Vitis Regulatory SRL 10th Anniversary
Cinquantenaire park in what is now the European Quarter of Brussels was built in 1880 to mark the 50th anniversary of Belgium's independence. In a road close by to that park in a lovely ‘fin de siècle’ townhouse that is now offices, is the office of Vitis Regulatory SRL which celebrates its 10th anniversary on the 1st of January 2026.
Our idea in 2015 was to set up a ‘sister’ business to our UK business, which then, as now, worked on supporting clients in the chemical industries with all aspects of compliance with REACH and other regulations relating to the marketing and use of chemicals in Europe.
Our focus was to maintain close contact with our clients and organisations based in Brussels, since Brussels is the centre of administration in Europe and a base for number of trade organisations, as well as the European Commission and the European Parliament.
The company grew from initially a few secondees from the UK to eight people from various member states of the EU including Romania, Germany, France, Austria, The Netherlands and of course Belgium, with support from UK managers making regular visits from the UK. This being augmented by the presence of an experienced part-time manager in Brussels keeping a close eye on the business as it developed. Around 20 people from Vitis have worked at or been closely associated with the company over the last decade and I continue to be the General Manager (‘Administrateur’) of the company.
From initially being a base to reach out to clients and contacts in Brussels, the company became more focused on supporting technical work and working hand in hand with colleagues in the UK to support our clients with the ever-expanding technical and scientific demands of the REACH Regulation. With the end of the Brexit transition period in 2020 the Brussels company became an increasingly important part of the business and maintained the EU base of Vitis Regulatory allowing uninterrupted service to our EU based clients. As a manager of the Belgian company but a UK citizen, for me, it was a steep learning curve in terms of understanding the different rules and regulations in Belgium as compared to the UK, as well as the differences in customs and expectations of workers in mainland Europe. I was however well supported by our local team and learned a lot. We grew a tight-knit and close team in our Brussels office, who had very much their own identity and character, but also worked on project teams across the group and there was no distinction in project teams based on location.
In a small group of workers some changes can have big effects and although over the years we had leavers and joiners, and always a vibrant workforce added to by the hosting of intern students doing interesting projects with us, a change in the tax benefits for ex-pat workers in 2022/3 made a large difference to the finances of the company and unfortunately we had a reduction in the workforce in Brussels at that time. Nevertheless, we expanded our European footprint opening a German subsidiary in 2022 with three people based in our German company (Vitis Regulatory GmbH). Today the business in Belgium remains a key part of the Vitis Regulatory group. The current work force is smaller than it had been historically, but we are building that to a level that fits with the overall strategy and direction of Vitis Regulatory, maintaining a strong and vital presence in Europe and continuing the close links between the UK and the EU.
In the decade since the opening of the Belgian business - celebrated at a famous steak restaurant in Brussels - many things have changed: the UK left the EU, the political focus of many European countries has shifted, the Covid pandemic changed the way we work, many of the people we worked closely with in Brussels have moved back to the EU countries they were originally from, the Eurostar no longer stops at Ashford or Ebbsfleet in Kent UK (bring it back Eurostar please!) and I no longer eat steak.
The UK directors of Vitis made a management buyout in 2020 and we changed the name of the company to Vitis Regulatory in 2022. However, many things have stayed the same – we still have a great workforce with a high level of skills to support our clients with ever increasing demands of the regulations on chemicals in Europe, and we still work seamlessly as a group across three countries (UK, Belgium and Germany). It has been a very interesting, challenging and rewarding decade for Vitis Regulatory SRL, and I extend my thanks to everyone past and present at the Brussels firm who have supported its development over the last ten years. We are very much looking forward to the next ten! Time to celebrate, this time with moules-frites and a beer!
Oliver Warwick, Administrateur