Olivier Paul Jules, Baron Vanneste (18 May 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

. A member of the

CD&V Christian Democratic and Flemish (, , CD&V) is a Flemish Christian-democratic political party in Belgium. The party has historical ties to both trade unionism ( ACV) and trade associations (UNIZO) and the Farmer's League. Until 2001, the party wa ...

(formerly known as the Christian People's Party, CVP, until 2001), Vanneste served as the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

from 1979 until 1997. Vanneste, an economist, was born in

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

, Belgium. In 1954, he published his book, ''Structurele Werkloosheid in West-Vlaanderen'', which was later utilized an outline for economic development in West Flanders. Vanneste served as the founder and managing director of both the West-Vlaamse Economische Raad and the West-Vlaams Economisch Studiebureau. He served as the

Governor of West Flanders The Governor of West Flanders is the head of government for the Belgian province of West Flanders. The province is located in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Governor (1815-1830) Provincial governors of West Flanders under the United Kingdom of the ...

from 1979 to 1997. Vanneste stepped down as governor in 1997. Following his retirement from public office, he served as a director of several business and organizations, including

KBC Bank KBC Group is a Belgian universal multi-channel bank-insurer, focusing on private clients and small and medium-sized enterprises in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It was created in 1998 through the merger of Kredietbank ...

, the

Port of Bruges-Zeebrugge The Port of Zeebrugge (also referred to as the Port of Bruges or Bruges Seaport) is a large container, bulk cargo, new vehicles and passenger ferry terminal port on the North Sea. The port is located in the municipality of Bruges, West Flanders ...

, and the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

(KU Leuven). In 2001, Vanneste was raised into the

Belgian nobility The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility. History ...

by King Albert II and given the noble title ''

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

'' for life.Publicatie : 2001-07-19, Numac : 2001015079
- Belgian official journal Olivier Vanneste died on 18 September 2014 in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanneste, Olivier 1930 births 2014 deaths Governors of West Flanders Barons of Belgium Belgian economists Academic staff of KU Leuven Christian Democratic and Flemish politicians People from Kortrijk People from West Flanders