With an overall score of 74.3 out of 100 Vlerick Business School is ranked number 31 in the Top 50 Most Social Media Friendly International MBA Schools for 2013. Especially with regard to LinkedIn (ranked 15) and Twitter (ranked 26) Vlerick is doing well. The ranking is an initiative of Online MBA Page – a US based education community for MBA students worldwide – who recently put together a similar top 100 ranking of American MBA schools. Since it was so well received there’s now an international version as well.

Our new identity has been shortlisted for two categories at the prestigious 2013 Transform Awards: ‘Best corporate rebrand to reflect changed mission/values/positioning’ where we are up against 4 other competitors; and ‘Best rebrand from Western Europe’ where we are up against one other competitor. Now in its fourth year, the Transform Awards is Europe’s only dedicated celebration of excellence in rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation.

For years Vlerick Business School has been top of the Financial Times’ authoritative ranking when it comes to management courses in Benelux. Nevertheless, we remain relatively unknown in the Netherlands. But all that’s about to change. Since the launch of last year’s rebranding strategy, we are putting all our energies into the Netherlands. Our aim is to increase business in the Netherlands from 10% to 25%.

The purpose of the Accenture Innovation Awards for Financial Services is to promote and reward innovative, financial services-related new products and concepts on the Belgian and Luxembourgish markets, resulting in a Jury Award and a Public Award. Following a first success in 2012, the 2013 edition has been launched since last summer.

In December the Vlerick Library organised a Book Sale to sponsor DoeDeMee, a UNESCO supported fundraiser fighting illiteracy. Because the proceeds of two other fundraising activities were added Vlerick was able to donate no less than 1650 euro.

After narrowly dropping out of the top 15 in 2011, Vlerick Business School has managed to regain its top 15 position in this year’s European Business School ranking which is annually published by the Financial Times. The School is going up two places and now holds the No. 14 position in Europe. From a national point of view, Vlerick Business School consolidates its first position in Belgium.

On 27 November, the ninth Supply Chain Award was presented during a gala award event. This competition – an initiative of VIB and PICS – awards the year’s most impactful logistics/supply chain project in Flanders. Vlerick Business School wishes to congratulate all of the finalists on their projects – and, in particular, Steven Raekelboom, winner of the Supply Chain Award 2012, and Rozemie Malfait, winner of the public award.

The purpose of the Accenture Innovation Awards for Financial Services is to promote and reward new innovative, financial services-related products and concepts on the Belgian and Luxembourgian markets. After a first success in 2012, Accenture Belgium and Luxembourg is proud to announce the second edition. The winner of this contest will be awarded a seat in ‘Entrepreneurial Innovation’, the first track of the Executive Master Class in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Vlerick Business School.

The UN has designated the year 2012 as the year of ‘Sustainable Energy for All’. Today 1.4 billion people worldwide still do not have access to electricity or other sustainable energy sources even though this is an important condition for development. At the same time both the north and the south have plenty of technologies for generating renewable energy, whether biomass or wind and solar energy. However they are not available on an industrial scale, nor are they affordable. The missing link thus involves successfully marketing ‘creative’ technologies from the south (where they do more with less), combined with the experience of industrial companies from the north. Vyncke Energietechniek nv and a few other industrial partners in Europe and India have combined their industrial experience and the financial resources needed to make these technologies accessible to the lowest social classes in rural areas.

A few months ago Vlerick Leuven Ghent Management School joined Bike to Work, an initiative of the Cyclists’ Federation (Fietsersbond) in order to encourage as many employees as possible to leave their car at home more frequently or simply to stop taking the car into work.