Françoise Chombar

Françoise Chombar
BornMay 1962 (age 62)
NationalityBelgian
Alma materGhent University
Occupation(s)CEO, semiconductors
TitleCEO, Melexis
Term2004 -
PredecessorRudi de Winter

Françoise Chombar (born May 1962) is a Belgian businesswoman. She is the current CEO and one of the original founders of the semiconductor company Melexis [nl].[1] She took over as a CEO from her husband and co-founder Rudi de Winter in 2004,[2] having previously served as the COO of the company since 1997.[3] She is also a non-executive board member for Soitec[4] and Umicore,[4] and a member of the Advisory Board at Byteflies.[4]

She has a master's degree from Ghent University in interpreting Dutch-English-Spanish.[3]

STEM and gender equality work

Françoise Chombar is the president of STEM Platform, an independent advisory body to the Flemish government on children's STEM education.[5] She also promotes gender equality through involvement in organizations including Women on Board, an association that aims to give women better access to directorial roles in Belgian companies,[6] and SOFIA Academy, a networking program for female managers and entrepreneurs in Hasselt University,[7] where she has been a mentor for 17 years.[6]

Recognition

In 2016, she won the Vlerick Award, given out by the Vlerick Business School for excellence in management. It was the first time the management award was won by a female entrepreneur.[8]

In 2018, Chombar was awarded the BNP Paribas Global Prize for Women Entrepreneurs,[7] and was named the ICT Personality of the Year by Belgian magazine DataNews.[9] She was also awarded a Science Fellowship at Free University of Brussels-VUB the same year.[10]

In 2019, Chombar received the Flemish Community Honor for her work as a STEM and gender balance advocate[11] and was named the Limburg Entrepreneur of the Year by Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg.[12]

In 2020, she was elected to Inspiring Fifty Belgium, a list of the 50 most inspiring women in the Belgian technology sector.[4]

References

  1. ^ Clarke, Peter (2014-11-19). "CEO Interview: Melexis rebuilds beyond automotive". eeNews Analog. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  2. ^ "Is Melexis NV's (EBR:MELE) CEO Overpaid Relative To Its Peers?". simplywall.st. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  3. ^ a b "Françoise Chombar (Melexis) wins the Vlerick Award 2016 - Vlerick Business School". www.vlerick.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  4. ^ a b c d "Inspiring Fifty Belgium: Françoise Chombar". Inspiring Fifty Belgium. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  5. ^ "Françoise Chombar, STEMinist: "Meisjes even geschikt voor wetenschap en techniek als jongens"". HLN. 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  6. ^ a b Junko, Yoshida (2017-11-17). "Françoise Chombar: 'Doing better is good; doing good is better'". EE Times. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  7. ^ a b "Flemish CEO wins global entrepreneurship award | Flanders Today". www.flanderstoday.eu. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  8. ^ "Françoise Chombar wint Vlerick Award". De Tijd (in Dutch). 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  9. ^ "Françoise Chombar est l'ICT Personality of the Year 2018". datanews.levif.be. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  10. ^ "#ZigZagHR-Brainpickings: Waarom we meer gematigde stemmen nodig hebben - met Françoise Chombar - #ZigZagHR". #ZigZagHR (in Flemish). 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  11. ^ "Laureates chosen for Flemish Community Honours | Flanders Today". www.flanderstoday.eu. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  12. ^ "Françoise Chombar, CEO van Melexis, is de 'Limburgse Ondernemer van het Jaar'". www.hbvl.be (in Flemish). 10 December 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-29.