he became an advisor at the cabinet of André Vlerick. He became consultant of three successive Belgian Ministers for Finance: Willy De Clercq, Gaston Geens and in 1981, of Robert Vandeputte. In 1976, he was appointed by Willy De Clercq as inspector-general of the Belgian treasury. In 1978, he became (vice-) Chief of Cabinet of Leo Tindemans, and later also of Paul Vanden Boeynants, and Wilfried Martens. Between 1972 and 1983, he taught at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) and the Institut Catholique des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (ICHEC) in Brussels. At the end of the 1970s, he was President of the Monetary Committee of the European Union, and played a particularly important role in the design and establishment of the European Monetary System (EMS). In 1981, together with Alfons Verplaetse, he was one of the architects of the devaluation of the Belgian Franc, in order to stimulate the Belgian economy. In 1983, he succeeded Jean-Marie Piret and became principal private secretary of Baudouin I of Belgium, and later also of his brother Albert II of Belgium, until the latter's abdication on 21 July 2013. As one of his final acts of his reign, Albert II appointed van Ypersele de Strihou as a Minister of State. Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou is a member of the monetary committee of the European Union, and also works for the IMF and the Worldbank as a financial expert. Private Van Ypersele is married to Brigitte du Bus de Warnaffe and have 4 daughters. Honours National Honours : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown. 2013: Minister of State Foreign honours : Grand Cross in the Order of Merit, Austria : Grand Cross in the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (20/02/1986) : Grand Cross in the Order of Adolphe of Nassau : Grand Cross in the Order of merit, Norway : Grand Cross in the Order of Orange-Nassau : Grand Cross in the Order of the Aztec Eagle : Commander in the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, 2004. : Grand Cross in the Order of Civil Merit, Spain. : Grand Cross in the Order of the Polar Star See also Michel Didisheim André Molitor References Sources King Baudouin Foundation (press release) Gui Polspoel, Pol Van den Driessche, Koning en onderkoning. Over de invloed