Victory. Glory. Prestige.

In December 2025, Van Genechten Packaging was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year. Our first blog looked back at where it all began — Turnhout, 1834, two young entrepreneurs with a shared vision and 7,000 francs each. This chapter picks up where that story left off.

What happened in between shaped everything.

From Pioneer to Protector

For more than 185 years, Van Genechten Packaging built its reputation through entrepreneurship, innovation and ambition. From international recognition and World Fair medals to expansion across Europe, the company continuously evolved to meet changing customer needs and market expectations.

By the end of the 2010s, competition was intensifying, customer expectations were rising, and innovation cycles were accelerating.

VGP faced a fundamental question: how do you continue to grow when protecting what has been built gradually starts to outweigh creating what comes next?

The answer was not to abandon the company's heritage. It was to rediscover the entrepreneurial spirit that had driven Van Genechten Packaging forward for generations.

From Protector to Challenger

In 2019, VGP's shareholders made a pivotal decision. They appointed Frank Ohle as CEO with a clear mandate: strengthen competitiveness, accelerate growth and reignite the entrepreneurial spirit that had always been part of the company's DNA.

In early 2020, Frank took the stage and presented a bold vision for the future. The strategy became known as VGP500.

The objective was clear: double turnover to €500 million, strengthen VGP's market position and unlock the full potential of the organisation and its people.

At the heart of the strategy was a simple belief: if you want to compete with the industry's largest players, you need to think differently.

VGP embraced a challenger mindset.

Faster in decision-making. Closer to customers. Stronger in execution.

As Frank put it:

To achieve great things, we must be willing to take more risks. No one in our industry is waiting for us. Therefore, we must be more ambitious, more agile and more effective than our competitors. We must cultivate a challenger mindset."

The line had been drawn. And VGP was ready to cross it. At VGP, that challenger mindset has a name: GRIT. The discipline to focus on what matters, and the drive to outperform when it counts." 

The results followed

A challenger mindset only matters if it delivers results.

Over the years that followed, VGP transformed from a respected European packaging company into one of the industry's strongest performers.

The results followed. Not just in performance, but in culture, speed and creative output.

Still the most important change was cultural. Teams were empowered to take ownership. Decisions were made faster. Customer focus intensified.

VGP was no longer focused on protecting what had been built. It was focused on creating what comes next.

Recognition earned

In December 2025, the transformation received its ultimate recognition. Van Genechten Packaging was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025.

The award recognised far more than financial performance. It acknowledged a company that had successfully reinvented itself while remaining true to its entrepreneurial roots.

As jury chair Michèle Sioen explained:

The winner stands out through its leading European position in a competitive sector, with loyal top brands as customers and strong, profitable growth. An ambitious vision, grounded in operational excellence and driven by market-led innovation, customer focus and total solutions — creating lasting value. A worthy ambassador for entrepreneurship."

Yet success was never the result of one individual.

The award belongs to every employee, customer, partner and shareholder who contributed to the journey.

Because lasting success is always a team effort.

Victory. Glory. Prestige.

To mark this milestone, VGP created a limited-edition celebration pack and shared it with the CEO of every former Entrepreneur of the Year laureate in Belgium.

Three words appear on the pack.

Victory. Glory. Prestige.

Not chosen lightly. They carry the weight of what it took to get here.

As the Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 laureate, VGP is honoured to become part of a remarkable community of Belgian entrepreneurs and business leaders.

The celebration pack itself reflects the values that helped shape this achievement. Produced using advanced Cold Foil technology and sustainable finishing techniques, it combines creativity, craftsmanship and responsibility in one premium experience.

A tribute to the journey so far. And to everything that still lies ahead.

The story continues

In May 2026, VGP had the honour of representing Belgium at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year in Monaco.

A proud moment for a company founded in Turnhout in 1834.

Yet entrepreneurship is never about standing still.

And the next chapter is already being written.