Alumni

The Fulbright Commission in Brussels is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of the thousands of alumni who have participated in Fulbright exchanges to and from Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union over the past seventy years.
In addition to providing resources for continued engagement to alumni of our programs, the Fulbright Commission in Brussels also engages with alumni of other Fulbright Programs from around the world whose personal and professional journeys have brought them to the international capital of Europe.

Belgian and Luxembourg Fulbright alumni are successful in every profession imaginable, including law, science, medicine, business, politics, and the creative arts.
They are often leaders and innovators in their fields. While the list below is by no means exhaustive, here are just some of our many prominent alumni.

Notable alumni

Alexander De Croo

Belgian politician; Prime Minister of Belgium (2020 – present)

Charles Beauduin

CEO and owner of Michel Van de Wiele NV

David Moucheron

Member of the Executive Committee, KBC Bank

François-Xavier De Donnea

Belgian politician, including: Former mayor of the City of Brussels and Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region

Françoise Thoma

President and Chief Executive Officer of Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat

Georges, Count Jacobs de Hagen

Businessman, including: Chairman, Board of Directors of Delhaize Group and Chairman, Board of Directors of UCB Group

Gregoire Dallemagne

CEO, EDF Luminus

Herman Daems

Chairman of the Board, BNP Paribas Fortis, KU Leuven and BARCO

Herman De Croo

Belgian politician, including: Member of the Flemish Parliament and the Open VLD

Jean Hamilius

Luxembourgish politician, including: Minister for Agriculture, Public Works (1974-79) and Member of the European Parliament (1979-81)

Johan Verbeke

Belgian diplomat, including: Belgian Ambassador to the USA (2014-16)

Koen Lenaerts

As a Fulbright grantee in the 1970s, Koen Lenaerts received a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School, where he studied alongside John Roberts, the future chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Today, Dr. Lenaerts gives back to the Fulbright Program by welcoming U.S. Fulbrighters to the European Court of Justice during the annual Fulbright Seminar on the European Union and NATO.

Koenraad, Baron Debackere

Professor, Managing Director at KU Leuven (former)

Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort

Belgian concert pianist, including: Finalist, 2007 Queen Elisabeth Competition

Luc Frieden

Luxembourgish politician; Prime Minister of Luxembourg (2023 – present)

Mariette, Baronne Delahaut

After coming of age during World War II, Mariette Delahaut first worked with Americans as a translator for the U.S. Army.

The Fulbright Program took her to Graceland College in 1953 and again to Arizona State University in 1964.

Over the course of her long career in education, based primarily in Namur, she opened three different secondary schools, with an emphasis on bettering educational opportunities for girls and marginal students.

She received the title of baroness in 2017 in recognition of her work.

Paul De Grauwe

Belgian economist and John Paulson Professor in European Political Economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science

Peter Leys

Director and Executive Chairman, Materialise

Peter Vandermeersch

Journalist; CEO of Mediahuis Ireland

Petra De Sutter

Gynaecologist and Politician; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration, Public Enterprises, Telecommunication and the Postal Services of Belgium (2020 – present)

Philippe Vandekerckhove

CEO, Belgian Red Cross – Flanders

Pierre Wunsch

Governor of the National Bank of Belgium

Pol Descamps

Senior Strategic Advisor, Howest

Sylvie Van den Kerkhof

Vice President of Marketing, UPS