Marquis Who's Who Honors Francois M. de Visscher for Decades-Long Work in Family Business Advisory and Diplomacy

Marquis Who's Who is honoring Francois M. de Visscher for building a career in family business advisory, capital structuring and diplomacy that has spanned more than four decades. Throughout his professional life, Mr. de Visscher has developed specialized financial strategies for a large number of family-owned enterprises and private investment offices across the globe. Alongside his commercial practice, he has also engaged in long-standing civic leadership and diplomatic services. Originally from Belgium, Mr. de Visscher earned a Bachelor of Science in applied economics from the Catholic University of Louvain in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, in 1975. He moved to the United States the following year to pursue graduate studies at Rutgers University-Newark in Newark, New Jersey, where he completed a Master of Business Administration in accounting and finance in 1977. He earned a certified public accountant designation that same year. Mr. de Visscher launched his career at Coopers & Lybrand, where he worked from 1977 to 1980. He subsequently joined Smith Barney and focused on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions. After becoming a partner in 1985, he founded the firm's Family Business Group to advise family-owned enterprises on capital planning, liquidity and governance. In 1990, he established de Visscher Advisors, where he served as the founder and president. Over the past 35 years, the practice has advised more than 400 family businesses and family offices worldwide. In 2000, Mr. de Visscher founded Family Capital Growth Partners, a private equity fund he managed until 2008. He later co-founded Family Capital Partners, which grew into Family Office Direct Investment Services (FODIS), where he has served as the executive chair since 2018. His corporate financial experience also includes 25 years on the board of directors of his family's Belgian enterprise, Bekaert, from 1990 to 2015. He also served as chairman of Olympia Chimney Supply from 2008 to 2012, and is currently serving on the boards of several family enterprises, including Microboard in Seymour, Connecticut, UltraPure Inc. in Darien, Connecticut, and others. Mr. de Visscher has served as the honorary consul of Belgium in Connecticut since 2003 and as chairman of the Society of Friends of Belgium in America since 2008. In 1995, he co-authored the book "Financing Transitions: Managing Capital and Liquidity in the Family Business," a text that has since been translated into four languages. He has also contributed articles to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Tharawat Magazine. Mr. de Visscher credits his success to his belief in private family ownership, his careful understanding of accounting before entering finance and his 'listen before you talk' philosophy. His fiduciary responsibility and goal of developing the next generation of advisers are among his top priorities. "That's really something that I've been a champion for many, many years, which is families investing in families," he says. In 2002, the Family Firm Institute awarded Mr. de Visscher the Richard Beckhard Practice Award, and he later served as the organization's president. For his 25 years of diplomatic and commercial service, King Philippe of Belgium conferred upon him the honor of Knight of the Crown. Today, Mr. de Visscher is based in Stamford, Connecticut, and is affiliated with or leads several civic and social organizations, including The University Club, The Links Club, Pawling Mountain Club, Mirasol Country Club, Westchester Country Club and Club Colette. He continues to help other professionals develop their skills and has established the de Visscher Award, which is presented annually to young consultants entering the family business field. In his free time, his personal interests include golfing.