Dr Léopold Demiddeleer has a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Brussels University (ULB) and is currently executive VP and co-chairman of the New Business Board of SOLVAY, a Belgian chemical group with a global reach. Having started his career in 1976 by teaching mathematics and physics, he joined the SOLVAY company in 1981. Starting in catalyst research, he successively led different R&D entities of the group - polyethylene, high performance materials, global polyolefin’s research before being appointed New Business Development Director in 2000. He is currently President of the EIRMA Board (European Industrial Research Management Association) and sits at the Advisory Board of 2 Venture Funds (Pangaea Ventures - Vancouver and Conduit Ventures Ltd, UK). He is also involved in academic strategic committees at Georgia Tec (Atlanta, USA) and CEA (Grenoble, France).

Appointed as Member of Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique since 2009.