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Edition 35 – 16 November 2016

HIGHLIGHT JOIN ALREADY 500 PARTICIPANTS!

On Thursday 22 December at ICC Ghent, we have the honour of welcoming

our Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who will give an inspiring

speech on "Digital Economy & Connectivity".

Next, he will debate on the matter with digital experts Prof. Stijn Viaene and

Mr. Jo Caudron. Mr. Frederik Delaplace (De Tijd) will moderate the debate.

This event is free for you as a member to thank you for your commitment to

the alumni network in 2016:

UPCOMING EVENTS

19 NOV

Swiss Chapter: 24th Joint

Business School Ball 2016

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

24 NOV

The Autonomous Vehicle &

its revolutionary impact on

your business

Location: Brussels, Belgium

24 NOV

13th HR Symposium -

last call!

Location: Nieuwpoort,

Belgium

22 DEC

Winter Reunion 2016

Location: Ghent, Belgium

ALL ALUMNI EVENTS

MORE INFO AND REGISTRATION

ADVERTISMENT

Become the digital change agent of your company thanks to the

Vlerick programme of De Tijd

Digital technologies are remaking the business world. But within most

companies there is a shortage of entrepreneurial profiles ready to handle this

digital disruption. That’s why De Tijd asked Vlerick Business School to develop

an innovative academic programme on disruption: Take The Lead. The

balanced combination of highly interactive online experiences with impactful

offline in-person interactions over a three-month period will put the participants

on the fast-track to becoming a digital leader. Upon successful completion of

the programme the participants will be granted a Vlerick Business School

Certificate. Moreover, De Tijd will offer this programme to 200 participants free

of charge, thanks to the participation of 5 selected business partners.

Think out of the boss, and take the lead with this unique Vlerick

programme on digital disruption.

The application period for Take The Lead opens 19 November 2016 and

closes 8 December 2016 on tijd.be/takethelead.

NEWS

ALUMNI

Our Chapter Heads are waiting for you in Dubai

As Laurie Becquart (left) and Jonas Vandeven (right) are both working in Dubai,

they thought it was the perfect opportunity to start up a chapter specifically

there. Laurie and Jonas both graduated in the Master in General Management

programme in 2013 and are eager to meet their fellow alumni living in the

United Arab Emirates.

“What a great opportunity to continue sharing and living the Vlerick values. We

are excited to take on the role of chapter heads in Dubai. The vibrant city is a

great business hub for the Middle East and we know a lot of our alumni will

come to travel or relocate in the region. Simply know we are there for you over

here and looking forward meeting many of you!”

Get in touch with Laurie and Jonas!

MBA Mentorship programme kicks off

Last October, this year’s Full-Time MBA participants got the chance to start

their tailored MBA Mentorship programme. Every MBA participant was assigned

to a former Vlerick MBA student. The objective? Sharing and transmitting

experiences to help current MBA students work individually on some of the

challenges they face. 31 students and 31 mentors means also 62 individual

stories that will be shared, and a long term network that will grow. We are very

curious to where it will lead student and mentor – and very proud to be part of

it!

Do you want to be part of this initiative and coach an MBA participant

in the future? Don’t hesitate to reach out to Isabelle Decroos.

Alumnus co-creates app allowing you to buy what you see on your

TV screen

Jonas De Cooman (left), who followed the MGM programme in 2005, is one of

the co-founders of Appiness, a metadata company that has recently launched

Spott™ in Belgium, together with Medialaan & Group RTL.

Spott™ is an inspiration platform linked to TV content, allowing viewers to

interact with their favorite TV shows, and to buy what they see on TV. Next to

TV content, Spott™ also makes TV commercials interactive. This allows for

marketers to combine the reach of TV with a call to action on a second screen.

JBC was the first interactive commercial. Next to JBC, Spott has also offered

test drives for Mercedes, insurance contracts for Ethias, coupons for Carrefour.

Jonas De Cooman got to know Michel De Wachter (right), his co-founder,

through YouBridge. YouBridge is a non-profit organization, founded by Jonas,

that allows people to crowd fund for laptops. Once the laptops have arrived,

everyone on the platform can become a mentor. YouBridge is present in 11

countries.

Read more >

Safer roads thanks to alumnus Thomas Dietvorst

DTS is a young start-up founded by Thomas Dietvorst (right), Vlerick MGM

2013 alumnus, and his business partner Jelle van Winckel (left). They develop

innovative products for the freight and coach sector and tackle safety and

efficiency issues in the industry in a way that none of their competitors do.

Ario, their first product, is an attention and sleep monitoring system that

measures the driver’s steering behaviour and alerts him when he displays signs

of fatigue or unattentiveness. With Ario, DTS already won several prizes in

the past, including the European Coach Week’s Innovation Label, and the

award for Idea of the Year at the prestigious “Nacht van de KMO” event in

Antwerp. They are also nominated for the award for the Best Start-up at

the Supply Chain Awards and the Deloitte Rising Stars.

In addition to safer roads, DTS aims to get more people on the bus, increasing

traffic efficiency and contributing to a future with more sustainable means of

transport.

SCHOOL NEWS

Vlerick Executive MBA is the best in Belgium

According to the most recent ranking by the Financial Times, the Executive MBA

programme at Vlerick Business School is the absolute number 1 in Belgium and

number 2 in the Benelux. Within this top 100, we have climbed 3 places, to

number 70 in the world. At a European level too, we have made a leap forward;

moving up two places to number 25.

Read more >

Lecture room of the future

Traditionally, the classroom has been a place where teachers talk and students

listen. But future classrooms will be equipped for so much more. We’ve made

some changes to one of our lecture rooms to give students a more innovative,

flexible experience. Think magnetic walls you can write on, standing desks,

power sockets all over the floor and charging stations.

Professor Miguel Meuleman put the new space to the test. He says: “It’s a great

place for interactive workshops, because the space and communication walls

really stimulate discussions and brainstorming.”

Read more >

Can the road to your career go through Teheran?

When he was very young, an influential person in Michael Goris’ life told him:

“If you can dream it, you can realise it.” Michael’s adult life is proving the

truth of that statement.

Today, Michael is the CEO of MESID, a joint venture between Iran and China,

active in CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) and LED energy-saving lighting.

“Studying is one of the fundamentals of professional and personal growth,” he

maintains. Following his university studies in Applied Economics, with a

specialisation in IT, he joined Vlerick’s Young Management Programme (2005).

“I learned a lot about marketing and finance and creating a competitive

advantage − which opened the way for me and really changed my life. I think

Vlerick has a lot of very high-level professors, who not only teach you content

but also help you develop what’s inside you.”

Take a look at Michael's story >

STUDENTS

Be our partner in Dublin, Shanghai, Cape Town or California!

The Vlerick network is an extensive one and we aim to keep it active and alive.

In order to do so, we are reaching out to those of you who are setting up

ventures, have interesting contacts or have found solid ground in the world’s

most populous cities: Shanghai, Cape Town, California or Dublin. Each

year, a large number of our participants visit some of these countries

and we would love to connect them with you. Please send your contact

information and proposal to Gladys Van Nuffel if you would like to share your

business experiences or contacts in one of these four cities. How?

• Guest speaker on how to do business in that country

• Company visit in that city for the group

• Join a network event

• ...

Other ideas? Let us know!

Full house at our MBA Distinguished Speakers event

Following the successful Distinguished Speakers Series of the past years, we

were delighted to organise the first event in the series of this academic year:

Guy Wollaert (Former Senior Vice President and Chief Technical and

Innovation Officer of Coca-Cola Company) talked about design thinking

and disruption. One hundred MBA alumni and students joined this first

edition. The Distinguished Speaker Series is an opportunity for you to connect

with the Vlerick community and to broaden your professional network.

Therefore, the keynote is always followed by a reception for the current MBA

students, alumni, faculty and staff.

The Vlerick MBA Distinguished Speaker Series demonstrates that our

commitment to your personal and professional development does not end at

graduation. We aim to continue to provide you access to industry leaders and

deliver cutting edge management concepts. Furthermore, Vlerick is more than

just a Business School, it is a community of ambitious and successful

professionals who are here to support your professional endeavours.

LOOKING

FOR A NEW

CAREER?*

We currently have 112 vacancies

online

Online Sales Manager - HUDSON

Head of Marketing & Advertising

- LIDL BELGIUM GMBH & CO

Digital Transformation Manager -

SAINT GOBAIN GLASSSOLUTIONS

BELGIUM

Business Unit Manager Belgium -

THE TALENT-CAPITAL BRIDGE

M&A Finance & Business Analyst

(Brussels) - FLUXYS BELGIUM

International Business

Development Manager - Polished

Diamonds (NL ENG FR) -

ANTWERP WORLD DIAMOND CENTRE

Internship Kinder Marketing

Assistant - FERRERO

INTERNATIONAL

MORE JOBS

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