Alides has appointed Alexandre Huyghe as its next chief executive officer, marking a return to family leadership for the Ghent-based real estate investor. The company, which is backed by the Maes family, confirmed that Huyghe will take over on January 1, 2027, succeeding Rikkert Leeman. Leeman is departing to join Immobel, a move he announced earlier this year. Until the official transition date, CFO Henk Cardon will serve as CEO ad interim to ensure that daily operations and ongoing projects proceed without disruption.
Alexandre Huyghe is not a stranger to the organization; he currently serves on the board and brings significant executive experience from his previous roles at Quares and Re-Vive. In a statement, Huyghe emphasized his connection to the firm, calling it “more than a company to me – it is the story of our family.” He expressed his intention to build on the foundations laid in recent years while guiding the company’s growth in Belgium and Poland.
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Chairman Paul Depuydt highlighted that the leadership change represents a balance between continuity and renewal. He noted that Huyghe knows the company from the inside and brings a strong track record in the sector. The board is also expanding its membership to support the next phase of growth. Alex De Witte, a lawyer with CEO experience at Pylos Benelux and Baltisse Real Estate, will join the board on August 31, 2026. Depuydt specifically thanked Leeman for his dedication to the firm.
Alides is signaling a shift in its geographic focus with this leadership update. The company currently operates solely in Belgium and Poland, but its strategy now explicitly includes Luxembourg. This addition to the market trio places Alides alongside competitors like Baltisse and Pylos in a region that has recently seen increasing cross-border capital inflows. The company is still in the early stages of establishing a presence in Luxembourg, but the move is viewed as a significant step in its expansion plans.
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The timing of these changes follows a strong financial performance in 2025. Alides reported an EBITDA of €32 million for that year and expects further momentum in 2026 from the sale of its stake in the Stocznia Cesarska project in Gdańsk. The company is maintaining its focus on real estate upcycling and is expanding its operations in Poland through Alides Polska. This entity has been active since 2016 and is developing residential, office, and mixed-use projects in Gdańsk, Sopot, and Warsaw.
Investors should note that the company’s current pipeline remains intact. Alides is not pausing any of its existing partnerships or construction efforts during the leadership transition. The firm is positioning itself for a period of growth that relies on both the experience of its new CEO and the operational stability provided by the interim management team. The shift into Luxembourg, while early, adds a new variable to the competitive setting of the Benelux market.