Pieter Verhelst was born in 1978. Following his studies in commercial engineering at KU Leuven, he undertook additional training in rural development at UGent. After his studies, he embarked on his professional career as a PhD student and assistant at the Department of Agricultural Economy at the UGent faculty of Bioengineering. Pieter joined the Boerenbond in 2008, first as a European and international policy advisor, then as a member of the Board of Directors. He manages his dossiers from a macroeconomic perspective, adopting a European, international and chain-based approach with an emphasis on fostering partnerships. On behalf of the Boerenbond, he assumes several additional representations and directorships in line with these dossiers, such as Secretary for the Belgian Agro Food Chain Initiative.