New Belgium Future Leaders Network Committee Member from DLA Piper

We are pleased to welcome on board Achille Lemey, Legal Advisor from DLA Piper as a Belgium Future Leaders Network Committee Member:

Achille has over four years of experience as a lawyer. Before joining DLA Piper, he worked for the domestic law firm, Lydian). He practices in the area of financial law, with a particular focus on project finance and real estate finance in both national and international transactions. He typically advises banks, other financial institutions, private equity investors and public sector bodies in PPP infrastructure projects.

We asked Achille a few questions to get to know him a bit better:

The Future Leaders Network Committee is responsible for ensuring the strategic growth of the FLN in the region. How will your experiences contribute to this and what is your motivation for being a Future Leaders Network Committee Member?

• Strategic growth of the FLN in Belgium can be achieved by reaching as many stakeholders as possible with all the events organised by the FLN. I believe that my experience can contribute to this aspect as I am regularly advising across the infrastructure sector, investors and public sector bodies which are all important stakeholders for IPFA. Strategic growth can also be achieved by organising events (in person, webinars,…) or submitting blogposts that cover topics of particular interest to stakeholders by closely monitoring the trends within the various sectors. I can contribute to this aspect as I try to follow-up these trends on a very regular basis.

What opportunities do you see for the Future Leaders Network in your region?

• Belgium, like many other countries, should focus on the transition towards renewable energy sources. The FLN could play a key role in advocating for and participating in sustainable energy projects, promoting policies to support renewable energy and encouraging innovation.
• One of the global trends in infrastructure is the integration of smart technologies. The FLN could cover this topic when organising events, webinars etc. and by doing so influence the infrastructure sector and involve this sector in discussions with e.g. technology companies and policymakers to ensure that Belgium’s infrastructure becomes more efficient and intelligent.
• Promote connections with other similar networks globally. This could lead to knowledge sharing, collaborative projects, and the adoption of best practices from other regions.
• Engaging parts of the infrastructure sector that are currently difficult to reach, such as the public sector.

What do you hope to bring to this Future Leaders Network Committee?

• I hope to contribute to the FLN Committee with my experience as a project finance lawyer by bridging the gap between finance, infrastructure / energy projects and legal considerations within the energy and infrastructure projects. Financing plays a crucial role in the overall success of projects in the energy and infrastructure sector and drawing on my experience in advising on financing arrangements for infrastructure projects, I hope to contribute valuable insights on the FLN’s understanding of project finance intricacies.