On the 4th of June 2024, Mrs. Fabienne L'Hoost, Director General of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, was received in audience by His Majesty the King. On this occasion, His Majesty the King granted her the title of Commander in the Order of Leopold.
This is the oldest and most important national order. It is a tribute to Mrs. L'Hoost's 20-year career as the Director General of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, as well as to her many achievements with her team.
The Belgian Foreign Trade Agency recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
In 20 years, as much as 58 Belgian economic missions have been organised, during which more than 13,000 businesswomen and men representing over 8,000 companies across the globe have developed new markets, as evidenced by the 854 agreements signed. These figures reflect the crucial role that companies attribute to missions of this magnitude, which are an incomparable lever for exports, especially in a global context that remains unstable.
Since 2015, the Agency has also been responsible for the logistical organisation and economic aspects of outgoing State Visits chaired by His Majesty the King, accompanied by Her Majesty the Queen. As a result, the BFTA had the honour of contributing to 14 of these visits at the highest level, providing unique networking opportunities for companies as well as academic and cultural players.
The Agency also houses a study centre for a wide range of aspects pertaining to foreign trade, such as processing trade statistics, the publication of economic and sectoral studies, the provision of advice on international trade regulations, the management of a database on Belgian exporting companies along with the targeted spread of international business opportunities through Trade4U. It continuously develops and reinforces the spread of information on foreign markets.