Board

The Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team is supervised by a Board of Directors. The Board consists of seven members who are tasked with the overall guidance of the team, both on a technical and strategic level. The Board's Chairman is Dutch businessman and top manager Mr. Bessel Kok, with Belgian cycling legend Mr. Eddy Merckx acting as Vice Chairman. Mr. Patrick Lefevere, the team's CEO, has a strategic role within the Board, acting as the primary liaison to the Pro Cycling Team.

The other members of the Board are Mr. Hans-Joerg Rudloff (Chairman of Barclays Capital Bank), Mr. Derk Sauer (International Media Tycoon), Mr. Frans De Cock (ex CEO Unilin) and Mr. Auret Van Zyl (Secretary General). This group, which represents an impressive depth of experience in a wide range of fields, is now the driving force behind a number of new activities and projects being implemented within the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team.

kok Bessel Kok
Chairman
Merckx Eddy Merckx
Vice Chairman
van Zyl Auret van Zyl
Secretary-General
Rudloff Hans-Joerg Rudloff
Member
Sauer Derk Sauer
Member
De Cock Frans De Cock
Member
Lefevere Patrick Lefevere
Member / CEO

Zdenek Bakala

BAKALA Zdenek Bakala
Owner

Mr. Zdenek Bakala has owned the Team since 2011. Mr. Bakala is a Czech-born businessman and financier who co-founded BXR, a diversified investment group with a global portfolio of assets covering coal, iron ore, transport and logistics, financial services, commercial and residential property, green energy, furniture, healthcare, publishing and retail. See also www.bxrgroup.com

Mr. Bakala’s philanthropy includes the creation in 2007 and endowment of the Nadace Zdenka Bakaly (Zdenek Bakala Foundation), which provides scholarships to Czech students studying abroad, and has provided support for other educational charities, including the PORG school in Ostrava. In 2010 he and his wife created the Fondation Zdenek et Michaela Bakala, which provides scholarships and supports human rights causes such as the Aspen Institute and the Vaclav Havel Presidential Library.

“ I've always been a fan of professional cycling, and I remember watching Eddy Merckx win races and break all the records! So when this opportunity emerged, I took a closer look and felt that it had all the basic ingredients - good infrastructure, good stable of professional riders, a loyal fan base and a good manager in Patrick. The team just needed some resources and stability, which is what we were able to provide, so that it could concentrate on winning bicycle races and moving up the world rankings and into the top three. „

Mr. Zdenek Bakala