André Leysen

In 1951, he married Anne Ahlers, daughter of a shipping family from Bremen, Germany.

From 1952 until 1976 he worked for the shipping company Ahlers N.V., Antwerp (family estate).

Since 1974 he is a member of the supervisory board of the Agfa-Gevaert group, (Belgium).

In 1976, he was one of the co-founders of the VUM, which took over the newspapers of the Standaard group after its bankruptcy.

From 1990 until 1994 he was a member of the presidency in the board of directors of the Treuhandanstalt in Germany.