François Narmon was best known in the financial world. After completing his studies as a commercial engineer, he joined Gemeentekrediet in 1957, a Belgian bank originally founded to fund municipalities. He steadily climbed up the ladder, becoming chairman in 1979. Under his lead, Gemeentekrediet expanded internationally, and eventually merged with the French Crédit Local to form Dexia. He remained chairman of the Dexia group until his retirement in 2005. Besides his activities for Gemeentekrediet, he was a part-time professor at two Brussels universities, teaching accounting. His activities in the sports world started at football club Racing Jet de Bruxelles, where he was on the board, and eventually chairman of the board. At the request of Raoul Mollet, Narmon joined the the Belgian NOC in 1974, becoming treasurer in 1976. He was elected president in 1998. In 2002, he was also elected into the IOC, but had to resign both positions upon reaching the age of 70 in 2004.
Belgium