Work experience:

Deputy Secretary General of G.D.A. (GROUPEMENT DES DISTRIBUTEURS ET AGENTS DE MARQUES AUTOMOBILES ASBL, member of FEDERAUTO ASBL) since March 1, 2004, Bernard Lycke became General Secretary during the June 2004 annual General Meeting. This function consists in the external representation of the federation, preparing and following up various institutions’ decisions (board of directors, management committee, distribution, agents and approved repairers’ committees, industrial vehicles, legal and Europe, marketing and image committees, body repair and after-sales, G.D.A.-FEBIAC committees). This job is a legal and lobbying one with among others the follow-up of the dealers’ associations’ and CECRA’s activities (European Council for Motor Trades and Repairs) but also includes the follow-up of all the member files (there are 2,000 members in G.D.A., all either dealers or authorized repairers of one or several car or truck makes).

Since 2005, he is also Manager of the 16 autonomous Federations within FEDERAUTO (Confederation of Automotive Trade and Repair and Related Sectors). He is responsible for a team of 8 people composed of the General Secretaries of the other federations affiliated to FEDERAUTO and the secretaries. He is member of FEDERAUTO’s Management Team that consists of persons in charge of the five departments.

In the area of car distribution, he is a member of the E.D.L. network (European Distribution Lawyers), an international association of lawyers and representatives of professional federations active in the car industry.

Education

• June 2002 : "Troisième cycle en gestion", CEPAC, Solvay Business School, Brussels.
• June 1991 : Certificate of International Law ("Getuigschrift in Internationaal Recht"), Leiden, Netherlands. Grade : distinction. June 1990 : "Candidature et licence en Droit" at "Université Catholique de Louvain", Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium. Grade : distinction.

Languages:

• Mother tongue : French.
• Foreign languages : English & Dutch.