Jan Huyghebaert is a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 businessman. He was a member of the Coudenberg group

Coudenberg group

The Coudenberg group was a Belgian federalist think-tank, it was named after the place where the members met, the Coudenberg, one of the seven hillocks on which the centre of Brussels has been built...

, a Belgian federalist think tank

Think tank

A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...

.

Education

He obtained a degree in Philosophy, Language and Literature from the University of Antwerp

University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is one of the major Belgian universities located in the city of Antwerp. The name is sometimes abbreviated as UA.-History:...

 (Antwerp, Belgium) and a doctorate in Law from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...

 (Leuven

Leuven

Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...

, Belgium).

Career

During his career, he held various government functions, including as adviser to the Belgian Prime Minister, Leo Tindemans, and as Alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 of the Port of Antwerp

Port of Antwerp

The port of Antwerp, in Belgium, is a port in the heart of Europe accessible to capesize ships. Antwerp stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. The inland location means that the port...

. He was President of the Executive Committee of the Kredietbank

KBC Bank

KBC Bank N.V. is a Belgian universal multi-channel bank, focusing on private clients and small and medium-sized enterprises. Besides retail banking, insurance and asset management activities , KBC is active in European debt capital markets, domestic cash equity markets and in the field of corporate...

 (forerunner of KBC) from 1985 to 1991 and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Almanij

Almanij

Almanij, meaning Algemene Maatschappij voor Nijverheidskrediet was a Belgian holding active in financial services. It is since March 2005 part of the KBC Group.-Structure:The Almanij group consisted of four companies:...

 in 1991. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors (term expires in 2008) of the KBC Group and in addition, he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of KB Luxembourg.

Sources

• Jan Huyghebaert (Reuters)
• Bilderberg meetings (1999)