AE
The content of this factsheet is in Dutch.
AE werkt ruim twintig jaar als digitaal bureau (web & platform) uit Heverlee. Er werken ongeveer 336 mensen, uitgedrukt in voltijdse equivalenten. De opgegeven expertise is data & analytics en crm & marketing automation. Sectoren waar het bureau vaak werkt: energy & utilities, financiele diensten/hr-tech, media en luchtvaart. Publiek gekende klanten zijn onder meer Q8, Mediagenix, UHasselt en Water-link.
1× IAB MIXX AwardsHow this agency makes money
Revenue, margin and what an hour of work brings in. Everything on the earning side sits together here.
Can the agency take a hit
Buffer, cash position and payment behaviour side by side, so you can see where they disagree.
Signals and strengths
Events from the CBE and the Official Gazette over the past 24 months, plus positive markers derived from the figures.
Continuity
No serious signals- Registered office moved · 18 Feb 2026 · StaatsbladThe registered office relocated. Usually just a new office.
- Board change · 7 Feb 2025 · StaatsbladAppointments or resignations on the board. Routine during growth, succession or a new partner. Ask about it when several changes follow each other closely.
- Board change · 9 Oct 2024 · StaatsbladAppointments or resignations on the board. Routine during growth, succession or a new partner. Ask about it when several changes follow each other closely.
What this agency does well
- Gross margin grew 4 years in a row
- Profitable in every one of the last 5 years
- Team grew (+4,4% FTE in the latest year)
- Healthy working capital (current ratio 1,48)
- Turnover below the median (12,0%)
All the figures
Reference material, not a starting point. Expand it if you want to read the series yourself.
5 financial years, 2021 to 2025Result, staff and balance sheet
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | |||||
| Gross margin | € 16,22 mln | € 18,50 mln+14% | € 23,96 mln+29,5% | € 27,46 mln+14,6% | € 27,93 mln+1,7% |
| EBITDA | € 2,53 mln | € 2,94 mln | € 3,67 mln | € 4,46 mln | € 2,63 mln |
| EBITDA margin | 15,6% | 15,9% | 15,3% | 16,2% | 9,4% |
| Staff | |||||
| FTE | 214,6 | 227,4+6% | 289,7+27,4% | 321,8+11,1% | 336,0+4,4% |
| Gross margin per FTE | € 75.605 | € 81.334 | € 82.696 | € 85.320 | € 83.116 |
| Payroll cost per FTE | € 73.167 | € 78.081 | € 77.811 | € 77.641 | € 83.439 |
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Equity | € 9,58 mln | € 6,56 mln | € 7,51 mln | € 8,59 mln | € 9,10 mln |
| Cash | € 1,94 mln | € 1,14 mln | € 733.384 | € 1,83 mln | € 1,67 mln |
| Liquidity ratio | 1,93 | 1,36 | 1,46 | 1,58 | 1,48 |
Payroll cost per FTE comes from the social report where available, otherwise from the Remuneration line. Both are gross costs including employer contributions.
What this factsheet does not know
- How good the work is. Figures do not measure creativity, strategy or chemistry.
- How the client portfolio is spread. Concentration is not in the accounts.
- Freelancers and subcontractors are not in the FTE figures. An agency with 40 staff may in practice run with 70 people.
- The figures cover financial year 2025, filed on 16/06/2026. At a fast-moving agency reality today may differ.
Based on publicly filed annual accounts (NBB) and official records (CBE, Belgian Official Gazette). An indication, not financial advice. Sector medians calculated on 21 Sep 2026. Sector medians based on financial year 2024: the last year for which nearly all accounts have been filed.
What the agency actually does 4 services
Sector focus
Publicly known clients
Based on IKAg research and public sources. Incomplete or outdated? Let us know.
People 15 people mapped
This team is built around client service: 3 of 15 are account & project. Within that core, Klantbeheer and Relatiebeheer stand out. The titles skew top-heavy: lots of seniority, few juniors — you're mostly buying experience. One strategist on board — enough to hold the direction, not to fill meetings.
Based on public profiles. Something wrong? Let us know.
Seniors or juniors?
Payroll cost per FTE is the best public proxy for a team's experience level. Higher is not automatically better, but it says something about who sits at the table.
- 25% women
- 75% men
Will your team stay?
Inflow and outflow from the social report. This series only counts people on the payroll: freelancers who invoice do not appear in it. A low figure therefore means two very different things, a stable permanent team or a small core with heavy outsourcing. A high figure usually points to short contracts. Compare only within the same type of agency.
Source: annual accounts and social reports (NBB), collected by IKAg. Financial year 2025. Calculations by IKAg; an indication, not financial advice. Sector medians based on financial year 2024: the last year for which nearly all accounts have been filed.
Award-winning work 1 award(s)
- IAB MIXX Awards SilverBest UX/UI · “Q8” · source ↗
As published by the organising award shows, collected by IKAg.
Frequently asked questions about AE
- When was AE founded?
- In 1999.
- Where is AE located?
- In Leuven, Belgium.
- What is AE specialised in?
- CRM & lifecycle strategy, Marketing automation, Dashboards & reporting, Data science & analytics (incl. predictive modelling).
- How big is AE?
- Around 336 full-time equivalents (financial year 2025).
- Which sectors does AE work for?
- Automotive & mobility, Energy & environment, Finance & insurance, HR & employer branding, Telecom & media.
- Who are the clients of AE?
- Among others Q8, Mediagenix, UHasselt, Water-link, Kinepolis Group, D'Ieteren, Comfort Energy, Lecot, Billit.
Figures from the annual accounts up to financial year 2025. Company details checked against the CBE register on 2026-09-12.