Picture © Morgane Delfosse Beursschouwburg

The General Meeting of Ancienne Belgique approved Tom Bonte as the new managing director of AB. Dirk De Clippeleir left AB at the end of 2019 to join Bruzz as managing director. In the interim, Marc Vrebos has acted as AB managing director. Due to the coronavirus lockdown, the arrival of a new manager has taken longer than planned. The appointment of Tom Bonte brings this wait to an end.

The AB General Meeting unanimously approved the appointment of Tom Bonte as new general manager of AB tonight, 4 June.

Tom Bonte (born 1977, Turnhout) has, for the last nine years, managed the Beursschouwburg multidisciplinary arts centre, where he regained the centre’s position at the heart of the Brussels cultural sector and attracted a broad, young audience. Prior to this, he was programmer at Vooruit in Ghent (2005-2011) and assistant programmer at deSingel (2001-2004) in Antwerp. Tom is chairman of the board of directors of the Brussels Kunstenoverleg (arts association) and member of the board of directors of OKO, the Art Organisations’Association.

The AB General Meeting and its chair Marc Justaert welcome Tom Bonte as its new managing director: “We are counting on Tom to combine a strong, future-focused vision with inspiring and motivating leadership. He will continue to develop the AB as a major cultural institution within the Flemish Community and as one of the best music venues in Europe.”

The General Meeting also thanks the whole management team and the entire workforce, who together have been able to keep the venue going through difficult times in the absence of a new managing director.

Tom Bonte: "I’m looking forward to joining the strong AB team. I see it as a challenge to work with the team to ensure we use the coronavirus crisis to develop new ideas and initiatives. AB was and is doing well; think, for example, of the venue’s pioneering ecological role. But there may now be opportunities to examine certain routines and deal with other matters. For example, I’d like to look into the role this iconic concert venue should play in an increasingly diverse society. I can see AB having a connecting mission in this colourful capital city. And I am also a strong believer in the combination of broadening and deepening. First, however, we must of course get through this crisis in once piece." 

Tom Bonte will take up his position in consultation with the current managing director, and by 1 September 2020 at the latest.

Marc Justaert