Philippe De Backer

Philippe De Backer (London) joined KKR in 2024 as Managing Director, EMEA Public and Corporate Affairs. He brings a combination of senior political leadership and private-sector advisory experience. From 2011 to 2016, Mr. De Backer served as a Member of the European Parliament, where he was a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, as well as the committees on Transport and on Industry, Research and Energy. In 2016, he joined the Belgian federal government, first as State Secretary and later as Minister for Telecommunications and Postal Services, Digital Agenda and North Sea. In 2020, Mr. De Backer led Belgium’s national COVID-19 Taskforce, overseeing hospital supply chains and national testing capacity during the pandemic. Following his departure from government, he advised leading strategic consulting firms, private equity funds and life sciences venture capital investors on crisis management, strategic transformation and life science investment. Mr. De Backer holds a PhD in Biotechnology from Ghent University and an MBA from Solvay Business School.