The story
General information
Activities: Besix operates in most sectors of construction, including building, marine works, environmental installations (drinking water, wastewater treatment, waste treatment), sports and leisure facilities, civil works and infrastructure. In addition to construction, Besix is active in real estate development, mainly in Western Europe, and manages concessions through public-private partnerships in Europe and in the Middle East.
Subsidiaries: BESIX's subsidiaries include Six Construct in the Middle East, Besix Watpac in Australia, and Besix Infra, Cobelba, Jacques Delens, Vanhout, Wust, Lux TP, Franki Foundations, Socogetra and Besix Unitec in Europe. BESIX also owns A-Stay, a company in the hotel sector.
Shareholding: Besix is owned 50% by Belgian nationals and 50% by the Egyptian company Orascom. The chairman of the board of directors is Johan Beerlandt and the CEO is since 2021 Pierre Sironval, both of Belgian nationality.
Membership: BESIX Group has signed an International Framework Agreement on fair labour standards with the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) global union federation and with its European Works Council (EWC). The group is a member of the United Nations Global Compact programme, as well as of the Belgian Alliance for Climate Action.
Sponsorship: Since 2017 but ending in 2023, BESIX was an official sponsor of the Belgian football team, the Red Devils, the Belgium women's national football team and the national youth teams.
History
BESIX Group was founded in 1909 by the Stulemeijer family under the name Société Belge des Bétons (SBB). After the First World War, the company participated in the reconstruction of Belgian ports and waterways destroyed during the conflict.
In 1920, the SBB expanded its construction activities into several European countries, particularly France and Spain, and then into Africa from the end of the 1940s.
In 1966, SBB created a subsidiary, Six Construct, to take charge of major development projects in the Middle East: via Six Construct, BESIX became in the ensuing decades a driving force in the development of the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
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In 1988, SBB diversified into the field of real estate development. This branch would develop rapidly in the following decades via Betonimmo, which later became BESIX RED, operating in various European countries including Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Luxembourg.
In 2004, 13 SBB senior managers, with the support of Orascom, carried out a Leveraged Management Buy-Out. The group was thereupon delisted from the stock market and renamed BESIX Group. Johan Beerlandt, who had been with the company since 1974, became its new CEO. In the following years, BESIX's turnover increased from 850 million euros in 2004 to 3.1 billion in 2011.
In 2009, BESIX celebrated its centenary. The anniversary coincided with the inauguration of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, built by BESIX in collaboration with Arabtec and Samsung Engineering & Construction.
In 2017, Rik Vandenberghe succeeded Johan Beerlandt as CEO of BESIX, after 12 years as CEO of ING Bank. Johan Beerlandt became chairman of the board.
In 2018, BESIX strengthened its position in Australia by acquiring, through a public takeover bid, all the shares of construction company Watpac Ltd. In the same year, the group acquired several companies in Europe, including interior decoration specialist Flamant.
In 2019, BESIX 3D prints the world's largest 3D printed facade in Dubai and announces new contracts comprising the design and construction the Rail Baltica Central Station project, the largest infrastructure project in the Baltic region for 100 years.
In 2020, BESIX announces new projects comprising the construction of the Saint-Denis–Pleyel station, one of the largest stations of the Grand Paris Express.
In 2021, Pierre Sironval succeeds Rik Vandenberghe and becomes Deputy CEO of BESIX Group. It was announced that BESIX would build the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Europe's largest hybrid-timber building in Amsterdam, one of the world's largest Waste-to-Energy plant in the UAE and the 400 meters Tower F in Abidjan, Africa's tallest tower.
From Wikipedia’s article on Besix, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5