Ingrid Ceusters: "My temperament has sometimes stood in my way"
Ingrid Ceusters, the leading lady of the real estate sector in Antwerp, took Jo De Wolf beyond the conference table to her own little paradise of three hectares around a large pond in the nature of Rijkevorsel. As CEO and chairwoman of Hugo Ceusters-SCMS, she explains how the period of her husband's death deeply affected her and also reflects on the tensions that can arise in family businesses. "Just like for everyone else, it is also important for entrepreneurs to find peace of mind in difficult times. Here, that is perfect. I felt very good here during the COVID period and could truly experience how beautifully the seasons follow each other. It is also nice to see how the nature here becomes richer year after year."
Chance plays an important role
Through her marriage in 1983 to the 27-year-older Hugo Ceusters, Ingrid entered a completely new world. "Chance plays a huge role in a person's life," she says. "Had I not fallen in love with the man of my life, I would undoubtedly never have entered the real estate world. Initially, I continued my own career as a dentist. But of course, I was already very close to everything surrounding the family business. I also remember very well the moment Hugo first spoke to me about a deal of 1 million francs and how I instinctively thought that I would have to look in many mouths and perform procedures to earn that amount. I think a dental consultation at that time cost around 75 francs. When Hugo became ill in 2000 and decided to stop working, I took on the responsibility of taking care of him and of running the family business. It wasn’t easy. It was a very difficult period during which external CEOs even committed fraud. I am certainly not opposed to external CEOs in a family business. But those events made me somewhat averse to it and convinced me that it is crucial for someone taking leadership and responsibility over a company to do so, to some extent, with their own money."
Mediators can resolve tensions in family businesses
The troubles with the fraud were not the only major hurdles the company had to overcome over the years. Ingrid Ceusters does not like to talk about it, but also briefly reflects on the heavy frictions surrounding the succession, which should have been ensured by her two sons, Emmanuel and Axel. "In the end, those tensions led to Emmanuel no longer working for the company, and Axel taking over the reins. In the meantime, I see my role a bit like that of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who is still around but allowed her son Willem-Alexander to grow into a monarch who is doing well. What happened certainly left deep wounds. That is mostly because all three of us have such strong characters, verbally. We did seek help to mediate, but it ultimately didn’t work out. For family businesses caught in such conflicts, mediation is the only way out. But you need the right person for that, someone who earns the trust of both sides. My own temperament and stubbornness have stood in my way. I take a large part of the blame. I should have reacted much more calmly, but unfortunately, what's done is done. And temperament is what it is. I now hope Axel finds the right people to surround himself with. Because being involved in the business seven days a week, 24 hours a day, is impossible if you have young children. At the same time, I don’t want to just be the caring grandmother. I’ve reached an age where I also deserve to get something back for my personal life in exchange for all I’ve given."
All aspects of life are fascinating
Ingrid Ceusters has always combined her role as a mother and business leader with strong social engagement. "I learned a lot about governance at Special Olympics, where I was chairwoman for many years. How I ended up there was also one of life’s coincidences. I started talking at a dinner with the then governor Andries Kinsbergen, who convinced me to take on a role at Special Olympics after I had told him that my father had, together with Father Antoon Van Clé, been involved in the founding of Sporta – the sports apostolate – an organization aimed at giving disadvantaged youth the opportunity to participate in sports. Kinsbergen saw a role for me in ‘building bridges’ between Special Olympics and the business world. A nice way to describe it, meaning that I would have to go to businesses to beg for money. When chairman Michel Deleforterie passed away, I was asked to succeed him, and I was happy to take on that responsibility. With a fantastic board, we were able to accomplish some great work."
Women must profile themselves more clearly
As a female CEO in the male-dominated real estate sector, Ingrid Ceusters has often spoken out about female leadership. "I don't consider myself a role model in that sense because, in the end, we only employ about seventy people in our company. CEOs like Martine Reynaers and Françoise Chombar are much bigger names in that regard, in my opinion. But that doesn’t stop me from advocating that women should be less shy about taking on responsibility as business leaders. Men are much more visible and have more opportunities to network outside of work. Women tend to be less noticed, and the unknown is often unloved. Why that is, I still don’t know. Is it because of upbringing or hormones? I haven’t figured it out, but I do agree that it wouldn’t hurt if women were to profile themselves more. The skills they naturally have more than men, such as listening, noticing when employees are struggling with something, and talking about it, can only benefit companies." When asked what advice she would give to the 35-year-younger Ingrid Ceusters, she doesn’t need to think long. "I would advise myself to react more calmly, to be more zen in dealing with situations, and to be more diplomatic. I now know from experience that reacting impulsively does more harm than good."
