The Kinepolis Group Board of Directors has appointed yesterday
(18/12/07) Eddy Duquenne, former head of Sunparks, as co-CEO of
Kinepolis Group along with Joost Bert, also co-CEO, effective as of 1
January 2008.
The appointment of Mr Duquenne is in line with the Board of
Directors' decision to considerably strengthen the operational
management, at the instigation of the Bert family and Joost Bert.
As co-CEO, Eddy Duquenne will bear full operational responsibility,
while Joost Bert remains responsible for strategic, concept- and
project-related developments within the group.
Eddy Duquenne (46) is a graduate in applied economic sciences. After
a career spanning many years as executive manager corporate banking
at Fortis Bank (formerly CGER/ASLK Bank), in 1998 he became CEO of
Sunparks Group nv/sa.
From 1998 to 2007 he was joint CEO of Sunparks Group nv, along with
Mark Vanmoerkerke. The Vanmoerkerke family transferred the group to
Pierres & Vacances in the spring of this year. Mr Duquenne gained
substantial expertise in the general management of holiday villages.
At Sunparks he built a reputation as an enthusiastic, operational
manager with an eye for customer experience, operational efficiency
and value creation. His experience in running leisure activities and
developing real-estate assets is extremely relevant for the new
challenge that he has taken on a Kinepolis.
Eddy Duquenne has held a number of Directorships in the past,
including one with GIMV. He became an independent director
(non-executive) of Kinepolis Group just one year ago.
-------------
About Kinepolis Group
Since it was established in 1997 further to the merger between the
Bert and Claeys groups and subsequently floated on the stock market
in 1998, Kinepolis Group has grown to become Belgian market leader
and a prominent player on the European market. Kinepolis Group has 23
cinema complexes in Belgium, France, Spain, Poland and Switzerland
and employs upwards of 1,800 people. In 2006 the group welcomed 23.9
million cinema-goers.
The Kinepolis concept is driven by the desire to innovate and ensure
a customer-oriented approach. Kinepolis has been playing a leading
role in the field of digital camera in Europe for a number of years
now. The group uses the revolutionary DLP technology here and
currently has an extensive platform of digital projectors in Belgium,
France and Spain. In addition to digital Hollywood productions cinema
enthusiasts can now also experience alternative content in digital
format, such as prestigious events, TV series, live concerts and
sports competitions.
Thanks to a number of pioneering innovations, Kinepolis Group is now
taking a step towards the future with the creation of each new
complex. The most striking elements here are the opening up of the
foyer (the so-called open foyer), the seat reservation facilities,
the rating and ticket checking system and the wide-ranging
digitalisation of film, information and communication channels.
