lying. I felt pretty annoyed by him.
However in my encounters with him he said everybody was happy with Duchatelet in St Truiden, and denied with a 'no no no' that Duchatelet hated us, but offered the opinion that the problems were created by the players not Mr Duchatelet. He (like others back in town) was aware of Thomas Dreisen too. When I said to him it wasn't going to stop (the protests) and that we would be back, and keep it all up, he seemed a bit annoyed about that.
I suppose all this adds up to a sense of scurrying reaction from some Duchatelet loyal locals, and meant they were fully aware we were around and they didn't like it.
This sense was mirrored the next morning at Melexis when two employees came out to debate the degree to which Mr Duchatelet was involved with the company (a lot of half truths here, and equivocation), but they really didn't like us pitching up and wanted us gone. They were very exercised in trying to persuade us how distant Mr Duchatelet was from their company.
Being out there I only have a vague idea of how it was impacting in a wider sense, but seeing immediate coverage in the Belgian media suggested to me that things we were doing were thought to be newsworthy.
As I say this is part of the story told from the perspective of one of the people who went, but I have tried to make it similar to a reportage and will leave it to others to extrapolate what they will from it.
Ha good hes ruined our lives enough
Presumably, it's what they are, it's what validates them.
Thank you Seth.
Very informative. Brilliant work by the way.
As it is, we embarrassed him and it was the start of a long uncomfortable weekend for him. The publicity has been overwhelmingly positive. ( See today's Mail online ) We are happy with that.
Thanks for all you do & keep your calm. Involve some women if you can, because they are trying to play the sexist card now. Remember, they'll try anything to cling on to power.
Roland out !
You will I'm am sure have noticed how restrained both the CARD and B20/2 per cent protests were.
This may well have been because there is a recognition from all fans of the club that the current management have manipulated any possible angle to their advantage. Giving them no angles to attack but making a point is tricky and I think there is too much blame here between fans who want the same thing.
I understand that the B20 protests were going to have female representation this time out with other complications ultimately meaning this didn't happen.
It would be good to broaden the base of protesters into Belgium as wide as possible as often as possible.
Roland Out!
I agree though that we should ALL want the same thing. These arseholes to sell.
The media reception to both CARD and B20/2percent visits to Belgium has been very positive.
For me, he club then sacked Slade earlier than anticipated in order to claim a bit of media control.
Make no mistake, although these actions ended up not being fully coordinated, all participants have the same goal.
Duchatelet to sell and Katrien and Tiny to leave.
Props to everyone involved in the planning, the funding and the execution.
Of course there's a wide variety of views, and that diversity should be celebrated and used to build momentum towards the one goal. The approach taken the last weekend was the right one and you all rightly deserve plaudits on here, in the press and in Belgium.
In addition to that, The President likes to show his feminine side by relaxing of an evening by wearing a fetching pink off the shoulder number with matching accessories.
However, its not always pink, sometimes I go out with a rather nice black and white Roland Out scarf around my face.
Aaaaarrrggghhhh!
A quick look at the Melexis web site shows that RD's position as chairman is a non-executive role. There are others that appear to hold down the executive jobs. Although it is a little odd that five of the six board members are non-execs. The exception being Ms Chombar who is CEO. It is also odd that her degree is in language translation rather than anything to do with management, engineering or electronics! Also there appears to be no one on the board with a finance role. How does that work?
Anyway, although RD founded the company, it is possible that all he does now is attend the board meetings and pick up his dividend cheque.
Although, allegedly, he does have a live stream sent to his home address of the operators working on the production floors...
Updated to say the annual report & accounts seem to indicate that he doesn't even take remuneration for being Chairman. The largest shareholder, owning over half the business, seems to be another company called Xtrion. I seem to recall that we know RD and someone called De Winter own this business, is that right?