Cardon started his career as an assistant to the dean of the School of Business administration at the University of Louvain 1955/1958. In 1958 he joined the European Commission in Brussels as one of their first international civil servants. From 1960 to 1967 he was head of the staff of Albert Coppé, vice-president of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community and from 1967 to 1973 he was head of the Cabinet of the Belgian European Commissioner. In 1973 he received the title of honorary director general of the European Commission. He started his banking career at the
Bank Brussels Lambert in 1973, where he became president and CEO in 1992 and upon his retirement in 1996 was made honorary president. He was also chairman of the board of Nationale Suisse Belgium (insurance) and vice president of Bank Liechtenstein. He had been the president of the
Association of the Belgian Bankers, vice president of the
Belgian Employers Federation, chairman of the board of
Thomas Cook Traveller Cheques, president of the
European Financial Marketing Association (Paris) and member of the board of
AVIS Europe (London). Besides his professional activities, he was also executive president of
Europa Nostra, the Federation of the European Heritage Organisations, and was the honorary executive president and president of the Royal Historic Houses & Gardens Association of Belgium and governor of the
European Historic Houses Association. Cardon was the honorary president of the
European League for Economic Cooperation (ELEC), and had been vice president of the
European Movement. He was a member of the business club
Cercle de Lorraine. ==Philanthropy==