When Emile Goossens joined Leschaco as Chief Financial Officer in April 2026, he brought with him more than 30 years of experience in the logistics industry. Throughout his career, he has held a wide range of finance and leadership positions, helping organizations navigate change, drive growth and adapt to increasingly complex market environments.

He joined Leschaco at an exciting time. With Strategy 2030 progressing and transformation initiatives gaining momentum across the company, there is plenty happening and even more to look forward to. What attracted him to the role? What impressions has he gained during his first months at Leschaco? And what does a modern CFO's role look like beyond the numbers?

We sat down with Emile to discuss leadership, transformation, innovation and the opportunities he believes will shape Leschaco's future.

What was interesting about Leschaco and convinced you to take on this role? 

After more than 30 years in logistics, you could say I've seen a few warehouses, balance sheets and crisis situations along the way. What attracted me to Leschaco was that it feels different. It's a company with 145 years of history, but it doesn't behave like one. There is still an entrepreneurial spirit. People don't wait for the perfect PowerPoint deck before acting. I also liked the ambition. As CFO, I like working with ambitious people and ambitious plans. Otherwise, life would be very boring and we'd all be discussing depreciation schedules all day.

What have been your first impressions after joining the company?

My first impression was: there are a lot of very committed people here. My second impression was: there are a lot of meetings. And my third impression was: people genuinely want to make Leschaco better. I've spent my first months listening, asking questions and probably asking even more questions. What I've found is a company with a lot of expertise, a strong reputation and people who care deeply about customers and colleagues. That's a very good foundation to build on for any company.

After your first months at Leschaco, what is one thing that has positively surprised you?

The amount of ownership people take. In many companies, people are quick to explain why something cannot be done. At Leschaco, people tend to start with "Let's see how we can make it work." As someone deeply knowing the logistics industry – where something unexpected happens approximately every ten minutes – I appreciate that mindset.

Having worked in logistics for more than 30 years, what stands out about Leschaco?

The combination of expertise and personality. Many logistics companies are very large, some are very specialized, Leschaco manages to be both. What I like is that we're not trying to be everything to everyone. We know where we're good – particularly in complex chemical logistics – and we build on that strength. And despite being a global company, people still know each other. 

How do you define the role of a modern CFO in a logistics company?

The stereotype is that CFOs spend their days staring at spreadsheets. The reality is that modern CFOs spend their days talking about customers, operations, strategy, people, technology, risk, cash and occasionally spreadsheets. For me, a CFO should be a business partner. My job is not only to explain what happened last month, my job is to help the company make better decisions next month, next year and ultimately in the future. But yes, I’m still looking at balance sheets. Some habits never disappear.

What are the key priorities for Leschaco in the future?

I could give a very strategic answer, or I could keep it simple: We want to grow, improve, , continue enhancing the value we deliver to our customers remain an attractive place to work. And we want to do all that in a profitable and sustainable way. None of that is revolutionary. The difficult part is doing it consistently every day. As we say in finance: strategy is important, execution pays the bills.

Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth and innovation?

Honestly, I think a lot of opportunities are already sitting inside the company. Whenever I speak with a team, I come away with ideas. Sometimes the challenge isn't inventing something new, it's making sure the rest of the organization knows about it. We have smart people, strong customer relationships and deep knowledge. If we combine those strengths even better across countries and functions, there is still a lot of untapped potential. Technology will help, of course, but the best innovations often start with someone saying: "Why are we still doing it this way?"

What would you like employees, customers and partners to say about Leschaco in five years' time?

That's easy. I'd like them to say: "They're good people, they know what they're doing and when they make a promise, they keep it." For employees, Leschaco should be a place where people can develop, grow and enjoy their work. For customers, we should be the first call when things get complicated. And for partners, we should be known as professional, reliable and straightforward. If we're recognized for those qualities, most of the other KPIs will probably take care of themselves.

Final thoughts?

When I joined Leschaco, several people told me: "The people are what make this company special." After a few months, I think they were right. I've met passionate colleagues all over the world, learned a lot already and seen enormous potential across the organization. At the same time, we should be realistic: we're not where we want to be yet. There is still important work to do in areas such as process standardization, invoicing quality, overdue management, cash collection and overall financial discipline. Those topics may sound less exciting than strategy presentations, but they are essential if we want to support sustainable growth and deliver on our ambitions. The good news is that the willingness to improve is clearly there. If we continue to combine our expertise, customer focus and execution discipline, I am confident that we can achieve a great deal together.

Strategy Is Important. Execution Pays the Bills.