The association was founded in 1958, first called UNICE (Union des Industries de la Communauté Européenne) and later changed its name to BusinessEurope in January 2007 during the presidency of
Ernest-Antoine Seillière. In 2014,
Unilever terminated its membership of BusinessEurope's Advisory and Support Group because it opposed the organisation's stance on
carbon dioxide emissions.
Leadership The association is led by a president, which has been held by the following persons: • 1958–1961
Léon Bekaert • 1961–1962
Georges Villiers • 1962–1967
H. J. de Koster • 1967–1971
Fritz Berg • 1971–1975 • 1975–1980 • 1981–1983
Guido Carli • 1984–1986
Raymond Pennock • 1986–1990 • 1990–1994 • 1994–1998
François Perigot • 1998–2003
Georges Jacobs • 2003–2005
Jürgen Strube • 2005–2009
Ernest-Antoine Seillière • 2009–2013 • 2013–2018
Emma Marcegaglia • 2018–2022
Pierre Gattaz • Since July 2022: Fredrik Persson. BusinessEurope is administered by a director general. Markus J. Beyrer has held that position since 2013. ==Activities==