Chris Stone (footballer)


Chris Stone is an Australian businessman and former Australian rules footballer. He is the husband of Belgian prime minister Sophie Wilmès.

Early life

Stone is from Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia. He played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League.

Business career

After leaving university, Stone began working with the Australian division of Pearl & Dean, a cinema advertising company. He moved to the UK in 1988 and in 1991 became regional sales director of Mills & Allen Outdoor. He transferred to Belgium in 1994 as CEO of Vivendi's Belgian division, comprising Belgoposter Outdoor, Claude Publicité and other media companies. In 1998, Stone joined RMB International as chief operating officer. He bought his own outdoor advertising company, Dewez, in 2001. Since 2012 he has been president of the Belgian branch of Australian Business in Europe.

Personal life

He is married to Sophie Wilmès, the Prime Minister of Belgium.