Van Lanschot Kempen appoints Thomas Vanderlinden to the Management Board, responsible for Private Clients Belgium

08 Apr 2025 08:00 CEST

The Supervisory Board of Van Lanschot Kempen intends to appoint Thomas Vanderlinden as a member of the Management Board, responsible for Private Clients Belgium, effective 1 September 2025. In addition, he will continue to serve in his current role as Chair of the Management Committee of Mercier Van Lanschot.

Frans Blom, Chair of the Van Lanschot Kempen Supervisory Board, said: “Thomas's appointment is a logical step given our phenomenal growth in Belgium and the contribution of Private Clients Belgium to our results and our “Growing further together” strategy. Under Thomas's leadership, assets under management at Mercier Van Lanschot have increased by 67% over the past two years, with highly satisfied clients. They’re drawn to its distinctive proposition based on personal attention, simplicity and the “investing together” philosophy. With his sharp vision on wealth management and entrepreneurship, Thomas will be a valuable addition to our Management Board.”

Thomas Vanderlinden commented: “I see this next step as a consolidation of the strong trust that has existed right from the start of the partnership between Mercier Vanderlinden and Van Lanschot Kempen in 2021. Our shared values, family backgrounds, and personal client approach immediately made for a solid basis for growth. With room for entrepreneurship combined with the expertise of Van Lanschot Kempen, we’ve quickly grown into a fully-fledged private bank and a leading challenger in the Belgian market. I look forward to contributing to the further implementation of our independent wealth management strategy as a member of the Management Board. In addition, I’ll be continuing to focus on our clients and further growth in Belgium as Chair of Mercier Van Lanschot’s Management Committee, together with all our colleagues.”

Thomas Vanderlinden co-founded Mercier Vanderlinden in 2000 and has been a Managing Partner since. Van Lanschot Kempen acquired a majority stake in Mercier Vanderlinden in 2021, followed by the acquisition of the remaining stake in 2023. The successful merger of Mercier Vanderlinden and Van Lanschot Belgium resulted in the formation of Mercier Van Lanschot on 1 January 2024.

The appointment of Thomas Vanderlinden to Van Lanschot Kempen’s Management Board has been approved by De Nederlandsche Bank, and Van Lanschot Kempen’s Works Council has given a positive recommendation. The Annual General Meeting to be held on 22 May 2025 will be advised of the intended appointment. As a testament to their commitment and confidence in the shared future, Mercier Vanderlinden’s former partners collectively hold approximately 4% of Van Lanschot Kempen shares.

From 1 September 2025, the proposed composition of the Management Board of Van Lanschot Kempen will be:

• Maarten Edixhoven, Chair
• Jeroen Kroes, Chief Financial Officer
• Damla Hendriks, Chief Risk Officer
• Arjan Huisman, Chief Operating Officer
• Wendy Winkelhuijzen, responsible for Private Clients Netherlands and Investment Banking Clients
• Thomas Vanderlinden, responsible for Private Clients Belgium
• Erik van Houwelingen, responsible for Investment Management Clients