Bart De Smet – Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ageas Group
Bart De Smet serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Ageas Group, a leading international insurance company. De Smet began his career in the insurance sector and has accumulated extensive experience over several decades. He joined Ageas in 1994 and has since held various leadership positions, demonstrating his expertise in both operational and strategic roles.
De Smet was appointed CEO of Ageas in 2009, where he successfully led the company through significant transformations and strategic initiatives, reinforcing its position in the global insurance market. Under his leadership, Ageas focused on sustainable growth, innovation, and customer-centric services.
In 2020, De Smet transitioned to the role of Chairman of the Board, where he continues to contribute his vast knowledge and experience to guide Ageas’s strategic direction and corporate governance. His leadership has been instrumental in steering Ageas through dynamic market conditions, ensuring its stability and growth. De Smet is recognized for his strategic vision, deep understanding of the insurance industry, and commitment to the company’s values and objectives.
Bart De Smet was born in 1957 and is a Belgian national. He earned a degree in mathematical sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain (KULeuven), but also has diplomas in Actuarial Sciences (KULeuven) and Managerial Sciences (KULeuven).
He began his career with Argenta in 1982. From 1985 to 1993, he served as Executive Vice President of the Life division at the Belgian subsidiary of the Swiss insurance company Nationale Suisse. In 1994, he joined ING Insurance Belgium, where he was a member of the ExCo, responsible for individual and group life insurance, health insurance & banking activities. Bart De Smet moved to Fortis in 1998, where he was a member of the management committee of Fortis AG and responsible for Fortis Employee Benefits.
In 2005, he took charge of the Broker Channel at Fortis Insurance Belgium, assuming the position of CEO of Fortis Insurance Belgium in 2007. In June 2009 he became CEO of Fortis, which was renamed Ageas following the AGM in April 2010.
In October 2020, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ageas.
