Grant Thornton Belgium has acquired the 15 advisors that make up Alongsight’s customs and trade compliance team.
“If I told you everything we went through over the last two and a half years, you could easily turn it into a Netflix series: suspense, ups and downs, as well as a few plot twists nobody saw coming,” managing partner Jochen Vankerckhoven reflects on building Alongsight’s reputable customs and trade compliance practice.
At the end of 2025, the company started preparing for the next stage: professionalising its internal operations and internationalising its reach. “At the same time, Leslie Van den Branden was looking to add customs and trade compliance to Grant Thornton Belgium’s offering, to support clients on their international trade agenda,” Jochen reveals.
The opportunity appealed to Jochen, Amaury Geernaert and Kristof Van Ael. “It inevitably feels strange to let go of something we have built with so much energy in such a short period of time,” Kristof admits.
“At the same time, the opportunity ahead is one that strongly appeals to both the consultant and the entrepreneur in me.”
Jochen notes that, from the very first conversation with Leslie, it was clear that the two teams wanted to build the same thing.
“Alongsight has established itself as one of Belgium’s leading specialist customs and trade compliance consultancies, with an exceptional team of experts advising multinational companies and SMEs. This acquisition significantly strengthens our offering in Belgium and provides a great opportunity to make these capabilities available internationally,” echoes Leslie.
Season two, featuring Grant Thornton Belgium
The acquisition by Grant Thornton Belgium kicks off a “new season” for the specialist team, building on the working relationship they established during “season one”, titled ‘Being big in a small field’. “The title of this new chapter is yet to be written,” Jochen shares.
Jochen and Kristof Van Ael will head up the customs and trade compliance practice within Grant Thornton Belgium, while Alongsight continues independently under the leadership of Maxime Vermeesch and Wouter Strijckers, focusing on R&D tax and transfer pricing advisory. “Together with Jochen, Amaury and our fantastic team, I look forward to combining the specialist expertise and pragmatic mindset that brought us this far with Grant Thornton’s multidisciplinary capabilities and international reach,” adds Kristof.
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He explains that tariff volatility, sanctions, export controls and sustainability-related border regulations are fundamentally reshaping international trade. “As a result, customs and trade compliance has become a strategic issue that increasingly belongs in the boardroom.”
Alongsight’s specialist team addresses that shift by offering end-to-end advice and services – from tariff classification, valuation, origin, special procedures and Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) authorisations to sanctions screening, export controls, internal compliance programmes, dual-use classification and licensing. Not to mention the newest EU frameworks, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), as well as fluorinated greenhouse gas (F-gas) obligations.
Following the integration of the teams, clients will gain access to Grant Thornton’s broader capabilities in Belgium (including tax, legal, accountancy, audit and advisory), its specialist teams spanning more than 20 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, as well as the wider international network reaching over 150 markets.
“The Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform is growing fast, and I’m looking forward to helping put customs and trade compliance firmly on the agenda across that network,” Jochen says.
