Mastering your strategic challenges
In this masterclass, organised by The Federation of Enterprises in Belgium, KU Leuven and UCLouvain, you will sharpen your strategic thinking and explore the intricacies of developing and subsequently executing an effective strategy.
Our goal: taking your knowledge of strategic thinking and execution to the next level!
Programme benefits
Programme benefits
Programme benefits
Programme benefits
What’s in it for you?
Are you the right fit?
Participant profile
The Belgian Business Champions Strategy Masterclass is aimed at C-level executives, high potentials from medium-sized and large firms/organisations, strategy analysts and board members who want to hone their strategic leadership capabilities through concrete, practice-based learning. Admission is subject to approval by the panel.
Admissions
Admission is subject to final approval by a panel of masterclass teachers.
Our masterclass groups are limited to 20 participants in order to provide maximum opportunity for individual discussion and personalised learning.
Masterclass Faculty/coaches
© Alexis Haulot
Professor of Operations Management at Louvain School of Management, UC Louvain, permanent member of the Center of Operations Research and Econometrics, and former Faculty Dean of the Louvain School of Management.
Academic Dean at Flanders Business School, Professor at KU Leuven at the Faculty of Business Economics, co-promotor of ECOOM and responsible for the research activities of INCENTIM.
At KU Leuven and Flanders Business School Edwin Zimmermann participates and (co-)leads various applied research projects that focus on strategy development, innovation and fostering entrepreneurship in various sectors.
© Triptyque
Professor at the Faculty of Law and Criminology and the Louvain School of Management. Honorary Secretary General of VBO FEB.
Professor of Strategy at KU Leuven at the Faculty of Business and Economics and Professor of Strategic Management at IESE Business School, Spain.
© Toon Coussement
Professor and Advisor in Innovation Management and Strategy at UCLouvain.
Professor of strategy at Louvain School of Management, UC Louvain, Vice-rector of UCLouvain in Hainaut, former Faculty Dean of Louvain School of Management.
Senior expert in strategic foresight/future-oriented thinking at KU Leuven (MSI) and Director of the eMBA program at Flanders Business School.
Course outline
The Belgian Business Champions Strategy Masterclass will consist of five full-day sessions, between 19th of January and 31st of May 2024, during which we will delve into both the theory and practice of strategic thinking, strategy formulation and execution.
Session one
Friday, 19 January 2024 – Strategy: Setting the Scene (FEB offices – Brussels)
The aim of this session is to provide key strategic tools as well as a conceptual framework that will be relevant for the discussion of the case studies that will be covered in Sessions Two, Three and Four. Session One will consist of four parts:
- A refresher course on the essence of strategy and what types of decisions are strategic by nature , followed by an overview of major schools of thought in strategy, including guiding frameworks.
- A big picture overview of the international business landscape and the emerging trends and disruptive forces that could impact your business.
- An outline of the framework of the three business case studies and description of the set-up.
- Assignment of a strategic challenge. Each participant will be required to bring to the table a strategic challenge they face in their professional context. Each participant will present their strategic challenge in a 5-minute presentation. Working interactively, the various strategic challenges will be grouped into 4 or 5 strategic themes and assigned to groups of 3 or 4 participants. Each group will be required to evaluate how it would tackle the assigned strategic theme and will be required to present the proposed approach during Session Five.
During session two, three and four, a company case will be discussed in a highly interactive manner
Session two
Session Two: Friday, 2 February 2024 at Spadel (Spa)
Company Case: Spadel – Battling with Giants. Focus on creating a solid foundation on the basis of which profitable growth can be achieved through geographic diversification, product diversification and increased sustainability.
In 2010, in the wake of the global financial crisis, mineral water producer Spadel was facing challenging times. In a shrinking bottled water market characterised by cut-throat competition where Spadel was still highly dependent on the Benelux market, the company’s future seemed uncertain. Faced with threats from all sides, many family businesses would have resigned to selling to the highest bidder – but not Marc du Bois. He was determined to reinvigorate the company and propel it back to success.
Based on public information as well as first-hand accounts from top-level executives who were directly involved, this case study tells the definitive story of how Spadel’s management succeeded in achieving a remarkable turnaround. In this case study we will discuss how, through careful strategic planning and execution over a period of ten years, Spadel has managed to transform itself from a company whose future was uncertain into a regional leader in natural mineral water, with a track record of consistent profitable growth and a powerful commitment to sustainability.
Structure of the full-day in-company sessions
Morning
- Discussion of the case study (pre-reads + interactive discussion)
- Each of the case studies will be supplemented by multiple academic readings
Afternoon
- Q&A with senior management on the output from the morning session
- Presentation by CEO or top-level management on current strategic challenges and interactive discussion
- Company visit
- Work on personal assignment
Session three
Session Three: 15 March 2024 at DEME (Zwijndrecht)
Company case: DEME – Developing Emerging Markets. Focus on developing new activities on top of the existing business.
In 1991, DEME was founded as the holding company for Dredging International and Baggerwerken Decloedt en Zoon, two of the top dredging companies in Belgium. Despite widespread commercial success, DEME’s management team was nevertheless concerned about the cyclical nature of the dredging sector. As a result, DEME decided to intensify its diversification efforts into adjacent activities.
This case study describes in detail how DEME pioneered and expanded the offshore wind power sector. What started with offshore marine foundation activities around the turn of the century evolved into the company’s largest cluster of activities less than 20 years later. Discover how DEME began to develop this emerging market, how this industry became a crucial pillar that allowed DEME to become one of the top dredging companies in Europe, and how it was able to create a sustainable competitive edge.
Structure of the full-day in-company sessions
Morning
- Discussion of the case study (pre-reads + interactive discussion)
- Each of the case studies will be supplemented by multiple academic readings
Afternoon
- Q&A with senior management on the output from the morning session
- Presentation by CEO or top-level management on current strategic challenges and interactive discussion
- Company visit
- Work on personal assignment
Session four
Session Four: Friday, 26 April 2024 at UCB (Braine-l’Alleud)
Copany case: UCB – Capitalising on Continuous Innovation. How to achieve profitable growth in an industry characterised by shifting knowledge bases and long development cycles.
As a global biopharmaceutical company, UCB is committed to developing innovative therapies and solutions to address significant unmet needs for people living with severe diseases. The ambition of its approximately 9,000 employees is to bring clearly differentiated solutions to patients in its two primary therapeutic areas: neurology and immunology. As a mid-sized player, UCB has managed to stay relevant and thrive in a fiercely competitive industry where pharmaceutical giants have dominated the market for decades and scientific advancements have caused the knowledge base to shift more than once.
This case study explores the strategic approach adopted by UCB under the tagline Inspired by patients, driven by science. By recognising its limitations and leveraging its strengths, UCB has managed to carve out a valuable position for itself while continuing to make a meaningful impact in the pharmaceutical sector, proving that success is not solely defined by size and financial means, but also by vision, strategy, innovation and dedication to improving patients’ lives.
Structure of the full-day in-company sessions
Morning
- Discussion of the case study (pre-reads + interactive discussion)
- Each of the case studies will be supplemented by multiple academic readings
Afternoon
- Q&A with senior management on the output from the morning session
- Presentation by CEO or top-level management on current strategic challenges and interactive discussion
- Company visit
- Work on personal assignment
Session five
Friday, 31 May 2024 – Mastering Strategic Challenges (FEB offices – Brussels)
Part One
Each group of participants will present how it would approach tackling the strategic challenge assigned in Session One, followed by a discussion round with a panel of coaches, experts and potentially C-level staff from the participants’ own companies.
Part Two
Keynote speech by a prominent industry personality, followed by a closing speech by Pieter Timmermans, CEO of the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB).
Practical information
Language
English
Course format
Face-to-face and highly engaging interactive sessions, personalised coaching and hands-on assignments
Location
Sessions One and Five will be held in Brussels (Federation of Enterprises in Belgium). Sessions Two, Three and Four will be held on the premises of Spadel, DEME and UCB.
Duration
Five full-day sessions on five Fridays between January 2024 and May 2024
Start date
Friday, 19 January 2024
Participant profile
C-level executives, high potentials from medium-sized and large firms/organisations, strategy analysts and board members
Organisers
Faculty of Business and Economics of KU Leuven, Louvain School of Management of UCLouvain and FEB and the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB).
Qualification
A Certificate of Achievement upon successful completion
Fee
€4,750 (excluding VAT)
Apply
Apply here
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