Orator
The house Magazine of Vlerick leuVen genT ManageMenT school
SPEC
IAL
ISSUE
March 2007
Passing
the torch
A new Dean for Vlerick
Special Issue: Passing the torch
Dear friends of the School,
For years it has been my pleasure to keep the torch burning. And I
was fortunate enough to witness how the flame kept on growing. From
a division within the university to an autonomous business school on
three campuses. From a breeding ground for local talent to a major
international player with currently more than 11,500 alumni spread
across 100 countries.
Special Dossier It has been an honour to be the first dean of a business school that
Long-term vision
brings together our country’s two major universities. I believe that in the
past few years we have significantly contributed to entrepreneurship,
professional management, ethical awareness and innovation, both
in our academic research and in our programmes. From the next
academic year we aim to fully focus on said research as there are still a
number of questions in my area to which I would like to see an answer.
That is why this summer I will hand over my passionately burning
torch to none other than Anders Aspling. I am confident that Vlerick
Leuven Gent Management School will be in good hands. We hope
that, together with us, you will contribute to creating an even larger and
stronger flame.
Kind regards,
Prof. Dr Roland Van Dierdonck
Your Dean
| Orator • Special Issue • March 007
Chairman Louis Verbeke
“leaders with
intelligence and integrity”
NEWS ranks. It was very much on our mind
that our new Dean should fit well into
Swedish professor, Dr Anders Aspling will be the new dean at Vlerick Leuven our culture and would easily relate to
Gent Management School. In the autumn he will follow in the footsteps of all stakeholders, in Flanders, Belgium
Roland Van Dierdonck, who has been the head of the School for nearly ten and beyond.
years. Professor Van Dierdonck is the dean who bundled the strengths of Ghent To sum up, I would describe him as an
University and K.U.Leuven into an independent business school with two internationalist and academic entrepre-
campuses. He led Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School to three accredi- neur with strong continental European
tations and a top spot in European rankings, as well as to a third campus in roots. Our due diligence produced a lot
St. Petersburg and a growing international reputation. With Professor Van of praise for Anders’ past achievements.
Dierdonck the School embarked on the right course. As of the next academic All agree that he combines a talent for
year it is up to Anders Aspling to keep the wind in the sails. rallying people around a vision with
that of delivering the job and that he
excels at making the link between the
“When Roland told us that he would that the School would benefit from academic and business communities.
not seek another mandate as dean fresh insight, new academics and busi- We are quite certain that Anders will
of the school, because he wanted to ness networks and confirmation of its be the Dean of all our constituencies,
renew his “vows” to management ambition to attract the “best and the Flemish as well as Belgian and interna-
science, the Board selected a ‘Dean brightest” irrespective of creed, cul- tional, students as well as executives,
Search Committee’. This group consist- ture or origin. We believe that Anders academics as well as business people.
ed of 4 board members and 2 outsiders Aspling embodies these qualities. On behalf of the School, its General
Philippe Haspeslagh from INSEAD and This special edition of Orator will dwell Council, Board, staff, alumni and all
Astrid De Lathauwer from Belgacom. on the School’s achievements and other stakeholders I welcome Anders
The committee reviewed many can- challenges. All I need to do is express and his wife Heléna and I call on you
didates who were selected by the our thanks to Roland and welcome all to help him to make the School even
search firm Russell Reynolds. Out of Anders. better.
a final selection of three the committee Roland served the School well… He At this important juncture for the
recommended our new dean, Anders would not appreciate it if I expressed School let me also remember our found-
Aspling, who was unanimously “adop- our gratitude in any other than an ing father and mother André and Cecile
ted” both by the Board and the General understated manner. He has led the Vlerick. I am certain that they would
Council. School with intelligence and integ- have approved of Anders.
I wish to thank my committee mem- rity. Any leader with these virtues It was Mahatma Gandhi who stated:
bers and Russell Reynolds for their wis- does not require the lesser ones. “We have to become the change we want
dom, diligence and a job well done. We I also wish to thank Lucrèce, Roland’s to see”. We have to be multicultural in
left no stone unturned and more than wife, for having put up with the high order to fulfil our mission as a leading
once we thought of Voltaire: “Doubt is demands on Roland’s time and energy European Business School.
not a pleasant condition, but certainty for many years, and for personally hav- We look forward to your joining us in
is absurd”. ing graced many events with her pres- our thanks to Roland and our welcome
The Board and the Committee chose ence. Lucrèce served the School as did to Anders. n
to privilege the “proven leadership Roland.
and international stature” profile and Anders will be the first to lead the Prof. Dr Louis-Henri Verbeke
to look outside the School. It was felt School without coming from its own Chairman
Special Issue • March 007 • Orator | 3
Special Issue: Passing the torch
roland Van Dierdonck
hands over the torch!
He was the first preordained dean for Vlerick On 12 February 1947, Roland Van Dierdonck was
born in Vinkt as the sixth in a family of eight children.
Leuven Gent Management School when it took His father was a baker. He was the first one in his fam-
ily to attend university. That he would become a civil
on its current form in 1998. With schools such engineer is not that obvious. He attended the Latin-
as Harvard, Insead, IMD and the Rotterdam Greek section of the St. Hendriks college in Deinze
and primarily had social interests. “At one point I was
Business School on his Curriculum a member of three different youth organisations at
Vitae he could rely on vast the same time,” the dean laughs. Initially he wanted
to study psychology. But the 18-year old let himself
international experience in top be convinced by this maths and science teacher and
business schools. And with opted for engineering at the last moment, which set
the tone. In 1971 he earned his degree in civil engi-
numerous publications about neering from Ghent University. “Some things seem to
happen by accident, but later often seem to have an
services, supply chain and technology underlying reason,” states Prof. Van Dierdonck about
management to his credit, he was also these first choices, which were decisive for the rest
of his career, as he very nearly started a job at Ebes
able to submit a brilliant (Electrabel’s predecessor). “But they only wanted me
academic track record. after I had completed my military service.”
The time has come for one year of Vlerick
him to leave his By this time Professor André Vlerick was no
unknown quantity. During his student years Prof.
position of dean (but Van Dierdonck had been hanging onto his every word
not of academic). in the auditoria at Ghent University. “A very charis-
matic man. It appeared interesting to me to follow
But not without additional training at his institute. If only for the fact
that I felt my engineering degree was too technical. I
telling us where was also interested in the more social aspect of life,”
he came from explains Prof. Van Dierdonck. He easily passed the
PUB’s entrance exam (the predecessor of the current
and how he Masters in General Management).
grew together But Prof. Müller had other plans for the enthusias-
tic student. Prof. Van Dierdonck completed his engi-
with the neering education with a thesis on the use of math-
School. ematical techniques allowing to simulate biological
phenomena. At the time, Prof. Müller was working
on a project with this type of mathematical mod-
els and he could use some help. This is how Roland
Van Dierdonck joined him, not as a student but as
an assistant. As it turned out, he did not have to
complete his military service at all. “If I had known,
I would have undoubtedly started at Ebes. But fortu-
4 | Orator • Special Issue • March 007
nately fate had something else in store research. But in management you also
for me.” have to take into account a social con-
text that is much more complex. And at
To the united states Harvard I was able to cross that bridge.
In his first year he developed the busi- For the first time I became aware of the
ness game that to this day is taught at limitations of mathematical research.
the School in a renewed format under In addition, across the pond, I also
the name Imex. And instead of attend- learned what strategy is and how you
ing PUB, he was able to coordinate the implement a concept. Insight, which to
programme for two years. this day, continues to govern my think-
His first job made him particularly ing to a large degree. In addition I was
hopeful, as the School was known to brainwashed by the famous Harvard
send assistants to the United States case method.” In three years and three
spurred on by André Vlerick. A short months he completed his PhD in plan-
time beforehand this had been a mere ning systems. He impressed with both
adventurous boat trip appealing to eve- his speed and his substance.
ryone’s imagination, including Roland
Van Dierdonck’s. Ties with the alumni have become increasingly
important for the growth of the School. Eight foreign
When he earned a three-year CIM grant “Some things seem to chapters were set up and a number of reunions
for his own research, he did not feel like
waiting the usual period before leaving happen by accident, organised. The School now has more than 15,000
alumni spread across 100 countries.
for the US. He applied to Harvard, MIT but later often seem
and Carnegie Mellon and was accepted
to all three. André Vlerick would have
to have an underlying adventure came to an end. At Ghent
preferred to see him leave for one of reason” University the Interfaculty Centre for
the last two, since they tend to be more Management was created, in which
engineer-oriented. But Roland Van PUB and JMP became official train-
Dierdonck did not take this wish into ing. Professor Vlerick was seeking two
account and opted for management Technology Management at iMD lecturers. Roland took advantage of the
heaven, i.e., Harvard. The market liked Prof. Van Dierdonck’s opportunity and, together with Dirk
Together with his wife and their two expertise. He was able to choose Deschoolmeester, the family returned
small sons still in nappies, he left for between a position at Insead to Belgium in 1980.
Cambridge in order to work very hard (Fontainebleau, France) or at IMD
for three years. A PhD at Harvard (Lausanne, Switzerland). He chose to guest lecturer and ciM grants
takes four years, but Roland’s grant go to IMD, where he joined one of his At the time the Interfaculty Centre for
was one year short and it was in any Harvard mentors. The new step imme- Management still operated under the
case not easy to make ends meet. diately resulted in an about-turn, as wings of the engineering, economics,
The Van Dierdonck family lived par- he now taught in English and what is law and psychology departments. For
tially off food stamps. In Cambridge more, according to the case study meth- less academic and shorter programmes
food stamps are given to families with od. Professor Van Dierdonck developed that did not fit into the university frame-
bilingual children. The campaign is pri- what was probably the first course on work, a second institution was created,
marily aimed at the Spanish-speaking technology management on the conti- the so-called Professor Vlerick Institute
minority. But a large number of poor, nent for the MBA programme. When for Management. It was only in 1987
foreign PhD students are also eligible they decided to have students carry out that the School and the Institute were
and show each other the way to the a project in a company, he was one of merged under the name The Vlerick
food stamp counter. the pioneers supporting this system. “I School for Management, of which
knew exactly how something like that Roland became the first president. In
learning what strategy is had to be set up. We had launched this the meantime he was also approached
“From that time I mainly remember at Vlerick back in the early 60s. And this by Insead to be a guest lecturer. Later
that I was bent over my research near- surprised people at IMD who believed the Rotterdam School of Management
ly day and night. Nonetheless it was a they were quite innovative with the at Erasmus University and the ENPC
very exciting period, which allowed me launch of these projects, but apparent- in Paris would also request his exper-
to become familiar with a completely ly a small school in Belgium was ahead tise. In addition he became scientific
different way of thinking and working. of them,” according to Professor Van adviser at the Interuniversity College
Many engineers swear by mathematical Dierdonck. After two years his Swiss for Doctoral Studies in Management,
Special Issue • March 007 • Orator | 5
Special Issue: Passing the torch
ty at the time. No easy task. Especially other business schools. The American
since the School wanted to remain an AACSB, the British AMBA as well as
academic institution. the European EQUIS quality label
were acquired. This immediately land-
ghent and leuven merge ed Vlerick Leuven Gent Management
At K.U.Leuven a similar movement School in a select group of some 20
was underway. The people behind the schools worldwide that meet these
international MBA programme were standards.
on the lookout for their own identi- In addition the School was also included
ty and more decision-making powers. in the Financial Times and Economist
Spurred on by then Education Minister, rankings, where it is classed among the
From left to right: Dean Roland Van Dierdonck, Prime Luc Vandenbossche the idea was sug- European top 10.
Minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt and the late Cécile gested to join forces. And in 1998 it The list of partnerships is long.
Sap, wife of the founder André Vlerick. Talking about became official, Vlerick Leuven Gent With the University of Sankt Gallen
the great ambitions of the school. Management School became the (Switzerland) the School has set up
autonomous business school of Ghent a separate MBA programme special-
University and K.U.Leuven. The spon- ised in financial services. And close
better known as CIM, where he provid- soring universities remain involved but ties were forged with HEC Montreal
ed guidance to numerous young doc- the foundation to grow as a school was (Canada), Stellenbosch (South Africa)
toral students. And lastly, he was also laid. Professor Roland Van Dierdonck and Aston University (UK). In addition
entrusted with the responsibility for the became its first dean. Professor Van Dierdonck could always
interuniversity research programme for fall back on his personal contacts from
innovation and entrepreneurship. globalisation the academic world and from his time
Its ambitions were great. In 1987 the at Harvard, IMD and Chapel Hill.
To chapel hill first memorandum was drawn up on
In 1990 it was time to revitalise body globalisation. But it became serious as one school, three campuses
and mind. Professor Van Dierdonck left of 1995. In the auditoria English was In 2003 they moved again in Ghent,
for the University of North Carolina at used more and more. Foreign employ- from the UCO tower to the distinc-
Chapel Hill. “It was a relief to be able to ees, researchers, professors and stu- tive and completely renovated Groot
do a full year of research. These months dents were attracted in order to con- Seminarie at the Reep, with a fantas-
not only resulted in a book, but also tribute to its international charac- tic campus covering more than 12,000
aroused interest in me for hospital ter. Ties with alumni were rekindled. square metres with gardens, a chapel
management.” In North Carolina he Eight foreign chapters were set up and for events, a library, fully equipped
also acquired the knowledge for the a number of reunions organised. In the reading rooms, debate rooms, a res-
sponsored research centres, which he meantime the School has more than taurant and a lounge, as well as offices
would later open. In 1991 the first com- 11,500 alumni spread across 100 coun- for 130 researchers.
panies were brought on board at Vlerick tries. “It is very important for them to Then it was the turn of the Leuven cam-
to invest in research. Today there are stay involved in the development and pus in Vlamingenstraat. The intention
more than 20 research centres at the dynamics within the School,” states was to expand the School’s facilities in the
School. dean Van Dierdonck. two historical cities that were further-
more close to the sponsoring university
seeking a separate identity accreditations, rankings and in order to optimise cross-pollination.
He came back with his batteries partnerships By January 2007 the renovation was
recharged, and he would need them, complete. In the meantime the School
since the School required increased did not turn a blind eye to opportu-
autonomy. In the 90s a gradual move- nities and challenges outside the bor-
ment took place towards increased ders. After a number of years of getting
focus on post-graduate and post-experi- acquainted the ISM in St. Petersburg
ence market needs. In 1992 the School (Russia) was taken over by Vlerick
moved from the university buildings Leuven Gent Management School.
to its own UCO tower. Four years later On the third campus, both a full-time
Professor Van Dierdonck found himself and part-time MBA programme is
again at the head of the then School for In order to command respect abroad offered in English to an international
Management. For accounting purposes, three approaches are used: accredita- public. n
there was a need for a separate identi- tions, rankings and partnerships with
| Orator • Special Issue • March 007
Who is
Prof. Dr anders aspling?
In line with the School’s international strategy and of Economics. His doctoral thesis on
Swedish labour legislation was ranked
ambitions, the Committee was seeking an inspiring leader among the best at the Stockholm School
with a vision, who had to be able to operate in an of Economics in the 1980s. This was the
reason why he was offered a position as
international context, with a strong academic background professor at the University of Western
and experience in managing a business school. Prof. Australia one year later, which he turned
down in order to become the Human
Dr Anders Aspling embodies all these characteristics. The Resources Manager at SIAB, a compa-
whole School is excited and proud to welcome him aboard. ny with some 10,000 employees and a
turnover of over 1 billion euros.
The new dean of Vlerick Leuven Gent
Management School is a truly global A true citizen of the world, Five years later, he became the President
citizen, with both academic and cor- of IFL. He doubled the size of the insti-
porate leadership experience. He was
with both academic and tution during his seven years there,
President of IFL (Swedish Institute corporate leadership expanding it to 50 faculty members,
of Management) for seven years and experience 60 employees and a turnover of more
Senior Vice President of SIAB (one of than 15 million euros. In 1996, he was
Sweden’s largest and most internation- also invited to join the Board of the
al construction and real estate corpora- EFMD where he is currently serving
tions) for five years. He is a member of Anders and his wife are multilingual his second six-year mandate.
the board of the European Foundation Swedes with wide interests in sports,
for Management Development (EFMD) culture and civil society. As generations Currently, he is a Senior Associate of
since 1996. As the head of the Global of Volvo managers have established, the MIL institute, another Swedish
Responsibility Initiative for EFMD he Swedes and Flemings mix well. The business school. He develops and runs
launched a partnership with the UN Asplings also know Belgium well. They executive education programs there. He
Global Compact, up till now bringing even used to take their spring breaks in also is a partner of the Foresight Group,
some 40 leading companies and busi- Bruges. That will be closer now. They a Swedish international consultant net-
ness schools/learning institutions from also like to spend time in South Africa. work focused on entrepreneurship. His
all over the world together – working on major occupation for the last few years
how to develop a next generation of glo- Anders Aspling is the son of Sven Aspling has been the creation and development
bally responsible leaders. a former famous Swedish polical leader of the Globally Responsible Leadership
who played the role of ombudsman in Initiative - a collaboration between
the transfer of Nordic refugees during EFMD and the UN Global Compact to
World War II. His father was also min- ensure that the next generation of busi-
ister of welfare, social security, health ness leaders will act in a globally respon-
and labor during the period when the sible way.
Swedish welfare state was built. He
Professor inherited a strong humanistic and The Asplings are moving to Gent. They
Anders Aspling social fiber from his parents. In his wish to buy property in the historic heart
will join youth, he played on both the national of the city or somewhere else not too far
the School on a soccer and ice hockey teams and spent away from the School’s Gent Campus.
full-time basis
during the one year of high school in the US, before Anders will join us on a full time basis
summer. studying Business Administration at during the summer. n
the Stockholm School
N De Nederlandstalige versie van dit artikel vindt
u op www.vlerick.be/news/magazine
Special Issue • March 007 • Orator | 7
We don’t teach you anything,
we develop what’s already inside you
n Leading Business School in management n 150 staff members
education n 65 expert faculty
n 50 years of management experience
n About 6,500 executives and managers studying at
n Top 10 in Europe, top 40 worldwide the School every year
n Internationally accredited (EQUIS, AMBA
and AACSB) n 400 MBA and Master Students in Belgium
n Excellent mix of academic knowledge and n 60 MBA students in St.Petersburg
business expertise n More than 80 % of full-time MBA-students
n Permanent stimulation of entrepreneurship are international
and innovation
n 87 company-specific programmes in 2006
n Particular expertise in 3 research domains: doing
n Contracts with over 100 companies to provide
business in Europe, technological venturing and
management development programmes
corporate social responsibility
n Alliances with more than 40 business schools
n Several partnership concepts towards companies
worldwide
and organisations: Research for Business
Partnerships, Campus Partnerships, Chairs, n Broad alumni network: 11,500 graduates in over
Corporate Sponsorships 100 countries in the world
n Associated with two renowned Belgian
Universities:
1 school, 3 campuses
Ghent Campus Leuven Campus St. Petersburg Campus
Reep 1 Vlamingenstraat 83 Birgevaya Liniya 16
B-9000 Gent B-3000 Leuven 199034 St. Petersburg
Tel: + 32 9 210 97 11 Tel: + 32 9 210 98 99 Tel: + 7 812 331 7544
Fax: + 32 9 210 97 00 Fax: + 32 9 210 97 00 Fax: + 7 812 331 7544
info@vlerick.be info@vlerick.be mail@ism-nw.ru
www.vlerick.be www.vlerick.be www.ism-nw.ru