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.

It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the sad news that our respected colleague Peter De Prins passed away. Joining Vlerick Business School in October 2010, Peter De Prins was Professor of Management Practice for the past 10 years, specialising in change management and leadership. In this role, he leveraged his ample international experience as engineer, entrepreneur, coach and manager and had an impact on thousands of participants.

Between 2017 and 2019, we raised 2.4 million euros in donations and pledges for the three funds that form the cornerstones of our fundraising strategy. But even more rewarding was seeing how we could build a fundraising community of pioneers, and just how many faces “giving back” to Vlerick can have. Read all about it in Vlerick’s first fundraising report.

With the launch of its brand-new Student Entrepreneurship Fund, Vlerick Business School aims to give new entrepreneurs a boost in the early start-up phase, not only through its degree programmes, but now also financially. So far, €750,000 has been raised from 11 donors. Alumnus and engineer Wim Van Roy, CEO and co-founder of SnowVision, was the first to receive €5,000 in support.

Vlerick sets great store by sustainability. We’ve been doing it for years, on all our campuses. “Sustainability is sometimes a question of one far-reaching decision, such as a heat pump or a new boiler, but equally often it involves a series of small, consistent interventions and sustained efforts.” Interview with our operations manager Steven Clemminck.

The Board is extremely proud to announce that Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize and member of the Vlerick board since October 2017, has accepted to become Chairman. With Frans, the school has another non-Belgian leader of a large international company as chairperson who brings a passion for education and particular experience in consumer goods, digital, customer delight and international food retail market.

End of April, the General Council of Vlerick Business School has unanimously approved the reappointment of Marion Debruyne as Dean of Vlerick Business School. Her second term of 4 years will officially start in August. This decision followed upon the positive recommendation of both the Partner Council as well as the Board of Directors of the school, and with an overwhelming support from all stakeholders and faculty.

AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – has recently decided to extend its accreditation of Vlerick Business School for a further period of five years. With this extension, Vlerick remains the only school in Belgium to hold the “triple crown”, made up all three major international management education accreditation labels.

UK Power Networks Services has joined forces with the Vlerick Energy Centre for a two-year partnership. They deliver world-class engineering, power systems operation, distributed energy resources and industry-leading consultancy for some of the most energy-reliant and complex organisations in the UK. According to Director Ian Smyth, this collaboration will enable them to implement best practice and continue to keep their clients ahead of their competition and ensure value for money in their investments. “It’s our mission to increase productivity, reduce carbon emissions and integrate new technologies for the benefit of our clients, and this partnership will ensure we achieve this.”

Can you learn how to become an entrepreneur? It's perfectly possible. However, the most valuable lessons are often learned in practice. Vlerick Business School has collaborated with the business sector for many years and we are lucky to be able to count on an extremely diverse group of entrepreneurs and investors who are willing to share their stories, knowledge and experience with our students completely voluntarily. The huge value of this synergy between academia and practice has now also been given official recognition with the new title of ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ or ‘Investor in Residence’.