The Board of Directors of Belmetal, the Belgian federation representing steel and metal distributors, has unanimously elected Philippe Mercier, Managing Director of Groupe Aciers Grosjean, as its new President. He succeeds Vanessa Espeel following the federation’s recent General Assembly and the election of a new Board.
Mercier brings nearly four decades of experience across the transport, automotive, logistics and steel distribution sectors. Since 2015, he has served as Managing Director of Groupe Aciers Grosjean in Charleroi and has held a variety of management positions in Belgium and France throughout his career.
He will be supported by two Vice-Presidents: Nicolas Caeymaex of Van Meerbeeck Metalen and Johan Rosseel of Staalhandel Rosseel.
His appointment comes at a challenging time for Belgium’s steel and metals sector, which faces rising costs, increasing regulatory requirements, trade tensions and the need to accelerate decarbonisation efforts. Belmetal represents companies supplying steel and metal products to key industries including construction, manufacturing, energy and infrastructure.
A long-standing Belmetal board member, Mercier is also active within EUROMETAL and serves as a board member of the Chamber of Commerce of Hainaut. As President, he aims to strengthen Belmetal’s role as a representative of the sector, focusing on competitiveness, workforce development and supporting the future of Belgian and European industry.
“The priority is to preserve the conditions that enable companies to invest and create jobs while maintaining the competitiveness of our industrial base in a changing climate and regulatory environment,” Mercier said.
