Strength in Numbers for Willems & Geerts in Belgium

Hugu Willems

Hugo Willems of Belgian member firm Willems & Geerts BV BVBA has proactively used his membership with JHI to benefit several clients with multi-national concerns.

"Our primary reason for being a member of JHI has always been to refer work, as we have many clients who are active abroad, and it's vital for us that we can develop strong working relationships with other member firms to facilitate this," says Hugo. "We have a number of recent client projects which have required international cooperation, including an ongoing project on behalf of our client, Mathieu Cuypers, who has a number of business interests, such as media and IT. Mr. Cuyper's Cypriot media company has worked with JHI member Panayiotis Kyriacou, of JHI Audit Kylacou & Partners whilst his Luxembourg holding, opened earlier this year, has been referred to Daniel Reding and Yves Wallers of EWA (Fiduciaire et Révision, SA)."

As clients' businesses grow and develop, so does the teamwork and international cooperation. "This same client is already active in Germany, and we anticipate undertaking more work here, as well as in Dubai, where a company is being opened, and in Bulgaria and Madeira," says Hugo. "Our membership in JHI, and the availability of member cooperation in key strategic global locations, has been vital in providing the best possible service to key clients such as this."

Hugo's approach to developing partnerships has stemmed from face-to-face meetings at JHI events and conferences, where he has developed professional relationships with a range of JHI members over the years. "It's obviously much easier to work with and refer to people that I have met and know from JHI conferences, although in other cases I have referred clients to the listed contact partner in the JHI directory. The networking undertaken at conferences certainly makes it a better working relationship, and leads to much easier cooperation on the job."

Having been involved with a number of multinational projects on behalf of clients, Hugo is clear about the benefits and challenges in working across a network. "What we've learned from doing a number of these projects over the years is that it's important to clarify the scope of the job at the outset, wherever possible, so that all parties are clear about what the job entails. In the case of larger and more complex jobs, having a designated point of contact – ideally somebody neutral – to liaise between the different firms and coordinate communications would be extremely helpful. We've also learned that being part of a network with the scope and reputation of JHI gives a mutual profile which helps our clients feel more comfortable, and that's extremely important to us."

Contact Hugo Willems, h.willems@wg-accountants.com, for more information.