100 Notable Alumni of the Catholic University of Leuven

Otto von Habsburg

Born in: Austria
Years: 1912-2011 (aged 99)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: 1929-1935 studied social science and political science and government
Occupations: politician
Biography: Otto von Habsburg was the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until its dissolution in November 1918. In 1922, he became the pretender to the former thrones, head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and sovereign of the (Austrian) Order of the Golden Fleece, upon the death of his father. He resigned as Sovereign of the Golden Fleece in 2000 and as head of the Imperial House in 2007.

Simon Mignolet

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1988-.. (age 38)
Occupations: association football player
Biography: Simon Luc Hildebert Mignolet is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge.

Abdul Qadeer Khan

Born in: India
Years: 1936-2021 (aged 85)
Occupations: scientisttheoretical physicistphysicistengineeracademic
Biography: Abdul Qadeer Khan NI & BAR, HI, FPAS was a Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer. He is colloquially known as the "father of Pakistan's atomic weapons program".

Bart De Wever

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1970-.. (age 56)
Occupations: historiancolumnistpolitician
Biography: Bart Albert Liliane De Wever is a Belgian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Belgium since February 2025. From 2004 to 2025, De Wever had been the leader of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a political party advocating for the transformation of Belgium into a confederal state. From January 2013 to February 2025, he was Mayor of Antwerp, following the 2012 municipal elections.

Herman Van Rompuy

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1947-.. (age 79)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: 1968-1971 graduated with licentiate in economics
Occupations: politicianeconomist
Biography: Herman Achille, Count Van Rompuy is a Belgian politician who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 2008 to 2009, and later as the first permanent president of the European Council from 2009 to 2014.

Selah Sue

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1989-.. (age 37)
Occupations: singer-songwriterrecording artistsingermusician
Biography: Sanne Greet A. Putseys, known professionally as Selah Sue, is a Belgian musician and songwriter. Her debut album, Selah Sue (2011), was a major success, selling over 720,000 copies in Europe, 320,000 in France alone.

Gloria Álvarez

Born in: Guatemala
Years: 1985-.. (age 41)
Occupations: writertelevision presenterpolitical scientistannouncer
Biography: Gloria Álvarez Cross is a Guatemalan radio and television presenter, author, and libertarian political commentator. She is the host of the Viernes de Gloria radio program in Guatemala. Álvarez is also the program director of the National Civic Movement of Guatemala, an organization that advocates for political participation in the national politics of Guatemala. She has also published books on political topics for a popular audience.

Mathias Cormann

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1970-.. (age 56)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Mathias Hubert Paul Cormann is a Belgian-born Australian politician and diplomat who serves as Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), having assumed the office on 1 June 2021.

Frank Vandenbroucke

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1955-.. (age 71)
Occupations: diplomatpoliticianuniversity teacher
Biography: Frank Ignace Georgette Vandenbroucke is a Belgian-Flemish academic and politician of Vooruit who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs in both the De Croo government as well as the De Wever government since 2020.

Paul Bulcke

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1954-.. (age 72)
Occupations: entrepreneur
Biography: Paul Bulcke is a Belgian businessman. He was CEO of Nestlé from 2008 to 2016. He has been chairman of Nestlé since 2017.

Yves Leterme

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1960-.. (age 66)
Occupations: diplomatpolitician
Biography: Yves Camille Désiré Leterme is a Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V). He was the prime minister of Belgium from March 2008 to December 2008, and later from November 2009 to December 2011.

Theo Francken

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1978-.. (age 48)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Theo Francken is a Belgian politician who has been serving as the Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade in the De Wever government since February 2025. He previously was a member of the Chamber of Representatives between 2010 and 2025. He is a member of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a conservative Flemish nationalist party.

Len Sassaman

Born in: United States
Years: 1980-2011 (aged 31)
Occupations: computer scientistengineercryptographermathematician
Biography: Leonard Harris Sassaman was an American technologist, information privacy advocate, and the maintainer of the Mixmaster anonymous remailer code and operator of the randseed remailer. Much of his career gravitated towards cryptography and protocol development.

Godfried Danneels

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1933-2019 (aged 86)
Occupations: Catholic priestCatholic bishopuniversity teachertheologian
Biography: Godfried Maria Jules Danneels was a Belgian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Belgium from 1979 to 2010. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983.

Jean-Luc Dehaene

Born in: France
Years: 1940-2014 (aged 74)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999. During his political career, he was nicknamed "The Plumber", as well as "The Minesweeper", for his ability to negotiate political deadlocks.

David Van Reybrouck

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1971-.. (age 55)
Occupations: prehistorianarchaeologistuniversity teachercolumnistwriter
Biography: David Grégoire Van Reybrouck is a Belgian cultural historian, archaeologist and author. He writes historical fiction, literary non-fiction, novels, poetry, plays and academic texts. He has received several awards for his works, which include Congo: The Epic History of a People and Revolusi.

Roland Duchâtelet

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1946-.. (age 80)
Occupations: engineerassociation football executiveentrepreneurpolitician
Biography: Roland Duchâtelet is a Belgian businessman and politician. He is owner of various football clubs. He is the founder of the social-liberal political party Vivant in Belgium.

Jan Peumans

Born in: Netherlands
Years: 1951-.. (age 75)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Jan Peter Peumans is a Belgian politician from the Flemish province of Limburg. Being part of the Flemish Movement, he was at a young age already member of the Volksunie. He seated for that party in the Limburgish provincial council and is since 2004, a Flemish Parliament member for the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA). In July 2004, he opposed, as Mayor of Riemst, the lengthening of the runway at Liège Airport. From 2007 until 2009, he was N-VA fraction leader in the Flemish Parliament. After the elections of 7 June 2009 (which was successful for his party; and with more than 27.000 Limburgish preference votes for him), he became President of the Flemish Parliament, succeeding Marleen Vanderpoorten.

Koen Lenaerts

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1954-.. (age 72)
Occupations: university teacherlawyerjudgejuristpedagogue
Biography: Koenraad Lenaerts, Baron Lenaerts is a Belgian jurist and the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union. He is also a Professor of European Law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank.

Vincent Van Quickenborne

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1973-.. (age 53)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Vincent Paul Marie Van Quickenborne is a Belgian politician for Anders (formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats) who served as Minister of Justice in the government of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo from 2020 to 2023.

Koenraad Elst

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1959-.. (age 67)
Occupations: journalistphilosophercolumnistwriterIndologist
Biography: Koenraad Elst is a Belgian author, known primarily for his adherence to the Hindutva ideology and support of the Out of India theory, which is regarded as pseudo-historical by mainstream scholarship. Scholars accuse him of harboring Islamophobia.

Édouard Ngirente

Born in: Rwanda
Years: 1973-.. (age 53)
Occupations: ministereconomistpolitician
Biography: Édouard Ngirente is a Rwandan economist and politician. He is the former Prime Minister of Rwanda, from 30 August 2017 to 25 July 2025, having been appointed by the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.

Bart Swings

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1991-.. (age 35)
Occupations: speed skaterinline speed skater
Biography: Bart Swings is a Belgian long track speed skater and inline speed skater. He is the 2022 Olympic champion on the speed skating mass start. Swings won Belgium's first gold medal in 74 years and is the first Belgian athlete ever to have won two medals in the Winter Olympics. In 2023 he won the Belgian National Sports Merit Award, the highest trophy for a sportsperson or team in Belgium.

Kim Gevaert

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1978-.. (age 48)
Occupations: athletics competitorsprinter
Biography: Kim Gevaert is a former sprinter and Olympic champion from Belgium.

Gwendolyn Rutten

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1975-.. (age 51)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Gwendolyn Angeline Albert Maria Rutten is a Belgian politician for Anders (formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats) who served as its chairwoman until March 22, 2020. On 11 January 2017 she resigned from the Flemish Parliament in order to prepare her party for the local election of 2018.

Koen Geens

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1958-.. (age 68)
Occupations: juristlawyeruniversity teacherpolitician
Biography: Koen Geens is a Belgian jurist and politician of the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) who served as the Minister of Justice and as Deputy Prime Minister in the governments of Prime Ministers Charles Michel and Sophie Wilmès.

Francesca Vanthielen

Years: 1972-.. (age 54)
Occupations: actoreconomist
Biography: Francesca Vanthielen is a Belgian television actress and host, radio presenter, and economist. She is probably best known internationally for playing the lead role in the Svalbard-set adventure film When the Light Comes (1998) and for hosting Sterren op de dansvloer (Dancing with the Stars) between 2005 and 2008. She has worked as a host on Radio TAM TAM (BRT), Q-music and Studio Brussel.

Rik Torfs

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1956-.. (age 70)
Occupations: juristuniversity teachercolumnistpolitician
Biography: Henri Maria Dymphna André Laurent "Rik" Torfs is a Belgian canon law scholar and media personality. He is a former Senator for the Christian Democratic and Flemish party in the Belgian Federal Parliament and a former Rector of the Catholic University of Leuven.

Wallace Loh

Born in: China
Years: 1945-.. (age 81)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: Studied in 1968-1968
Occupations: authoreducatoracademic administratoruniversity teacher
Biography: Wallace Dao-kui Loh is an American university administrator. He was the president of the University of Maryland, College Park, from 2010 until 2020.

Helga Stevens

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1968-.. (age 58)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Helga Stevens is a Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) and member of the European Parliament since 2014. She is well known for her work fighting for the rights of people with disabilities.

Augusta Chiwy

Born in: Burundi
Years: 1921-2015 (aged 94)
Occupations: nurse
Biography: Augusta Marie Chiwy was a Belgian nurse who was a volunteer during the Siege of Bastogne in 1944. She worked with the U.S. Army physician John Prior and with fellow Belgian nurse Renée Lemaire, treating injured soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge.

Bart Somers

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1964-.. (age 62)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Bartolomeus Jozef Lodewijk Rosalia "Bart" Somers is a Belgian, Flemish politician. He is currently the mayor of Mechelen.

Vincent Rijmen

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1970-.. (age 56)
Occupations: computer scientistcryptographeruniversity teachermathematician
Biography: Vincent Rijmen is a Belgian cryptographer and one of the two designers of the Rijndael, the Advanced Encryption Standard. Rijmen is also the co-designer of the WHIRLPOOL cryptographic hash function, and the block ciphers Anubis, KHAZAD, Square, NOEKEON and SHARK.

Pieter De Crem

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1962-.. (age 64)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Pieter Frans Norbert Jozef Raymond De Crem is a Belgian politician and member of Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V). He has been a Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives since 1995. He headed the CD&V fraction in the Chamber of Representatives from 2003 to 2007. From 1995 to 2025, he was the mayor of Aalter in East Flanders. In September 2025, Pieter De Crem was forced to resign following a finding that the city systematically discriminated against foreigners and people with migration background trying to settle in Aalster.

Liesbeth Homans

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1973-.. (age 53)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Liesbeth Homans is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to New Flemish Alliance. She was elected as a member of the Flemish Parliament in 2009 and as a member of the Belgian Senate in 2010. She has served as Minister-president of Flanders and Speaker of the Flemish Parliament since 2019.

Ercüment Tatlıoğlu

Born in: Turkey
Years: 1960-.. (age 66)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: Graduated with master's degree
Occupations: soldier
Biography: Ercüment Tatlıoğlu is a Turkish admiral who has been the 27th and current commander of the Turkish Naval Forces since 2022.

Wouter Beke

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1974-.. (age 52)
Occupations: politicianpolitical scientist
Biography: Wouter Beke is a Belgian politician and a member of the CD&V. He was reelected as a member of the Belgian Senate in 2007. In 2014 he became a member of the Belgian Federal House of Representatives and was reelected in 2019. In July 2019 he succeeded Kris Peeters as Federal Minister for Work, Economy and Consumer affairs. He left the Belgian Federal Government in October 2019 to become Minister for Welfare, Public health, Family and Poverty reduction in the Flemish Regional Jambon Government.

Caroline Gennez

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1975-.. (age 51)
Occupations: politicianpolitical scientist
Biography: Caroline Gennez is a Belgian socialist politician who served as the Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy in the De Croo Government from December 2022 until October 2024. She is a former chairwoman of the Socialist Party – Different (SP.A) in Flanders.

Marianne Thyssen

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1956-.. (age 70)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: Studied legal science
Occupations: politician
Biography: Marianne Leonie Petrus Thyssen is a Belgian politician of the Christian Democratic and Flemish Party (CD&V) who served as European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility between 2014 and 2019.

Pieter Abbeel

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1977-.. (age 49)
Occupations: professorartificial intelligence researcherentrepreneur
Biography: Pieter Abbeel is a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, Director of the Berkeley Robot Learning Lab, and co-director of the Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) Lab at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the co-founder of Covariant, a venture-funded start-up that aims to teach robots new, complex skills, and co-founder of Gradescope, an online grading system that has been implemented in over 500 universities across the United States. He is best known for his cutting-edge research in robotics and machine learning, particularly in deep reinforcement learning. In 2021, he joined AIX Ventures as an Investment Partner. AIX Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests in artificial intelligence startups.

Matthias Diependaele

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1979-.. (age 47)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Matthias Diependaele is a Belgian politician affiliated to the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) who is the current Minister-President of Flanders, having taken office in 2024. He additionally serves as the Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation en Industry, External Affairs, Digitalisation, and Facility Management.

Jinnih Beels

Born in: India
Years: 1976-.. (age 50)
Occupations: politicianpolice officer
Biography: Jinnih Beels is a Belgian politician and member of the Chamber of Representatives. A member of Vooruit, she has represented Antwerp since June 2024.

Abdollah Ramezanzadeh

Born in: Iran
Years: 1954-.. (age 72)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Abdollah Ramezanzadeh is an Iranian academic, writer and politician.

Bertus Aafjes

Born in: Netherlands
Years: 1914-1993 (aged 79)
Occupations: writerprose writerpoetjournalist
Biography: Lambertus Jacobus Johannes "Bertus" Aafjes was a Dutch poet noteworthy for his poems about resistance to German occupation during World War II.

Christian Van Thillo

Years: 1962-.. (age 64)
Occupations: businessperson
Biography: Christian Van Thillo is a Belgian businessman.

Joachim Coens

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1966-.. (age 60)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Joachim Coens is a Belgian politician and businessman who has served as the leader of Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams, a Christian democratic political party, since December 2019. Before politics, he had been managing director of the holding company for the Port de Bruges-Zeebruges.

Oliver Paasch

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1971-.. (age 55)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Oliver Paasch is a Belgian politician of the German-speaking Pro Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft party and the incumbent Minister-president of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.

Annick De Ridder

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1979-.. (age 47)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Annick De Ridder is a Belgian politician for the N-VA and a member of the Flemish Parliament.

Annemie Turtelboom

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1967-.. (age 59)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Annemie Turtelboom is a former Belgian minister, who served in the Federal Government of Belgium as a member of the Open VLD party, initially as minister for Asylum and Migration, and later Home Affairs and Justice. She has also served as minister of Finance, Budget and Energy in the Flemish Government. After leaving politics, she became the Belgian member of the European Court of Auditors, a position she has held since 2018.

Dan Zahavi

Born in: Denmark
Years: 1967-.. (age 59)
Occupations: university teacherphilosopher
Biography: Dan Zahavi is a Danish philosopher. He is professor of philosophy at the University of Copenhagen.

Paul De Grauwe

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1946-.. (age 80)
Occupations: economistuniversity teachercolumnistpolitician
Biography: Paul De Grauwe is a Belgian economist and John Paulson Professor in European Political Economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science as head of the European Institute. He is also professor emeritus in international economics at KU Leuven and former member of the Belgian Federal Parliament.

Thomas Leysen

Years: 1960-.. (age 66)
Occupations: directorbusinesspersonentrepreneur
Biography: Thomas Leysen is a Belgian entrepreneur who graduated from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven with a degree in law.

Kathleen Van Brempt

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1969-.. (age 57)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Kathleen Van Brempt is a Belgian social-democratic politician and member of Vooruit. She currently serves as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) as part of the Party of European Socialists and is leader of the local branch of her party in Antwerp.

Sven Gatz

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1967-.. (age 59)
Occupations: politicianzythologist
Biography: Sven Gatz is a Belgian politician for Anders (formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats) who served as the Brussels Minister of Finance, Budget, Civil Service and Multilingualism in the government of the Brussels-Capital Region from 2019 to 2025.

Lucas Van Looy

Born in: Germany
Years: 1941-.. (age 85)
Occupations: Catholic priestemeritus bishopCatholic bishoptheologian
Biography: Lucas Van Looy S.D.B. is a Belgian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Bishop of Ghent from 2004 to 2019. He worked as a missionary in South Korea for more than a decade and held leadership positions with the Salesians from 1984 to 2003.

Saskia De Coster

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1976-.. (age 50)
Occupations: columnistscreenwriterwriterediting stafflyricist
Biography: Saskia De Coster is a Belgian writer. She has published sixteen books as of 29 Jan 2022.

Paelabang Danapan

Years: 1953-.. (age 73)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Paelabang Danapan, also known as Sun Ta-chuan (Chinese: 孫大川; pinyin: Sūn Dàchuān), is a Taiwanese sinologist and politician. He had served as Minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples from 2009 to 2013 and Vice President of the Control Yuan from 2014 to 2020. Sun is a member of the Puyuma tribe in Taiwan, and is also a Roman Catholic.

Luc Sels

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1967-.. (age 59)
Occupations: authoreconomistsociologistuniversity teacher
Biography: Luc Sels is a Belgian sociologist who has served as the president of Leiden University since 1 November 2025. Previously, he served as rector of KU Leuven from August 2017 to August 2025.

Wu Rong-i

Years: 1939-.. (age 87)
Occupations: politicianeconomist
Biography: Wu Rong-i is a Taiwanese economist and politician who served as the vice premier of the Republic of China from 2005 to 2006. He also served as Chairman of Taiwania Capital Management Corporation, the investment arm of Taiwan.

Aster Berkhof

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1920-2020 (aged 100)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: 1938-1942 studied Germanic philology; In 1946 graduated with doctorate in philosophy
Occupations: writerchildren's writerjournalistuniversity teacher
Biography: Lodewijk Paulina Van Den Bergh, known as Lode Van Den Bergh, also using the pseudonyms Aster Berkhof and Piet Visser, was a Belgian writer.

Baoshu

Born in: China
Years: 1980-.. (age 46)
Occupations: science fiction writerwritertranslator
Biography: Li Jun, known by the pen name Baoshu (宝树), is a Chinese science fiction and fantasy writer. One of his books, Three Body X (published as The Redemption of Time in English), is an unofficial sequel to Death's End by Liu Cixin. Baoshu received his Master of Philosophy at Peking University, and a second master after studying at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 2012 he became a full-time science fiction writer.

Tomás Moulian

Born in: Chile
Years: 1939-.. (age 87)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: 1963-1965 studied social science
Occupations: university teacherwriterhistorianpolitical scientistsociologist
Biography: Tomás Moulian Emparanza is a Chilean political scientist and sociologist. A Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the National Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences, he is known for being a critic of the socio-economic structure of his country after the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Steven Vanackere

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1964-.. (age 62)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Steven Vanackere is a Belgian politician from Flanders and member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V). He held the portfolios of Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Institutional Reform in the Leterme II government. He is the son of Leo Vanackere, who, following a political career as a Member of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate of Belgium, became the Provincial Governor of West Flanders in 1979. His grandfather, Remi Wallays, had also been a senator and had been a former Mayor of Wevelgem.

Gent Cakaj

Born in: Serbia
Years: 1990-.. (age 36)
Occupations: civil servant
Biography: Gent Cakaj is a Kosovo-born Albanian politician, who served as the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania from 2019–2020.

Jo Vandeurzen

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1958-.. (age 68)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Johan Maria Gerardus Vandeurzen is a Belgian politician, member of Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V), a centrist Flemish Christian Democratic party.

Paul van Tigchelt

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1973-.. (age 53)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: Studied jurisprudence
Occupations: politician
Biography: Paul Van Tigchelt is a Belgian politician from Open VLD who served as the Federal Minister of Justice and the North Sea in the government of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo from 22 October 2023 to 3 February 2025.

Bambang Subianto

Born in: Indonesia
Years: 1948-2022 (aged 74)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: In 1981 graduated with Master of Business Administration; In 1984 graduated with Doctor
Occupations: lecturerresearchereconomist
Biography: Bambang Subianto was an Indonesian academic and technocrat who served as Minister of Finance from 1998 to 1999. Before assuming the post of finance minister, Bambang worked in the Department of Finance for about a decade.

Anicetus Bongsu Antonius Sinaga

Born in: Indonesia
Years: 1941-2020 (aged 79)
Occupations: Catholic priestCatholic bishop
Biography: Anicetus Bongsu Antonius Sinaga, OFM Cap was the Indonesian Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Sibolga and then Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Medan from 2009 to 2018.

Geert van Istendael

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1947-.. (age 79)
Occupations: poetcolumnistwritertranslatorjournalist
Biography: Geert van Istendael is the pseudonym of Geert Maria Mauritius Julianus Vanistendael, a Belgian writer, poet and essayist. He studied sociology and philosophy at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. From 1987 until 1993, he worked as a journalist for the Belgian National Television and since 1993 he became a full-time writer. He is a brother of Frans Vanistendael. He is a supporter of Orangism and a Pan-Netherlands.

Ingrid Robeyns

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1972-.. (age 54)
Occupations: economistphilosopheruniversity teacherwomen's rights activist
Biography: Ingrid A. M. Robeyns is a Belgian/Dutch philosopher who holds the Chair in Ethics of Institutions at Utrecht University's Faculty of Humanities and the associated Ethics Institute. She is also a fellow of the Human Development and Capability Association and was elected the association's eighth president in April 2017. She is an advocate of economic limitarianism.

Hans Kluge

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1968-.. (age 58)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: Studied medicine
Occupations: physician
Biography: Hans Henri Marcel Paul Kluge is a Belgian medical doctor and public health expert. As of 1 February 2020, he served as the World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe after being nominated in September 2019 by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe.

Luc Van den Brande

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1945-.. (age 81)
Occupations: university teacherlawyerpolitician
Biography: Luc Van den Brande is a Flemish politician, member of the CD&V and was Minister-president of Flanders from 21 January 1992 until 13 July 1999. He took the initiative to create the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB). On 6 February 2008 he became President of the European Union's Committee of the Regions for a period of two years.

Marnix Gijsen

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1899-1984 (aged 85)
Occupations: actorpoetwriterperforming artistdancer
Biography: Marnix Gijsen was a Belgian writer. His real name was Joannes Alphonsius Albertus Goris; his pseudonym relates to Marnix van Sint Aldegonde and the surname of his mother (Gijsen).

Patricia De Martelaere

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1957-2009 (aged 52)
Occupations: translatorphilosopheruniversity teacherwriter
Biography: Patricia De Martelaere was a Flemish philosopher, professor, author and essayist. Born in Zottegem, Belgium, her full name was Patricia Marie Madeleine Godelieve. She graduated in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven and then taught and lectured there and at the Catholic University of Brussels.

Rudy Aernoudt

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1960-.. (age 66)
Occupations: authoreconomistuniversity teacherpolitician
Biography: Rudy Aernoudt is a Belgian professor, writer, politician, economist and philosopher, born in Torhout. He was many times Chief of staff of the Ministers of economy and innovation both in Flanders and in Wallonia, of the Belgian Minister of economics and scientific policy and of the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Henri Malosse. He is the only person to serve as Head of Cabinet at the European, Belgian, Walloon and Flemish levels. He is professor of corporate finance at the Universities of Ghent and Nancy and Professor of Economics, Monetary and Geopolitical Environment for the International Executive MBA, a joint venture of HEC Paris and UCLouvain.

Anne Provoost

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1964-.. (age 62)
Occupations: writerchildren's writernovelistessayist
Biography: Anne Provoost is a Flemish author.

Johan Sauwens

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1951-.. (age 75)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Johan Sauwens is a Belgian politician from the province of Limburg.

Louis-Philippe Loncke

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1977-.. (age 49)
Occupations: explorerlecturerengineer
Biography: Louis-Philippe Loncke is a Belgian explorer, adventurer and motivational speaker. In 2008, he achieved the world first crossing on foot of the length of the Simpson Desert, which was a North to South traverse passing through its geographical center. In 2018, he traversed Tasmania during the austral winter without resupplies and was nicknamed the Mad Belgian by some Australians.

Renaat Landuyt

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1959-.. (age 67)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Renaat Julien Landuyt is a Belgian socialist politician. He was a member of the former sp.a, now Vooruit.

Nathalie Muylle

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1969-.. (age 57)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Nathalie Muylle is a Belgian politician serving as a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2004. From 2019 to 2020, she served as minister of labour, economy and consumer affairs.

Rudi Pauwels

Years: 1960-.. (age 66)
Occupations: pharmacologist
Biography: Rudi Pauwels is a Belgian pharmacologist and biotech entrepreneur.

Yasmine Kherbache

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1972-.. (age 54)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Yasmine Kherbache is a Belgian lawyer and politician who has been serving as a judge of the Constitutional Court since 2019. From June to December 2019, she was a member of the Chamber of Representatives. From 2014 to 2019, she was a member of the Flemish Parliament.

Bashar Warda

Born in: Iraq
Years: 1969-.. (age 57)
Occupations: university teacherCatholic bishopCatholic priest
Biography: Bashar Matti Warda is an Iraqi Chaldean Catholic cleric and the current Archbishop of Erbil (in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq).

Cieltje Van Achter

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1979-.. (age 47)
Occupations: lawyerpolitician
Biography: Cieltje Van Achter is a Belgian lawyer and politician and a member of the New Flemish Alliance party.

Wouter Van Besien

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1971-.. (age 55)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Wouter Van Besien is a Belgian politician. From 25 October 2009 until 15 November 2014, he was the chairman of the ecologist party Groen.

Shelton Fabre

Born in: United States
Years: 1963-.. (age 63)
Occupations: Catholic priestCatholic bishop
Biography: Shelton Joseph Fabre is an American Catholic prelate who has served as archbishop of Louisville in Kentucky since 2022. He previously served as bishop of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana from 2013 to 2022 and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana from 2007 to 2013.

Jaak Gabriëls

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1943-2024 (aged 81)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Petrus Josephus Jacobus Gabriëls was a Belgian politician and member of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) (Dutch: Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD). He graduated in 1965 at the Catholic University of Leuven as Master of Philosophy and Arts. He started his political career as a Provincial Councillor for Limburg from 1974 to 1977. From 1977 till the last day of December 2012 he was the Mayor of Bree, and from 1977 he was Member of the Chamber of Representatives. From 1995 to 1999 he was a Member of the Flemish Parliament.

Jeremie Vaneeckhout

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1985-.. (age 41)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Jeremie Vaneeckhout is a Belgian politician and co-president of Groen together with Nadia Naji.

Lodewijk Aerts

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1959-.. (age 67)
Occupations: theologianCatholic bishopCatholic priest
Biography: Lode Aerts, identified also as Lodewijk Aerts, is a Belgian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Bishop of Bruges since December 2016.

H. Narayan Murthy

Born in: India
Years: 1924-2011 (aged 87)
Occupations: psychologist
Biography: Hosur Narayan Murthy was an Indian clinical psychologist, writer, philosopher, Sanskrit scholar and teacher who headed the department of clinical psychology at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) at Bangalore. He was born in the city of Bangalore in 1924 to Brahmin parents Hosur Ramaswamaiah Subba Rao and smt Rajamma. Murthy's father was an official at "Iron and Steel Plant" at Bhadravathi town in Karnataka.

Eva Brems

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1969-.. (age 57)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: Graduated with doctorate
Occupations: university teacherpoliticianjuristhuman rights defenderpolitical activist
Biography: Eva Brems is a Belgian university professor, human rights defender and politician. She is a senior lecturer in human rights and non-Western law at Ghent University. Besides her academic engagements, Brems has also been politically active. From 2006 until 2010, she was the president of the Flemish division of Amnesty International. In the spring of 2010 she announced her candidacy in the 2010 Belgian general election for the Chamber of Representatives. She now represents the constituency of Leuven for the environmentalist party Groen.

Lode Van Hecke

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1950-.. (age 76)
Occupations: Catholic priestCatholic bishop
Biography: Lode Van Hecke OCSO is a Belgian Catholic prelate who was Bishop of Ghent from 2019 to 2025. He was abbot of Orval Abbey from 2007 to November 2019. A monk since 1976, he is the only Trappist ever to be appointed bishop of a Belgian diocese.

René Stockman

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1954-.. (age 72)
Occupations: physiciannursephilosopher
Biography: Brother Dr. René P. E. Stockman, F.C. is the Superior General of the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity from 2000 to 2024. He is a Belgian specialist in psychiatric caregiving.

Francis Campbell

Born in: United Kingdom
Years: 1970-.. (age 56)
Occupations: diplomat
Biography: Francis Martin-Xavier Campbell is a British diplomat and academic. Since January 2020, he has been the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia. From 2014 to 2020, he was the Vice-Chancellor of St Mary's University, Twickenham. From 2005 to 2011, he was the British Ambassador to the Holy See. He is an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge.

Edward Braxton

Born in: United States
Years: 1944-.. (age 82)
Occupations: Catholic priestCatholic bishop
Biography: Edward Kenneth Braxton is an American Catholic prelate who served Bishop of Belleville from 2005 to 2020. Braxton previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 1995 to 2000 and Bishop of Lake Charles from 2000 to 2005.

Peter Van Rompuy

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1980-.. (age 46)
Occupations: politician
Biography: Peter Van Rompuy is a Belgian politician. He is the leader of the CD&V in the Flemish Parliament. On February 6, 2019, he became group leader of the CD&V in the Flemish Parliament, following the appointment of Koen Van den Heuvel to the Flemish government.

David Ricken

Born in: United States
Years: 1952-.. (age 74)
Occupations: Catholic priestCatholic bishop
Biography: David Laurin Ricken is an American Catholic prelate who has served as the Bishop of Green Bay since 2008. He previously served as Bishop of Cheyenne from 1999 to 2008.

Mark Coeckelbergh

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1975-.. (age 51)
Occupations: philosopher
Biography: Mark Coeckelbergh is a Belgian philosopher of technology. He is Professor of Philosophy of Media and Technology at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Vienna. He currently holds the ERA Chair at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and is Guest Professor at WASP-HS and University of Uppsala.

Thomas Blondeau

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1978-2013 (aged 35)
Occupations: poetwriterjournalist
Biography: Thomas Blondeau was a Flemish writer, poet and journalist. He studied literature at the University of Leuven and the University of Leiden. He wrote for newspapers including Mare, Deng, De Revisor, De Standaard and Dif.

Frank Verstraete

Born in: Belgium
Years: 1972-.. (age 54)
Enrolled in the Catholic University of Leuven: 1998-2002 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
Occupations: theoretical physicistengineerphysicist
Biography: Frank Verstraete is a Belgian quantum physicist who is the Leigh Trapnell Professor of Quantum Physics at the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Cambridge and professor at the Faculty of Physics of Ghent University. He has worked on the interface between quantum information theory and quantum many-body physics and was an early proponent of the use of tensor networks and entanglement theory in quantum many body systems.