“First of all, this new office will allow us to grow in that area. Since QbD has its roots in Flanders – the northern, Dutch-speaking part of Belgium – it was our office in Wilrijk (Antwerp) which expanded rapidly over the past ten years,” explains CEO Bart Van Acker.
“We’ve had a modest office in Wallonia – Belgium’s southern, French-speaking half – for some years now, but today the time is right to bring our presence in Wallonia to the next level. One of the catalysts is the increasing amount of work we do for some highly-renowned Walloon ATMP companies. Now is the time to grow in Wallonia and to help local life sciences and healthcare companies to qualitatively develop and produce products and therapies.”
Huge growth potential
To make this happen, QbD has not only invested in bricks, but also in what has always been the core of its success: talented people. One of them is Benoit Moreaux, who recently joined the QbD family. As General Manager of QbD Wallonia, he will be in charge of business development in his home region. And he’s very excited about the new office:
“First of all, Gosselies is better located than Braine. As in: more central in the Walloon area and less prone to traffic jams. It’s also a much bigger and better office, perfectly suited for knowledge exchange with colleagues, partners and clients. Moreover, Biopark is planning to develop a large biotech incubator. The growth potential of this place, both in terms of business and office surface, is huge.”
“The future of the Walloon life sciences market lies in biotech & ATMP.”
Benoit Moreaux, General Manager QbD Wallonia
“I’m equally thrilled with my new personal challenge. The heart of the Walloon life sciences market is in biotech & ATMPs, so those fields are the future of my region. Both I and QbD are very experienced in these areas and will continue to be on top of things.
And of course, all other QbD expertise is at the disposal of the entire life sciences industry, like Medical Devices and traditional pharmaceuticals. Next to that, I feel very warmly about QbD’s culture, values and family vibe. I’m confident that, in due time, this step will allow QbD to grow into the reference in the industry here, just like it has done in Flanders.”
ATMP and Medical Devices core teams
Bart Van Acker concludes: “I’m very excited as well about this new chapter with Benoit. At QbD, we have a history of letting people with a scientific background evolve into business development roles. People like Benoit can think together with clients about their challenges, which creates a lot more added value for both partners.
Also, Benoit has a lot of experience and expertise in ATMPs and Medical Devices, our two focal points, so he will be an asset to those dedicated QbD core teams. And in order to further drive the growth of QbD Wallonia, we are also strengthening our overall HR team.”
"Now is the time to grow in Wallonia and to help local life sciences and healthcare companies to qualitatively develop and produce products and therapies.”
Bart Van Acker, CEO at QbD
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