The head of major fresh produce supplier Univeg has dismissed speculation in the Belgian press that the company is preparing for an imminent public share issue.
Chief executive officer Rudi De Becker, speaking in an interview with Belgium-based magazine Trends, said there were no immediate plans for an initial public offering despite recent speculation.
'There are no concrete plans,' he commented. 'In the press I read somewhere that I've been appointed here to prepare for an IPO. That's completely incorrect.'
However, he did not rule out such a move in the long term. 'Of course, the shareholders will at a given time want to make their exit, but there are no concrete plans,' said Mr De Becker.
'Of course Univeg is a very attractive business for the investment public,' he added. 'We're not talking here about some obscure high-tech company which no-one understands. We're talking about a company with which everyone is in daily contact. In the long term, an IPO could be of interest, but for the moment there are still no plans.'
Hein Deprez, who stepped down as CEO of the Univeg group of companies last September to become chairman of the group's board of directors, said he was extremely happy to have Mr De Becker now leading operations.
'Rudi is an iron hand in a velvet glove,' Mr Deprez told Trends. 'Rudi has tremendous experience in how a company should be managed and how to deal with complexity. He has the training that I do not have. I'm more a creative entrepreneur, much less a real manager.'
