Deloitte Belgium CEO Rik Vanpeteghem heads EMEA
Deloitte has named Rik Vanpeteghem, CEO of Deloitte Belgium, as Regional Managing Director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Vanpeteghem, who has been with the Big Four firm since 1985, has in line with the promotion been granted a role in Deloitte’s Global Executive Committee.
Rik Vanpeteghem joined Deloitte more than 30 years ago, in 1985. Over the years he grew through the ranks within the Tax function, and around the turn of the century he was appointed a partner, specialising in international tax planning. Between 2004 and 2008 Vanpeteghem served as the Managing Partner of the Tax & Legal practice in Belgium and a member of the Belgian Executive Team. In 2008 he was promoted to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role, a position which he has held since.
On the back of his successful run leading Deloitte Belgium – which has managed to grow throughout the crisis years and currently employs a team of 2,900 professionals across 11 offices (revenue of €390 million) – Vanpeteghem has now been promoted to Deloitte’s top role in the region: Regional Managing Director for EMEA. In his new function, the veteran will be responsible for executing Deloitte’s global strategy in the region, and for further advancing EMEA member firms. He will in addition safeguard key pillars of the firm’s operational strategy, such as collaboration between member firms, standardisation and harmonisation, quality assurance and the investment portfolio. In the Global Executive Committee Vanpeteghem, who will combine his new role with that of CEO of Deloitte Belgium, will serve as the main representative of EMEA’s demands and priorities.
Globally Deloitte has 225,000 employees and revenues of $35.2 billion, making it the second largest professional services firm of the globe. The Big Four firm is led by Indian-origin CEO Punit Renjen (former Chairman of Deloitte US) and David Cruickshank (former Chairman of Deloitte UK), Chairman of the Global Board of Directors. Vanpeteghem’s mandate, the EMEA region, accounts for around 35% ($11.9 billion / 80.000 employees) of revenue and headcount. With a fee income of £2.7 billion Deloitte UK is the largest member firm in the region, followed by among others Germany, France and the Netherlands.
Commenting on his promotion, Vanpeteghem says the appointment is a recognition of the “prominent” role the Belgian member firm plays in the Big Four’s power landscape, adding that he will seek to embody the needs of both the large as well as the smaller member firms in the EMEA region.
Vanpeteghem, who is fluent in Dutch, French and English, holds degrees in law and business management from the University of Leuven, and a degree in tax law from the University of Brussels. He lives in Kortrijk, West Flanders, with his wife and their three children.
