PwC publishes its Belgium Review 2007

Brussels, June 11th, 2008 – PwC Belgium, one of the leading providers of audit, tax and consultancy services, announced today the publication of “PwC Belgium Review – Enabling business performance.” The publication puts the spotlight on PwC’s people and clients and provides an overview of the key aspects of the company’s activities in 2007, while charting a course for the next 18 months.

This edition of the Belgium Review is innovative in several respects; for the transparency in which PwC Belgium publishes detailed figures regarding its activities, broken down by type of activity, business sector and staffing levels. PwC can look back on a very positive 2007. The company recorded 7.5% growth in turnover, with particularly strong results in tax services and audit. Total turnover for 2007 was 194.3 mio EUR. Assurance (the auditing department) recorded the highest turnover, at 89.4 mio EUR, while Advisory (consultancy on matters including compliance and regulation) generated 31.4 mio EUR. At the end of June 2007, PwC Belgium employed 1212 full-time equivalents, drawn from 35 different nationalities.

PwC Chairman Roger Heijens emphasises that it is the employees of PwC who are driving this expansion: “Outstanding advice can only be given by outstanding people, so investing in people is the cornerstone of our firm. Clients want to work with our experts because they are highly skilled specialists who are innovative, proactive thinkers – but far more importantly, because they work with their hearts as well as their heads.”

In 2007, PwC recruited 360 people. Of those recruits, 210 were newly-qualified graduates with half of them being women. The PwC staff undergoes an average of 110 hours of training per year. The annual training budget is 20 million EUR, with over 400 specialist technical courses being organised, as well as training in interpersonal skills.

A sizeable number of employees work part-time, for example 4/5ths time, like Pearl Couvreur, Senior Manager – Assurance Global Capital Markets Group. “After my maternity leave, I was happy that I could come back to PwC under a working arrangement that enabled me to balance home and working life. In particular, I missed the challenge and stimulus of my career, but I also wanted to devote time to my family.”

PwC is also widening the horizons of its staff. Ine Lejeune, for example has worldwide responsibility as a Partner and a Global Indirect Taxes Network Leader, currently on a two-year mission in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates, a federal state, is the 142nd country worldwide to be considering introducing the VAT system. Lejeune is leading the team that is providing Dubai with active support for this project. Other countries are also being advised by PwC consultants. Of the 70 countries worldwide that make use of external consultancy services, 35 opted to obtain their advice from PwC. Gérard Cops, a Director in the Corporate Tax Services department, left for New York in September 2006, where he set up the “Belgian Desk”. He advises American companies that are considering investing in Belgium about our tax system.

In addition, for the first time, PwC provides details of its wide-ranging Responsible Leadership programme, whereby, amongst other things, each employee can allocate over six working days per year to voluntary work. In this context, PWC carried out a number of projects for Médecins Sans Frontières/Artsen Zonder Grenzen. Another PwC project was a summer camp for people aged over 30 with disabilities and who often are not eligible for other projects. Gwendolien Desrumaux, senior Auditor Assurance Services, took the lead in this work. Desrumaux has been with PwC since 2004. This is her first job.

In addition to expressing the openness in which PwC wishes to operate, the publication demonstrates how the company enables business performance for companies and Belgian society as a whole. “In Belgium, we have a strong reputation for working effectively with governments, regulators and professional associations to enhance public trust,” states Roger Heijens. “Clients value our expertise, the relationships they have with us, and our ability to act as an objective sounding board. PwC Belgium is a trusted partner that helps clients optimise their decision-making in the areas of finance, corporate governance and compliance. We give them reassurance that they are taking into account all the relevant factors.”

In terms of the future, the company will continue to build sustainable relationships with all its stakeholders – clients, employees and the community at large – in order to enable real improvements in business performance and create a unique ”PwC experience” at all levels. PwC operates from offices in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Liège, thereby offering its employees the opportunity, wherever feasible, to work closer to home.

PwC ( www.pwc.com ) provides industry-focused audit, tax and consultancy services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 146,000 people in 150 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

“PwC” refers to the network of member firms of PwC International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

If you would like to receive a copy of the publication, please contact:
 

• For journalists: Elsie Van Linthout at Luna: +32 2 658 02 70 or elsie@luna.be ;
• For other interested parties: Isabelle Jacobs at PwC: +32 2 710 71 40 or isabelle.jacobs@pwc.be .