Michael Clarke

Michael is a Chartered Accountant. After completing his university and professional studies in the UK he moved to Belgium in 1972 from where he started an international career with Coopers & Lybrand. As a partner from 1977, he successively managed practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then Zaire, China, and Turkey with a short interlude jointly managing an EU consulting practice in Brussels. Returning from Turkey in 1998 he was responsible for the overall management of the internal services of the newly merged firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Belgium until his retirement from the firm in 2011. Post-retirement Michael worked as Executive Director of Transparency International Belgium until 2016.

Following an earlier operation and treatment for colon cancer, in March 2016 Michael was the victim of septic shock as a result of the late diagnosis of sepsis immediately following a further operation. Whilst in intensive care, he suffered an ACV and two heart stoppages leading to an ileostomy, hemianopsia, impaired balance, and some loss of memory. Seriously disabled Michael then benefitted from an excellent program of residential and outpatient revalidation in a specialized clinic that enabled him to resume an active life in January 2017.

He remains an active member of Transparency International Belgium and is currently working together with a small group of Flemish sepsis survivors and supporters to develop a patient association, Sepsibel, to increase public awareness of sepsis, support survivors and lobby for the development of a Belgian National Sepsis Plan.