Francophones tonight, Flemish tomorrow: Trasis, Lizy and a Belgium that doubts… but still builds

By Kadir Duran – Bruxelles Korner

https://youtu.be/z7WtyVC0rLg

Today, 1 December, French-speaking Belgium celebrated its champions:
Trasis, crowned Entreprise de l’Année 2025, and Lizy, named Scale-up of the Year 2025.

Tomorrow, it will be Flanders’ turn to take the stage.

But tonight, in a French-speaking room that we hope will be “too small next year”, a whole region tried to prove to itself that it can still dream big.

An awards night, and a collective story

From the very first words of the host –
“Good evening ministers, dear members of the jury, dear laureates, dear former winners…”
the message was clear: this is not just about trophies. It is about telling a story of French-speaking entrepreneurship.

On stage, they celebrate:

7 finalists:
- 4 for Entreprise de l’Année: Eloy, Louyet, Stanley/Stella, Trasis
- 3 for Scale-up of the Year: GoVocal, Lizy, Insight
and 30 former winners that have marked the history of the award since its creation.

The positioning is explicit:
these are prizes for privately owned companies led by entrepreneur-shareholders.
Firms with public shareholders (like Sonaca, etc.) are excluded: the spotlight is on those who take risks with their own capital.

The scale-ups: citizen participation, optimisation, and electric mobility

The jury walks the audience through three very different scale-ups:

GoVocal a citizen participation platform aiming to “reinvent and re-energise the democratic model” by involving citizens in local decision-making.
Insight a maths-driven optimisation company helping firms “do more with fewer resources” and move towards sustainability.
Lizy fully digital leasing of used cars, often electric, mixing circular economy and decarbonisation.

BNP Paribas Fortis, partner of the award, reminds everyone what scale-ups actually need:
working capital, risk capital and, above all, support for international expansion.
The ambition is clear: help Belgian scale-ups conquer the world, not stay as local curiosities.

Lizy, Scale-up of the Year 2025: changing an industry, not just a business model

And then the announcement:

“The Scale-up of the Year 2025 is… Lizy!”

Lizy is recognised as a true disruptor in car leasing.
Seven years ago, no major leasing company wanted to touch second-hand cars.
Today, they all do – often after citing Lizy as an inspiration.

On stage, the CEO reminds the room that the company is “changing a gigantic industry” and fully owns a simple objective:
to become the European leader in used-car leasing.

Behind the pitch, there is substance:

a circular model (second life for vehicles, especially EVs);
a fully digital journey that challenges European giants;
a team that has moved from “odd little Lab Box experiment” to market reference.

Eloy, Louyet, Stanley/Stella: three ways of “doing Belgian” differently

On the Entreprise de l’Année side, the finalists tell three very different stories, all deeply rooted in their regions.

Eloy – the 1,500-person “clan”

Family-owned construction group Eloy openly talks about the “Eloy clan”:
a big family of 1,500 people, co-led by three relatives.
Their three pillars: people, sustainability, performance.
Their strength: a genuine fighting spirit and a culture of continuous improvement.

Louyet Group – going premium, the Belgian way

In Charleroi, Louyet has become a key player in premium mobility.
In just five years:

headcount x3,
revenue x4,
profit x30.

At the generational transition, they faced a choice:
sell to a big group, or build their own champion.
They chose the second option – and the numbers speak for themselves.

Stanley/Stella textiles that refuse to compromise on sustainability

In a hyper-competitive textile world, Stanley/Stella stands out with a radically responsible approach, traceable down to the cotton farmer.
Sustainability is not a marketing claim but a non-negotiable framework, maintained even during Covid when turnover dropped by 85%.
“They never changed course,” insists the CEO.

Trasis, Entreprise de l’Année 2025: from Liège to China with cancer as the common enemy

Then comes Trasis, the Liège-based biotech already known for its nuclear medicine equipment.
The video projected on screen sums it up:

“We design mini automated laboratories to produce medicines that diagnose and treat cancer in a highly targeted way, with limited side effects.”

Trasis means:

a niche, high-tech global market;
fully integrated solutions: design, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, services;
a “coffee machine”-style model: you sell the machine and the consumables that run through it.

Result:
turnover and headcount almost quadrupled in five years –
with customers in some sixty countries.

The jury: passion, performance, societal impact

From the jury’s side, three common denominators emerge across all finalists:

Visible passion within management and teams.
Exceptional and sustained financial performance over several years.
A credible ambition for the future, backed by a clear roadmap.

One juror sums up the key criterion:

value added – not just in financial terms, but for society.

In other words: what does this company actually bring to the country and the world?

The ministers: growth, jobs, welfare… and competitiveness

Ministers step in with their usual role: reminding everyone that without companies, there is no growth, no jobs, no social security.
They promise:

lower social contributions,
lower energy costs,
simplified procedures,
support for investment.

The message is classic but clear:
“Our role at federal level is to create an environment where companies remain the engine of the economy.”

And the grand winner is… Trasis

The suspense ends:

“The Entreprise de l’Année 2025 is… Trasis.”

The jury’s reasoning:

a strong human story (two founders, one long-term vision);
twenty years of persistence and focus;
a smart, resilient model balancing equipment and consumables;
more than 99% of sales abroad, with very solid long-term prospects.

Gauthier Philippart’s speech: from China to Liège and a message for Europe

Trasis CEO Gauthier Philippart delivers a speech that is both personal and political.

Key points:

He reminds everyone that it was the employees who pushed the company to apply for the award:
450 women and men “fighting for a world where cancer is better diagnosed and treated, and no longer automatically means suffering and death.”
He recalls a State visit to China with the King ten years ago, where Trasis signed its first Chinese contract.
Ten years later, the company has bought out its Chinese distributor and now operates from Liège, Grenoble, Atlanta and China.
Then comes a very clear message to policymakers:
Europe must reclaim an industrial roadmap,
build and control its own technologies,
and provide a stable framework for innovation, production and trade.

His bottom line:
if China can decide its trajectory, Europe can too.
And Wallonia is not condemned to watch the trains go by.

Francophones vs Flemish: the line that stings

At one point, the host invites the room to do even better next year –
because “tomorrow, on the Flemish side, the hall will be full.”

The line triggers laughs, but it also reveals something deeper:
entrepreneurial confidence is not evenly spread across Belgium.
Flanders has a head start.
But Wallonia and Brussels clearly have world-class companies: Trasis, Lizy, Eloy, Stanley/Stella… and many more.

What this evening really says about Belgium in 2025

Beyond the lights and the speeches, this 30th edition sends a few strong signals:

French-speaking Belgium does have global champions – in biotech, mobility, textiles, construction.
The question is no longer whether there is talent, but whether we can build the right environment for these companies to stay, grow and multiply.
European reindustrialisation is no longer a slogan: firms like Trasis are real-life proof.
Scale-ups don’t just want awards: they want capital, clear rules and a country that pushes them outward instead of slowing them down.

Conclusion A Belgium that is still searching, but moving

Tonight, French-speaking Belgium tried to show that it can still “rock the house”.
Tomorrow, the Flemish winners will complete the picture.

Between Trasis, trying to reindustrialise Wallonia; Lizy, aiming to be European leader; Eloy and its “clan”; Stanley/Stella, refusing to compromise on sustainability…
we see the outline of a demanding, ambitious, entrepreneurial Belgium.

One question remains:
will politics keep up with the pace set by the entrepreneurs, or continue to run behind them?