EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

• Electro-mechanical engineer – Université Libre de Bruxelles – 1963
• Master of Science – University of California – Berkeley – 1966
• PhD – Université Libre de Bruxelles – 1971
• Degree in marketing, finance, strategy and human resources – Ecole de Commerce Solvay – 1979
• “Top-Management International” training courses – Erik Krauthammer – Switzerland – 1988 and 1989
• Fluent in French and English, good working knowledge of Dutch, some knowledge of German.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Association Vinçotte Nuclear (AVN)

Since July 2005 Director and Vice-Chairman since 2010. AVN is a Belgian not-for-profit company responsible for promoting, through grants, research in fields related to nuclear medicine and the protection of people and the environment against nuclear and radiological risks.

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP)

Washington D.C., July 2005 – December 2017

Non-Resident Senior Associate.

CEIP is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations.

• Réseau d’Etudes en Politique Internationale de l’ULB (REPI)

Belgium 2006 – 2009

Scientific Associate

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Vienna May 1999 – June 2005.

Deputy Director General 

Head of the Department of Safeguards

The Department employs more than 650 people of 86 nationalities. It is responsible for implementing Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements in 145 countries. These agreements aim to ensure that the nuclear activities of non-nuclear-weapon States are exclusively for peaceful purposes. They also aim to verify, at the request of nuclear-weapon States, the proper application of their disarmament commitments.

Under my direction:

Since 1999, the Department has been significantly restructured to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. One of the results was an unprecedented increase in inspection goal attainment worldwide.

During that period, the Department has moved from a “safeguards approach” focussed on nuclear material accountancy at the facility level to a strengthened analytical approach at the State level, thereby increasing the credibility of the non-proliferation assurances provided to Member States.

In 2003, the Department of Safeguards successfully brought to light Iran’s undeclared nuclear activities and started the verification of Libya’s admission of its nuclear weapons programme.  

In June 2003, after more than 15 years of a zero-growth budget the Department of Safeguards was finally able to convince Member States to increase its regular budget by some 20% over the next 4 years. Member States thereby reaffirmed their confidence in the IAEA’s ability to detect and deter nuclear weapons proliferation. 

In 2004, the Agency submitted to the Board of Governors four special reports on safeguards verification in Iran, three on Libya and one on the Republic of Korea. These reports have attracted world-wide attention.

In October 2005, the IAEA was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, essentially in recognition of its efforts during my term of office to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes.

• Synatom 

Brussels 1977 – April 1999.

Director General (1987- April 1999)

SYNATOM (a daughter company of the electrical utility ELECTRABEL) was responsible for the fuel supply of the seven nuclear power plants producing some 55% of Belgium’s electricity, and for the management of their spent fuel.

SYNATOM had annual revenues of approximately 350 million US dollars. It has concluded medium and long-term contracts with companies in Europe, North America, Australia, Africa, Asia, the Russian Federation and the Newly Independent States.

Under my leadership, SYNATOM has become one of Europe’s most successful fuel cycle companies: drastically reducing fuel supply costs while maintaining a total supply guarantee, fully recycling the plutonium and uranium recovered after reprocessing spent fuel, and smoothly repatriating vitrified high-level waste.

• Uranium Institute 

London 1988 – 1994.

Chairman (1992 and 1993)
Member of the Executive Committee (1988-1990 and 1992-1994)

The URANIUM INSTITUTE (renamed the “World Nuclear Association” in 2001) is the largest international nuclear industry association representing more than 70 companies from 20 countries in North America, Europe, the NIS, Asia and Australia.

• Eurodif 

France 1993 – 1999.

Member of the Executive Committee of EURODIF S.A.

Member of the Board of EURODIF PRODUCTION

EURODIF S.A. is the parent company of EURODIF PRODUCTION (1000 employees). EURODIF owns and operates a gas diffusion uranium enrichment plant and, more recently, a centrifuge uranium enrichment plant that supplies customers around the world. 

• Organisation des Producteurs d’Energie Nucléaire (OPEN)  

France 1987 – 1999.

Member of the Board from 1987 to 1999 and Chairman from 1997 to 1999.

• Euratom 

Member of the Advisory Committee of the EURATOM Supply Agency (1978-1999), upon nomination every two years by the Council of Ministers of the European Community. 

Elected Chairman of the Advisory Committee (1981 to 1985) and member of its enlarged bureau until joining the IAEA in 1999.

• Electrobel S.A. 

Belgium 1971 – 1977.

Engineer, then Chief Engineer, in charge of the commercial and technical aspects of the supply of nuclear fuel assemblies. At the time, ELECTROBEL was the second largest engineering company in Belgium. Following its merger with TRACTION ET ELECTRICITE to form TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING (now part of the Suez Group), it became the largest engineering company in Belgium.

• Belgonucléaire S.A.

Belgium 1966 – 1971.

Engineer in charge of the design and neutronic computation of advanced nuclear reactors (in particular fast breeder reactors).

• University of Brussels 

Research Assistant at the “Laboratoire de Métrologie Nucléaire” (1964 – 1965). 

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Founding member of the Belgian Section of the American Nuclear Society – 1969. See “Read more 1”.
• Demoor S.A. (Machine Tools) – Member of the Board (1971 – 1982)
• Belgian Nuclear Forum. Member of the Board since 1986 and Vice-Chairman 1991-1999
• Lecturer at the University of Brussels (1976 – 1978) and University of Liège (1995-1999).
• International Nuclear Energy Academy.  Member from 1996 to 1999.
• Member of the Advisory Committee on Energy upon nomination by the Commission of the European Union (1998 – 1999)

OTHER INFORMATION

• Belgian citizen, born in Brussels on 27 June1939, married to Colette Contempré, father of three children.
• Belgian Air-Force Reserve Officer – 1964
• CRB Fellow – Belgian American Educational Foundation (1965 – 1966)
• Winner of a number of cultural and scientific awards 
• American Nuclear Society Silver Award – 1997
• Doctor Honoris Causa – University of Brussels, November 2005. – See “Read more 2”.
• Recipient of the 2008 Joseph A. Burton Forum Award of the American Physical Society. Society “For transforming the safeguards culture and procedures of the IAEA, greatly strengthening its ability to detect nuclear proliferation activities, and for his courage and integrity, especially in the period 2002 – 2003.” – See “Read more 3”.
• Decorations : 

1. Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Couronne – Belgium, 1985
2. Officier de l’Ordre du Mérite – France, 1995
3. Grand Officier de l’Ordre de la Couronne – Belgium, 2006
4. Chevaler de la Légion d’Honneur (France, 2009) – See « Read more 4 ».
5. Knighted on 26 July 2012. My motto: “Rien n’est jamais acquis” i.e. “Nothing can be taken    for granted”.