During the ‘Future House of Rewards’ conference at the Brussels Vlerick campus, the large audience gained a lot of insights. After a presentation of the white paper ‘Future House of Rewards’, inspiring practical examples followed from Ontex and KBC. The highlight: an animated panel debate with a number of big players from the Belgian entrepreneurial landscape. We discussed the subject with Ivan De Witte and Xavier Baeten, Professor of Reward & Sustainability at Vlerick.

With the smart metering proof of concept and pilot phases completed, Eandis can take pride in the upcoming roll-out of an ambitious project that started way back in 2007. Heads-up with Jean-Pierre Hollevoet from Eandis, Professor Behzad Samii and researcher Olga Varganova.

The wage pressure in Belgium, i.e. the salary tension between younger and older employees, is one of the highest in Europe. On average, 55-year-old employees earn 45% more than their 30-year-old colleagues doing the same job. Furthermore, we are living longer so our working lives are also longer. Consequently, a new wage structure is required, based on a mix of experience, performance and flexible rewards. That is what Professor Xavier Baeten, researcher Saïd Loyens (Vlerick Business School) and Bert De Greve (Hudson) propose in a white paper that offers a fresh perspective on the future house of rewards.

Many family businesses aren't making full use of the potential of private equity. Is it because they fear what they don't know? Or are they worried that bringing a financial investor on board will be like inviting in a Trojan horse? A ‘meeting of minds’ between Professors Sophie Manigart and Miguel Meuleman, Dr. Jeroen Neckebrouck and Koen Dejonckheere, the CEO of investment company Gimv.