First Life Achievement Award from FIT

On Tuesday 16 April 2013 Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters awarded Tom Heyman the first Lifetime Achievement Award from Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT), the independent Flemish agency responsible for helping companies with their worldwide exports and the attraction of foreign investment. The parent company Johnson & Johnson was awarded this distinction because of its decades of trust and consistent investment policy in Flanders and Belgium.
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) employs some 5,000 people in Belgium and each year invests more than a billion euros in research and development. The company also plays an important part in Belgian employment and the economy. Janssen is the largest private investor in research and development in the country.
The Life Achievement Award from FIT underlines the importance of foreign investment in the Belgian economy.
The Life Achievement Award from FIT underlines the importance of foreign investment in the Belgian economy. FIT hails J&J as a role model for domestic and foreign investments. It also praised J&J's focus in the areas of innovation and growth. “J&J is one of the most important players in the Pharma & Life Sciences industry in Belgium”, according to the FIT. Due in part to the investment strategy of J&J, Flanders has become an important center of attraction for biotech companies. It has also been able to attract a great deal of risk capital for sustainable investments.