Léon Antoine Bekaert was a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 industrialist and politician. He was the son of Leo Leander Bekaert, who founded the family business in 1880.

He expanded the family venture Tréfileries Léon Bekaert (1935), at Zwevegem (production of steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 wire

Wire

A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...

) into Bekaert

Bekaert

N.V. Bekaert S.A. is an industrial company, which is one of the BEL20 companies in the index for the Euronext Brussels stock exchange. The company specializes in advanced metal transformation and advanced materials and coatings...

, a global company. He was President of the League of Christian Employers

League of Christian Employers

The League of Christian Employers is a Flemish Christian employers organization. Guido Beazar is the president of the organization.-Notable members:* Léon Bekaert , Bekaert...

 (1934–1961) and President of the Belgian league of the metallurgical industry (Fabrimetal) from 1946 up to 1952, after which he accepted the chairmanship of the Federation of Belgian Enterprises

Federation of Belgian Enterprises

The Federation of Enterprises in Belgium is the only Belgian non-profit organization representing companies in all three regions of Belgium. Its members, the different Belgian sectorial employers' organizations, represent companies in key industrial and service sectors. All in all, it represents...

. From 1926 until his death he was burgomaster of Zwevegem and of 1938 up to beginning 1961 he was regent of the National Bank of Belgium

National Bank of Belgium

The National Bank of Belgium has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850...

. In 1958, he was one of the co-founders of the permanent international secretariat of the UNIAPAC

UNIAPAC

The International Christian Union of Business Executives or UNIAPAC is an ecumenical organization for Christian businesspeople.-History:...

 in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, thogether with Peter H. Werhahn (Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

) and Giuseppe Mosca (Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

), who became its President.

Source

• Vandeputte R. Leon A. Bekaert. Een groot man. Een goed mens.(1891–1961), Lannoo, 1979.