Cardon started his career as an assistant to the dean of the School of Business administration at the University of Louvain 1955/1958.
In 1958 he joined the European Commission in Brussels as one of their first international civil servants.
He was also chairman of the board of Nationale Suisse Belgium (insurance) and vice president of Bank Liechtenstein.
[2][3] In July 1997, Daniel Cardon de Lichtbuer became the first chairman of Child Focus (the Belgian Center for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children) and was president founder of Missing Children Europe.
Furthermore, he was a member of the Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences of Spain and was recipient of the Hope Award 2003 for Global Vision (U.S.).