John Goossens
 John Goossens    (businessman) | |
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| Born | Johny Léon Jacques Goossens 25 November 1944 Maasmechelen, Belgium |
| Died | 8 November 2002 (Age 57) Francorchamps, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Alma mater | Université catholique de Louvain, Columbia University |
| Spouse | Anita Vaxelaire |
| Relatives | François Vaxelaire |
John J., baron Goossens was a Belgian businessman. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Belgacom and chairman of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium. He acceded to the Belgian hereditary nobility with the personal title of baron with a royal decree in 2000, confirmed after the completion of the procedures, in May 2002.
He attended the 1992, 1995 and 1998 Bilderberg meetings.
Education
After his secondary education at the Collège Saint Michel in Brussels, he obtained a licentiate, in trade - and financial sciences from the Louvain School of Management at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) in 1968. In 1971, he obtained a Master of Business Administration at the Columbia University in New York. He was a member of "Up with People".
Career
In 1968, he started his career at General Motors Overseas Corporation. In 1971, he left the United States and returned to Belgium as a management trainee at Texaco. In 1976, he was promoted to sales manager and then general manager. In 1989, John Goossens took the lead of the Antwerp subsidiary company of the French telecom group, Alcatel Bell.
In 1995, he succeeded Bessel Kok as the head of Belgacom. He thus became the first CEO representing the new S.A. Belgacom after its privatization. He prepared the company for the liberalization of the telecom market via the plans Turbo and BeST. In 2003 he was succeeded by Didier Bellens.
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1992 | 21 May 1992 | 24 May 1992 | France Royal Club Evian Evian-les-Bains | The 40th Bilderberg. It had 121 participants. |
| Bilderberg/1995 | 8 June 1995 | 11 June 1995 | Greece Nafsika Astir Palace Hotel Vouliagmeni | The 43rd Bilderberg. Held at the Burgenstock Hotel in Burgenstock, Switzerland. |
| Bilderberg/1998 | 14 May 1998 | 17 May 1998 | Scotland Turnberry | The 46th Bilderberg meeting, held in Scotland, chaired by Peter Carrington |
