European Round Table of Industrialists

What European Round Table of Industrialists does

The European Round Table for Industry (ERT) is a Brussels-based international non-profit association (AISBL) established in 1983, functioning as a high-level policy advocacy forum that brings together approximately 60 Chief Executives and Chairmen of major European-parentage multinational companies. Its core purpose is to promote sustainable growth, job creation, and Europe's global competitiveness by engaging directly with the European Commission, European Parliament, and Member State governments on issues including Single Market completion, industrial and competition policy, energy transition, R&D and skills, trade and economic security, security and defence, and technology/AI/data policy.

ERT's "products" are policy outputs rather than commercial goods. These include semi-annual plenary sessions with EU leaders and heads of state, the Measure of CEO Confidence for Europe survey (conducted twice yearly in partnership with The Conference Board), expert papers and position statements (e.g., on EU carbon pricing and the ETS/CBAM), flagship publications (Benchmarking reports, Innovation Stories, Single Market Stories), the Embrace Difference inclusion-and-diversity pledge (50+ signatory companies), the Single Market Coalition partnership, and the 21st Century Industrialists podcast. Combined, these deliverables translate member-firm operational experience into evidence-based policy recommendations.

ERT's revenue model is a closed membership subscription: contributions from approximately 60 large European multinational member companies fund a small secretariat (1–10 employees) headquartered at Boulevard Brand Whitlock 165, Brussels. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no public listing, and no external funding rounds. It is governed by its Members under Belgian AISBL law (CBE n° 0433.456.574), with a Chair (Jonathan Symonds, Chairman of GSK, as of 19 May 2026) and two Vice-Chairs (Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus; Leonhard Birnbaum, CEO of E.ON), supported by a Secretary General.

Name

European Round Table of Industrialists

Legal name

AISBL European Round Table

Website

https://ert.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The European Round Table for Industry (ERT) is a Brussels-based non-profit forum of approximately 60 CEOs and Chairs of major European multinational companies that engages with EU institutions to advocate on competitiveness, Single Market completion, energy transition, and industrial policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership contributions: ERT operates as an international non-profit association (AISBL) supported by contributions from its member companies - approximately 60 major European multinational corporations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ERT is a Brussels-based international non-profit association (AISBL) that convenes approximately 60 CEOs and Chairs of Europe's largest multinational companies to engage directly with EU policymakers. Its core offering is high-level policy advocacy on European competitiveness, completion of the EU Single Market, energy transition, innovation, trade and security, delivered through position papers, expert papers, the semi-annual CEO Confidence survey, benchmarking reports, working groups, and direct dialogue with EU institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Embrace Difference: ERT's Inclusion & Diversity campaign bringing together 50+ leading European companies committed to creating inclusive workplace environments.

Products and services

• ERT Membership Forum Brussels-based international non-profit association (AISBL) convening approximately 60 CEOs and Chairs of major European multinational companies for collective policy advocacy with EU institutions on competitiveness, the Single Market, energy transition, innovation, trade and security.
• Single Market Stories Campaign Public-facing campaign featuring documented examples (30+ stories from corporate leaders) of inefficiencies in the free movement of goods, services, capital and people within the EU Single Market, designed to pressure policymakers to remove identified barriers.
• Embrace Difference Initiative Inclusion & diversity pledge and toolkit bringing together 50+ leading European companies (including ABB, Air Liquide, AstraZeneca, BASF, BMW, BP, Capgemini, Eni, Engie, Ericsson, Ferrovial, Heineken, Iberdrola, L'Oréal, Mercedes-Benz, Michelin, Nokia, Roche, SAP, Siemens, TotalEnergies, Unilever, Volvo) to advance gender equality, diverse leadership and inclusive workplaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies led by ERT Members have combined revenues exceeding €3 trillion and provide around 6 million direct jobs worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• The Conference BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020ERT collaborates with The Conference Board on the Measure of CEO Confidence for Europe survey, conducted twice yearly among ERT's membership. This partnership produces authoritative sentiment data on European business leader confidence and outlook, providing insights to EU policymakers.
• Embrace Difference Initiative PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT's Embrace Difference initiative brings together 50+ leading European companies committed to inclusion and diversity. Partners include companies such as ABB, Air Liquide, AstraZeneca, BASF, BMW, BP, Capgemini, Eni, Engie, Ericsson, Ferrovial, Heineken, Iberdrola, L'Oréal, Mercedes-Benz, Michelin, Nokia, Roche, SAP, Siemens, TotalEnergies, Unilever, Volvo, and many others. The initiative focuses on gender equality, diverse leadership, and creating inclusive workplace environments.
• Single Market CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERT collaborates with business organizations across Europe through the Single Market Coalition, advocating for completion of the EU Single Market. The coalition has published compendiums identifying 100+ obstacles to the Single Market and advocates for policy changes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• MEDEF: Movement of the Enterprises of France, the principal French employers' confederation. Shares ERT's model of convening senior business leaders for policy advocacy, but operates at the national level in France and through BusinessEurope at EU level.
• Confindustria: General Confederation of Italian Industry representing Italian manufacturing and services companies. Comparable to ERT as a senior-executive business federation advocating for industrial competitiveness and Single Market deepening, though focused on Italy.
• BDA (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände): Confederation of German Employer Associations, the principal voice of German employers in social and economic policy. Comparable to ERT in convening senior business leadership for high-level policy advocacy, though structured around collective bargaining and German national policy.
• Confederation of British Industry (CBI): UK employers' federation historically representing British businesses in policy advocacy. Comparable to ERT as a CEO-level business membership forum but primarily focused on UK national policy rather than EU-level engagement.

Others

• Bruegel: Brussels-based economic policy think tank producing research on European macroeconomics, energy, and industrial policy. Adjacent to ERT in producing evidence-based analysis that informs EU policy debate — though a research body rather than a member-driven advocacy forum.

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum: Global multi-stakeholder forum convening political and business leaders around economic, geopolitical, and sustainability agendas. Comparable to ERT in convening top executives for high-level dialogue, but operates at much greater scale and scope across industries and geographies.

Direct peers

• Eurochambres: Association of European chambers of commerce and industry representing tens of millions of European businesses through the national chamber network. Comparable to ERT in pan-European business advocacy scope, though structured around chambers rather than individual CEOs/Chairs.
• BusinessEurope: Brussels-based confederation representing national employer and business federations across Europe. Directly comparable to ERT as a pan-European business advocacy body engaging EU institutions on competitiveness, Single Market, and industrial policy — but anchored in formal social-partner status rather than direct CEO/Chairs membership.
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): Global business organization with members in over 170 countries advocating for international trade, investment, and regulatory frameworks. Comparable to ERT as a business-led advocacy forum producing policy positions and convening senior executives on cross-border economic policy.
• AmCham EU: American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union, representing US multinationals in Brussels policy advocacy. Shares ERT's Brussels-based, executive-level engagement model focused on transatlantic competitiveness, regulation, and trade — although with a US corporate constituency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ert_eu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-round-table-of-industrialists---ert

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Round Table of Industrialists