» Executive Directors
» Non Executive Directors

Executive Directors

Peter Helfet

An experienced entrepreneur, Peter has led the creation of EqcoLogic, working with the VUB since early 2004.

A Cambridge graduate, his early background was in multi-nationals. He founded a major UK technology company, Plasmon PLC, managing it through an IPO in 1996. Since then, he has worked mainly with start-ups and VC investors in management and advisory roles.

Maarten Kuijk

Maarten is the primary inventor of the EqcoLogic equalization technology; he and his team have been developing the current products for over 7 years and have filed a number of patents as well as acquiring substantial know-how relating to the development and implementation of communications circuits.

In addition to his role at EqcoLogic, Maarten continues to be a part time Professor at the VUB, where he has been responsible for several successful research projects in a number of electronic and opto-electronic fields.

Roger Vounckx

Professor Roger Vounckx is head of the Micro-Electronics group at the VUB, from which the EqcoLogic technology derives. He graduated from the VUB, in Physics and then spent two years at AT&T Bell Labs in the USA. On his return to Belgium, he did his PhD on high speed transistors. Roger leads the University lab cooperation with IMEC and is responsible for attracting funding and collaborators for the Group.

Non Executive Directors

Eric Thomas

Eric Thomas is now an independent advisor on corporate finance, tax and treasury matters. Until early 2005, he was a Director of SITA Belgium (CFO for 14 years), with responsibility and experience in finance, HR and operations. Before SITA, Eric worked for Unilever in Marketing and Financial management functions. He graduated with distinctions in Commercial Engineering from the 1979 Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL).

Alex Van Den Bossche

Alex Van den Bossche is doctor civil engineer (KUleuven). He has done research work in the field of medical implantable devices, microelectronic circuitry, nano-technology, sensor system development and in industrial optical metrology. He co-founded Krypton, a KULeuven high-tech spin-off company and served as managing director for 15 years until the successful trade sale of the company in April 2005.

Nicolas Boël

Nicolas Boë is Chairman and MD – BMF Participation. He had a multi-national education with an MBA from College of William and Mary (Virginia, USA) after a Bachelor in Economics (ISE UCL). He worked in the steel industry, setting up Corus, a JV in the Netherlands and a leader in the metals sector. He worked in Corus on steel and aluminium businesses, in many countries and serving many markets, including the automotive market. Then as GM of Myriad, a coated products leader, he reengineered manufacturing, value analysis and HR.

Christian Thiel

Dr.-Ing. Christian Thiel is VP and General Manager of SMSC's automotive business. He qualified in Electrical Engineering in 1991 at the Technical University, Munich, and he received his PhD in 1995.

For seven years, he worked at BMW where he was one of the key architects for infotainment systems. In 1998, he took responsibility for the development of the MOST technology and he co-founded the MOST Cooperation, representing BMW on its Steering Committee.

In 2002, he joined OASIS Silicon Systems AG, the leading provider of components for MOST, and, in particular, initiated the Intelligent Network Interface Controller architecture that today is the basis for all MOST networks. When OASIS was acquired by SMSC in 2005, Dr. Thiel took on his current position.