Toon De Proft (right) has been appointed as the new chair of Leuven MindGate, the economic and technological collaboration platform that positions the Leuven region internationally in innovation, health and high-tech. He succeeds Jos Clijsters. Jan Paesen is still the managing director.
The succession by De Proft comes at a strategic moment. In 2026, Leuven MindGate will celebrate its tenth anniversary, and a stronger focus will be placed on entrepreneurship and the further integration of the 425 members into one economic and technological ecosystem. The Board of Directors sees in De Proft a chair who, with his international experience and entrepreneurial background, can accelerate this trajectory.
De Proft, a civil engineer by training, has a long track record in the technology sector. After a research period at KU Leuven, he gained international experience in Silicon Valley before returning to Belgium to strengthen ICOS Vision Systems. He led the company from 2002 to 2008, turning it into a global player in the visual inspection of semiconductor chips. Over the past eleven years, he also led the Leuven-based satellite navigation company Septentrio, which experienced strong international growth under his leadership and became a world leader in accurate and robust GPS receivers. In addition, De Proft has held board positions at, among others, Barco. In Leuven, he has been chair of the Board of Directors of imec since 2005, one of the world’s leading players in nano-electronics and digital technology. He also served as chair of Quest for Growth and, as chair of Charter 2020 and board member of Leuven.inc, helped lay the foundations for what would later become Leuven MindGate.
