Operating with Positive Impact: How to Navigate Esg Complexity

Since 2016, Axel Smits has been Chairman and Senior Partner at PwC Belgium, a network firm with a revenue of 400 million and around 2,400 employees. Before assuming his current position, he was head of both PwC’s Belgian Tax and Legal practice, and its EMEA Tax and Legal network. In addition to his roles as Chairman and Senior Partner, Axel remains active as a client partner within the Belgian firm. He is also a member of the PwC Europe Board. A lawyer by training, with additional degrees in taxation, accounting and finance, Axel is a chartered tax consultant. For the first 20 years of his career, starting in 1990 with the predecessor firm Coopers & Lybrand, Axel was a chartered tax consultant with a particular focus on international tax planning. He served clients across the globe and was very active both as a speaker and as a writer of articles and books in his area of expertise. Topics included intellectual property as well as substance in international tax planning. Later on, while continuing to serve clients, Axel took on various management positions in the Belgian and EMEA firms, leading up to his current position. Jochen Vincke is Management Consulting Partner at PwC, coordinating services in the field of ESG, and consulting leader for PwC’s EMEA industrial manufacturing industry practice. He is also a member of the Board of FlandersMAKE, a strategic research centre for the manufacturing industry, with over 750 researchers. Jochen’s ambition is to help drive a new industrial model that makes an overall net positive contribution to society; a model built on innovation, data, customer proximity, and short and circular supply chains. After graduating as bio-engineer in environmental sciences, Jochen studied business economics and attained an MBA from Vlerick Business School. He is certified Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Jochen has extensive experience in industry, including the food and beverage, chemical, steel processing, pharmaceutical and process industries. He has worked with ESG matters throughout his career, from developing corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies, to coaching and training, and business transformation consultancy.