On the initiative of the magazine Humo, a group of well-known figures from different horizons – politics, culture, media, etc. – got together to answer the question: "Who are the most influential Belgians in the world?" A 50-person ranking was just published, and topping the list is none other than Peter Piot.
© Imperial College London/Tom Whipps
A medical doctor specialised in microbiology, Peter Piot currently heads up the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. A pioneer in the areas of Ebola and AIDS research, he is the former Executive Director of UNAIDS (1995-2008). He is also a prominent author, with 500 academic articles and 17 books under his belt.
Just behind Piot is Eden Hazard, captain of Belgian’s national football team. In third place is Ivo Van Hove, a stage director who has received a number of international awards for his work. Recently, Van Hove was the director for David Bowie’s 2015 music video "Lazarus". The mathematician Ingrid Daubechies, the first woman in this ranking, fills in the fourth spot.
Different well-known figures from the world of culture fill in the remaining spots in the top 10: the painter Luc Tuymans comes in seventh, followed by fashion designer Raf Simons (8th) and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (9th). The singer-songwriter and producer Stromae rounds up the top ten in 10th place.
While the current prime minister does not appear in the ranking, Foreign Affairs Minister Didier Reynders does make an appearance in the 37th spot.
