Mathias Vandenhoudt

Selected experience

• A global provider of secure financial messaging services, on its entire whistleblowing (management) process, including the implementation of a new whistleblowing platform and policy in line with the EU Whistleblowing Directive and its national implementation in various jurisdictions, as well as the ongoing case management and investigations of reported misconduct across multiple jurisdictions.
• Port of Zeebrugge on all the employment, social security and pension aspects of its merger with the Port of Antwerp, resulting in the Port of Antwerp Bruges. We attended and steered all important trade union meetings at Port of Zeebrugge and participated in meetings with Port of Antwerp and its outside counsel.
• A Belgian company, on the employment, social criminal and general criminal law aspects of an internal investigation into toxic leadership, following media allegations. We assisted on the investigation process, risk assessment, board decision-making and disciplinary actions, including termination of employment.
• A food delivery platform in respect of its day-to-day HR legal queries and a social ruling request by a candidate-collaborator (rider) with the Belgian Commission for Labour Relations in view of the new reclassification rules for platform economy introduced by the labour deal.
• A global tech company with the establishment of its Belgian employee representative bodies (works council and committee for prevention and protection at work).
• A chemical company on all arbitration, litigation, contractual, employment, social security and (social) criminal law aspects following media reporting of human trafficking by a contractor at its construction site.
• A global leader in advanced plastic piping systems, on various complex and highly sensitive C-level and senior executive exits, involving cross-border employment, corporate mandates, incentive plans, unfair dismissal and discrimination issues. We also assisted our client in developing a new template agreement for its intra-group personnel secondment structures.
• A global tech company, in the framework of a bonus dispute with a former employee, providing feasibility and risk assessments, correspondence and negotiation with the employment tribunal and the trade union representative, drafting, concluding and submitting a settlement agreement.
• A multinational company specializing in polyurethane foam products, on the employment aspects of the sale of its foams business to a US company. Our work included advising on the information and consultation duties vis-à-vis employee representative bodies, the implications of the transfer of undertakings rules, the complex split of the employee representative bodies and the negotiations with the trade unions, as well as the exit of its former CEO and the hire of its new CEO.
• The Belgian Federal Public Service Policy and Support on the implications of Directive (EU) 2019/1152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union for training arrangements for statutory personnel. We also reviewed a draft Royal Decree to introduce training arrangements for statutory personnel.