
Materialise Flickr.
Materialise makes new appointment for board of directors.
Additive manufacturing leader Materialise has announced some changes and new appointments within its board of directors. Following a routine General Assembly, the Belgian based 3D printing company announced that Ms. Lieve Verplancke has joined its board of directors whilst Mr. Guy Weyns and Mr. Bart Luyten (representing Sniper Investments NV) have stepped down.
Executive Chairman Peter Leys commented: "On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to welcome Lieve Verplancke, who brings three decades of commercial experience in the healthcare sector to Materialise. We are delighted to have the opportunity to benefit from her vast knowledge and the many diverse roles she has played in the industry."
Verplancke is a medical doctor and began her career with Beecham Group/GlaxoSmithKline in 1984 and later held key management positions with leading pharmaceutical companies Merck & Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb. At Bristol Myers Squibb, she served as Managing Director, leading their Belgian/GDL subsidiary for 18 years. She currently serves on the board of a large hospital group in Belgium and of a Euronext-listed investment fund.
Verplancke’s medical background is the ideal fit for a company like Materialise which pins much of its focus on the medical and healthcare sectors, providing 3D solutions from software to patient specific models, to bring efficient, custom solutions to the market.
Mr. Leys added: "I would also like to thank Guy and Bart for their many contributions to Materialise. We benefited greatly from their financial insights and capital markets expertise, particularly during our IPO process."
Verplancke joins the company at a pivotal time in its history as the AM thought leader recently celebrated its 25th birthday at the Materialise World Conference in Brussels.