Pascal Juery (Agfa-Gevaert): “Belgium is not at all like France” – Companies
What Pascal Juery, CEO of Agfa-Gevaert, appreciates in Belgium? The culture of consensus, compromise and social consultation.
Pascal Juery arrived in Belgium in 2013, following the takeover of Rhodia by Solvay, after having lived in Asia and the United States. “My family and I really like it here. Two years ago, I made the choice to stay in Belgium to lead Agfa Gevaert. It’s a prestigious name and I’m very proud of it.”
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Pascal Juery arrived in Belgium in 2013, following the takeover of Rhodia by Solvay, after having lived in Asia and the United States. “My family and I really like it here. Two years ago, I made the choice to stay in Belgium to lead Agfa Gevaert. It’s a prestigious name and I’m very proud of it.” But as the CEO likes to point out, Belgium is not at all like France… “The culture is very different. It’s a country where you take yourself less seriously, Belgians are more pragmatic and simpler. I like it, I who was brought up in American culture. I appreciate the quality of the human relationship. Of course ‘mijn nederland is niet goed’, but I understand it and I am forgiven. The language The working language at the Mortsel headquarters is English: Agfa is a multinational present in 55 countries.” What does the CEO appreciate in Belgium? The culture of consensus, compromise and social consultation. “Despite the difficulties, we find solutions, while France is more a culture of antagonism and confrontation. It is a small country where it is also easier to have access to decision-makers, more than in France I am in tune with the values of the country which is both socially advanced but also much more liberal than France on subjects such as the end of life.” Admittedly, the picture is obviously not perfect. “Of course I would like a more developed public transport network, a less complex system because that prevents the country from reaching its full potential, admits Pascal Juery. But despite that, Belgium is moving forward. It’s a country open to Europe and the world.” The CEO obviously keeps a link with France. But as he points out, he is not a “French Thalys”… “I spend my weekends in Belgium. France sometimes has trouble expressing its full potential. However, I like this current French desire to participate in European leadership. We can see with the war in Ukraine that Europe was built for peace and prosperity. President Macron is playing his role. For the rest, I am challenged by the fact that there is a far right and a fairly strong far left in France. I don’t vote for extremes, they scare me very much, I think we have a short memory. We have to place ourselves in a slightly higher perspective. I am a European convinced.”