“The ‘Great Reset’ after the pandemic asks us to face uncertainty and discomfort bravely, instead of giving in to escape phantasies to alleviate our anxiety. Only if we are ready to welcome reality and take time to reflect can we remake the world,” says Smaranda Boros, Professor of Intercultural Management and Organisational Behaviour at Vlerick Business School. She sees the crisis as an opportunity for systemic transformation, to reinvent ourselves and restore our relation to the world as one ecosystem.

COVID-19 is a great lesson in humility. It’s the kind of experience that forces you to draw breath and reflect on who you are as a leader and the difference you want to make. After all, it’s all too easy to think that you can't have any kind of impact. According to Professor Katleen De Stobbeleir, everyone's choices and actions – no matter how large or how small your role – have a significant impact on the bigger picture. So, the question is, what difference do you want to make?

In the Paris climate agreement, more than 100 countries – including Belgium – have committed to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. Although the new US President Joe Biden is putting climate change back on the political agenda, whether or not this goal is achieved will mainly depend on the vigour of the business community. According to Professor Kristof Stouthuysen, the proper use of artificial intelligence is the key to helping our companies become climate-neutral more quickly.

Traditional time-series analysis and forecasting methods are nothing new. However, lately companies like Google and Facebook have invested in developing time-series models that combine traditional techniques with Machine Learning (ML). What is the reason that Big Tech firms are suddenly looking into ways to optimise forecasting techniques? And why should all companies and their managers care about these new forecasting techniques?

In normal times, the core business of Vlerick alumnus Hans De Smedt is his ‘EverPresent Events’ event agency. However, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns brought the events sector to a stand-still in 2020. But adversity clearly stimulates Hans’ creativity, as he created a new concept and brand. Craftpack offers gift packages comprised entirely of local products. In the meantime, it has grown into much more than an activity to make up lost revenue in the COVID period.

Vlerick Business School and ABN AMRO join forces in a new three-year partnership to strengthen academic research in sustainable finance. With this partnership, ABN AMRO will participate in Vlerick’s Centre for Sustainable Finance to facilitate academic research providing a model to measure Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) for SME’s.

Making customers happy through innovative healthcare solutions is the mission of Aspyro. This start-up was co-founded in 2020 by Masters alumnus Lien Van Der Schueren and produces 3D-printed eyewear designed especially for oxygen users. Oxy-glasses make oxygen therapy less visible, more comfortable, and more practical. Lien talks about how Vlerick made her see that she could actually be an entrepreneur – something she had never considered before.

The Mealhero adventure started from three Masters in General Management alumni asking themselves: Why is it so hard to eat healthy? And why is it so easy to eat unhealthy? Is it possible to eat easy and healthy? In answer to these questions, they came up with this solution: fresh-frozen ingredients, in innovative combinations, prepared within 25 minutes by a smart steamer. They’ve just raised another €2.5 million in venture capital to grow their company even further.

Currently, robotic process automation is often used in finance departments in order to redeem employees from dull chores. However, despite the booming field of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), financial applications of these techniques are quite scarce. By making a connection with a referee who needs to (dis)approve a goal, Lennert Van der Schraelen, Kristof Stouthuysen and Mathieu Luypaert try to establish useful applications concerning mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Prof. dr. Em. Roland Van Dierdonck. Roland was Dean of Vlerick Business School from 1998 to 2007. A professor in Operations Management, he taught hundreds of Vlerick students the capstone Operations Management course.