In the ‘Let’s Talk’ podcast, FEB sits down with a key Belgian entrepreneur every last Thursday of the month. Recently, René Branders, CEO of FIB Belgium and President of Sirris and Agoria, was a guest on the programme.
The FEB ‘Let’s Talk’ podcast seeks out personal stories from senior managers. What drives them to give their all for their company, 24/7? A passion for figures, entrepreneurial spirit, or ambition? ‘Let’s Talk’ tells a personal story, a dynamic business case covering what happens both on stage and behind the scenes. A new episode of ‘Let’s Talk’ airs on the last Thursday of every month.
Last Thursday’s guest was René Branders, CEO of FIB Belgium, a company that builds furnaces that produce metal wire. Branders is also the President of Sirris, Agoria and the Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce. He has a passion for archaeology, a discipline he feels is inextricably linked to economic history: “The world today is nothing but a reflection of the innovations and business relationships that began centuries ago.”
We all know that Microsoft and Apple were both started up in a garage. FIB Belgium, formerly Four Industriel Belge, began in a basement in 1936. Their current CEO’s grandfather came up with the idea to design an oven that ran on natural gas, a brand-new fuel at the time. The company has been developing this niche field ever since and has become a major force in machinery to produce metal wire. Its products can be found everywhere, from vehicles to suspension bridges and wine barrels.
Listen to the podcast featuring René Branders (in French only) here.
“An enterprise is more than just the combination of an entrepreneur and their processes. Enterprises are laboratories of society, steeped in socio-economic entities that inspire both managers and employees to think, create and innovate.”
— René Branders, CEO, FIB Belgium
