‘I can’t sit still’, says economist and entrepreneur Peter De Keyzer. ‘I don’t know any other way of life. Perhaps the idea that I have to prove myself is still in play.’ Breakfast with The Time.
–
‘It does mean something to me to come back here, yes’, says Peter De Keyzer (46) as we take a seat in the morning sun a little after the opening hour at 10.30 am behind the recently polished window of the Quick in Kontich. ‘I cleaned up the parking lot here and emptied those bins. I was mainly behind the grill, even though I can’t stand the heat. I also regularly burned my fingers. This was more than my first job, this was a life lesson.’
–
Breakfast with De Tijd
Kontich, 10:30 am, at the Quick burger restaurant. With Peter De Keyzer we talk about his distrust of the government, the importance of intellectual freedom and his belief in meritocracy.
–
–
He worked here in the 90s, sometimes up to 20 hours a week. Of must. ‘My mother was on her own after my father’s divorce and we were not well off. If I wanted extra clothes or wanted to go on a trip, I had to work for it myself.’
–
The former chief economist of Degroof Petercam and BNP Paribas Fortis was sent to the Quick by his mother when he had a bis year with only five subjects while studying economics. ‘Only then did I start studying more seriously and I knew: if you get somewhere, it’s only because you do something about it yourself. This is how my faith in meritocracy has become very strong. Here you saw how everyone could learn something: customer-friendliness, being on time, checking the cash register: this is the perfect entry-level job.’
–
The donuts on the table can’t tempt him, let alone a hamburger. “I’ve eaten enough burgers here in the past because as staff we got them for half the price.” He looks as sharp as a knife – he ran the Berlin marathon two weeks ago – but De Keyzer still sticks to his strict ‘intermittent fasting’ diet. No breakfast, something small at 2 pm, and the only meal of the day in the evening. ‘My energy is more stable throughout the day. And you notice how little food you actually need. I just feel better about it.’
–
For five years he has worked with Growth Inc. his own communications company. But he will always remember that period when he had a hard time at home and determined his worldview. ‘My mother was a Catholic teacher. She lost her job overnight because the governing body and the parent council did not want divorced women. She then applied for a job at community education, but she was not welcome there because she came from Catholic education. She eventually started working as a receptionist and slowly worked her way up. My distrust of institutions that decide your life, as well as the government, stems from that period.’
