Françoise Chombar
Belgian businesswoman
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Françoise Chombar (born May 1962) is a Belgian businesswoman. She is the current CEO and one of the original founders of the semiconductor company Melexis.[1] She took over as a CEO from her husband and co-founder Rudi de Winter in 2004,[2] having previously served as the COO of the company since 1997.[3] She is also a non-executive board member for Soitec[4] and Umicore,[4] and a member of the Advisory Board at Byteflies.[4]
Françoise Chombar | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1962 (age 63) |
| Alma mater | Ghent University |
| Occupations | CEO, semiconductors |
| Title | CEO, Melexis |
| Term | 2004 - |
| Predecessor | Rudi de Winter |
She has a master's degree from Ghent University in interpreting Dutch-English-Spanish.[3]
STEM and gender equality work
Françoise Chombar is the president of STEM Platform, an independent advisory body to the Flemish government on children's STEM education.[5] She also promotes gender equality through involvement in organizations including Women on Board, an association that aims to give women better access to directorial roles in Belgian companies,[6] and SOFIA Academy, a networking program for female managers and entrepreneurs in Hasselt University,[7] where she has been a mentor for 17 years.[6]
Recognition
In 2016, she won the Vlerick Award, given out by the Vlerick Business School for excellence in management. It was the first time the management award was won by a female entrepreneur.[8]
In 2018, Chombar was awarded the BNP Paribas Global Prize for Women Entrepreneurs,[7] and was named the ICT Personality of the Year by Belgian magazine DataNews.[9] She was also awarded a Science Fellowship at Free University of Brussels-VUB the same year.[10]
In 2019, Chombar received the Flemish Community Honor for her work as a STEM and gender balance advocate[11] and was named the Limburg Entrepreneur of the Year by Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg.[12]
In 2020, she was elected to Inspiring Fifty Belgium, a list of the 50 most inspiring women in the Belgian technology sector.[4]