Payment Services specialist appointed to top job at Leaseurope

Enrico Duranti, Leaseurope’s chairman said: “I take great satisfaction in knowing that Leaseurope is in the hands of such a talented executive. Leon’s expertise and vision will contribute significantly to Leaseurope continuing to provide leading edge, quality services to our memberships and to represent our industry at both European and international level.

“Leon is a vital addition to the team as we navigate through an evolving and expanding regulatory and supervisory environment.”

Dhaene added: “I am very excited to join Leaseurope. The Federation has served this industry for a long time and I see a lot of potential going forward. We have a great team supported by an impressive number of member associations across Europe and a strong board of directors and I look forward to being part of that success in the years to come.”

Dhaene, a Belgian national, has over 25 years of financial services experience, including leadership roles in large companies, such as IBM and Mastercard International.

Subsequently, he founded several new companies, delivering strategic consulting (Network of Alliances, Outsourcing and Mergers Experts – NAOME), consulting services (chairman of N2FINANCE), legal services and innovation solutions (like new fraud detection and management systems) to the payments industry.

He has been appointed board member of, or advisory to, several boards of directors since 1985.

He has also been advising regulators and multiple associations at European level in the past and is currently sitting as independent expert on the Payment Systems  Market Expert Group of the European Commission Directorate General Internal Market and Services.

Dhaene will also be the director general of sister federation Eurofinas representing specialised consumer credit providers at European level with whom Leaseurope has a special partnership relationship.

He is able to converse in Dutch, English, French, German and Italian. He has also published books and articles on historical, socio-economical and cultural subjects.

He is a Master of Contemporary History at the University of Ghent, gained certificates of German and Italian of the State University of Ghent, Information Technology System Engineering of the IBM Institute, and executive training programmes at Krauthammer International (Switzerland), Human Factors (USA), Wilson Learning (France) and Business Learning & Expertise (Belgium).