Juan Manuel Morales, President of EuroCommerce and Managing Director of IFA, a leading retail group in Spain, Portugal and Italy, today announced the appointment of Christel Delberghe as the new Director-General of EuroCommerce. Christel will take over from Christian Verschueren from 15 November. Mr Morales said:
“Christel’s appointment is the culmination of a thorough and competitive recruitment process in which Christel came out as the very strongest candidate. This was endorsed unanimously by the EuroCommerce Board. Both they and I have been impressed by Christel’s knowledge of and passion for the retail and wholesale sector, which she has served in various roles over the last 20 years in EuroCommerce. She has shown energy and commitment in pursuing a wide range of projects covering some of the most important issues confronting our sector. As the first woman to head EuroCommerce, Christel will be a very worthy successor to Christian, to whom I pay tribute now for his dedication to our sector, his leadership over the last 10 years, and the solid foundation he is leaving behind.”
Christel Delberghe added:
“I am proud and grateful for the confidence that EuroCommerce’s members have shown in appointing me as their Director-General. Retail and wholesale is very diverse and faces immense challenges over the coming years. Digital and sustainability are transforming our sector. I look forward to working with our members and EU decision-makers to achieve a regulatory and policy framework that supports the transformation and the significant investment needed to remain competitive and serve customers every day.”
Christel, is currently EuroCommerce’s Executive Director for Competitiveness and Communications, leading action on commercial relations and competition issues. She also looks after the interests of wholesalers and SMEs. In her more recent role as Director for Communications, she has developed a new communication strategy for the organisation.
She joined EuroCommerce in 2001 to lead the office of the then Secretary-General. Prior to EuroCommerce, Christel, a French national, worked on EU affairs for a British retailer and in a public affairs agency. She has degrees in Economics and European affairs from the University Lyon II and the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Christel and her partner have three children. She enjoys reading, theatre, and sports.
A PDF version of the press release is available here.