The mix of educational backgrounds, from business to philosophy, passing from industrial design to robotics, should as always bring a great variety of point of views to the classrooms: Marketing, Organizational Behaviour, Financial Accounting, Managerial Economics or the CAP coaching sessions….

The new academic year  kicked-off with an outdoor team-building activity, taking advantage  of the last of the good weather offered by Brussels! The newcomers were greeted with an introductory session by MBA director Hugues Pirotte, who introduced his team, as well as the structure and content of the programme awaiting them. His presentation was followed by an inspiring demonstration of Susan West, Manager of the MBA Solvay Career Advancement programme. Susan offered a first enthusiastic taste of the unique experience the participants would soon be involved in during this year at the MBA: their career development process. The group were challenged with the question of “Who Are You?”, and the promise that this would be one of the main questions they will be discovering the answer to, over the next few months.

An overall feeling of excitement was clearly palpable and drew all members of the group, extrovert and introvert alike, into the team atmosphere. The groups went on a treasure-hunt discovery of Brussels, following clues along the way in the race to be the first back to the final destination. Cheers rang out as the last group made their way through the doors of “A La Becasse”, where everyone took the opportunity to share a drink and a laugh with new friends.

And so, again this year, a very unique group of participants have started their personal and professional challenge at the MBA Solvay, with a great deal of enthusiasm and sense of group spirit, realising immediately that their personal and professional goals can be better achieved as a team!

And as the MBA Solvay challenge starts for this group, meanwhile, the recruitment process for the next intake is already proceeding, looking for the perfect candidates profiles to maintain the high quality seal of the programme. Several positive meetings took place in September at the MBA Access Fair in Brussels and we will continue recruiting new candidates through other events and info-sessions, coming soon!

MBA participants, faculty and staff are collaborating on making this anniversary a date to remember! There will be an Alumni afternoon in the new Solvay School building and a Gala in the wonderful setting of  the Brussels Stock Exchange! Wee are looking forward to this big event!

MBA Solvay 20-years

Next appointments to discover the MBA Solvay programme are the INFO-SESSIONS on February 17 and March 10.

While on April 7, Solvay Executive Education is presenting its portfolio in management in a special event info-session. This info-session will showcase all our executive education portfolio, during a networking event where you will be able to meet staff, professors, alumni and other future participants. To know more about these programmes or any other Executive Education programme, register now for our SPECIAL EVENT info-session on the 7th of April 2011 at 7pm. Come and discover our MBA, Executive Masters, Advanced, Accelerated and Short programmes!

The MBA class 2010/12 can so take a little breath: it is now a good time to celebrate the MBA Solvay community! On December 9 the MBA Solvay, together with the Student Government and the MBA Solvay Global Women Network will invite students, alumni and professors in the new building to attend a special speaker – Xmas event!

Hugues Pirotte, MBA Solvay Academic Director, will welcome Mrs. Annick Monseuux, former president of Pirelli, to speak about the topic of gender in the business world: “What does it take to climb the pink ladder?”.  Mrs. Annick Monseuux, started her career in 1987 in the software industry, before entering the core of B2B marketing for both Pirelli and Teleroute, in different local and international marketing management roles. Her next career move led her to general management positions still with Pirelli and Wolters Kluwer, initially as Managing Director of a start-up in Italy, then as Chief Operating Officer, heading 25 countries and finally as worldwide Sales and Marketing director for Truck Tires, a €1billion business. She then moved to Executive Board Management, as President of Pirelli franchise-like retail network. In 2008, she started an independent activity supporting her international customers in growing the value of their business (WW sales and marketing organisations design, BU Management, M&A, Commercial Strategy Design and Reorganisations), offering in parallel her professional experience to social businesses to support the launch of commercial activities.

And after the keynote intervention, Vali Lalioti, MBA Solvay class 2009, will introduce the audience to an interactive executive coaching session: “How business coaching can help business leaders unlock difficult challenges and their organizations reach a whole new level…”. Vali Lalioti is an executive coach (http://www.valilalioti.com/) and she will answer your questions on how executive coaching works in a highly interactive and thought provoking session.

A walking cocktail will end the evening and give opportunity for networking with the MBA Solvay community!

The amused class was then hushed into a bus to head for the city centre. The schedule read: team building exercise and discovering Bruxelles from A to Z….ending with a surprise! Alumnis, second-year part timers and the MBA Solvay administration were present, mingling with the newcomers and answering questions where needed. An overall feeling of excitement was clearly palpable and drew otherwise independent, self-relying individuals to being part of the group. Early on everybody realized that from now on they would truly be students again and had to relay on each other to reach their goal! You can view some pictures of the team-building kick-off event at: http://fr-fr.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22764&id=124045657618341&fbid=150393214983585

The Event Agenda is:
4.30pm – 7.30pm / 8.15pm – 9.30pm: One-to-One Meetings and Workshops
7.30pm – 8.15pm Panel Discussion
Location:
Stanhope Hotel
Rue du Commerce 9 Handelsstraat – Troon/Trône Metro Station

The access to the fair for the prospect candidates is free of charge and you can register online for free.

The Access MBA One-to-One event offers quality, personalised services for MBA candidates as this gives qualified professionals the opportunity to meet the MBA Solvay individually or in small groups.

With the great support of our Alumni, we will meet as much as 20 pre-selected candidates! Through one- to one interviews with individuals whose profiles had already been matched with the MBA Solvay requirements, the fair assures a perfect interaction between candidates needs and the School offer. This event offers a platform where the best business schools and the most ambitious students can meet.

Do not miss this opportunity to discover the MBA Solvay on September 23. Register now for the Access MBA Tour in Brussels!

The MBA Solvay class 2010 “just graduated” on July 3: 47 students, with 26 nationalities, 23 languages and 81% of non-local participants.

Even this year, the MBA Solvay really positions itself as an international Master in Business Administration in the heart of Europe, the best place to start a global career. Saturday 3th July 2010 was indeed unique for many people in Brussels. This year again, on that particular day, the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management contributed to the creation of the top business Belgian professionals, making the network of MBA Solvay alumni wider, stronger and more diversified than ever.

But maybe for two people this particular moment was even more special…..We have interviewed the 2 students who had been awarded the BEST MBA SOLVAY STUDENT 2010 diploma: Rie Werner (Ft) and Erik Vennekens (Pt) who  both graduated with high honors!

First of all, congratulations to both! We would like to know more about the life of our best students of this year.

How did you manage to combine your private lives together with the considerable academic workload you had to face during your MBA?

Erik: Which private life? Just joking. I must admit that some of the people around me were wondering whether I was still alive at certain moments. But thanks to the organization of the courses in blocks of two months and in concentrated periods within those two months, there were still quite some moments where I could pick up other activities besides the MBA. I must say that I most admire the people in my class who combined a full time job, the MBA and a new born in the family. Hat off to them!

Rie: The MBA was an intense experience; no doubt about that. For my part, I was privileged to have an encouraging husband and a flexible babysitter. At the same time, it was important for me to still have other activities outside the MBA like running or seeing friends for dinner. I used these moments to fresh my mind and reload my batteries

What is your recipe for “the best in class”? Any suggestions for future participants?

Erik: Help yourself by helping the people around you. I personally came to the most interesting insights by discussing with my classmates. The interaction is most crucial. Never step away from sharing with others what you have worked on or discovered. This will open up new opportunities for interesting discussions and insights.

Rie: We are all different and everybody needs to find his or her own way. My advice, however, would be: Stay curious, open and jump into the MBA experience with both feet. Listen and ask questions. Dare to take your stand and to challenge yourself. And keep in mind that the MBA takes a good deal of self discipline, persistence, and planning.

You just graduated from the MBA Solvay: What do you think you will bring with you? Which  “lesson” you will mostly keep  in your life?

Erik: Apart from the interesting and enriching panoply of new hard skills I have learned, I have been submerged in a bath of intercultural differences. For me this was the first time I worked on projects with non-Europeans. This was a very enriching experience. You could say that you don’t need an MBA for this, but I would disagree with that. The MBA creates a setting where you need to achieve but where you can also experiment, which is quite unique.

Rie: The MBA has been a great experience. I have gained a lot of new insights both professionally and personally. The MBA definitely has changed my way of thinking in several ways. If I should mention one “key lesson”, it would be that “everything is possible”. Instead of focusing on problems or obstacles, the Solvay MBA encourages to see the opportunities in every situation; to raise questions, seek advice and to challenge the assumptions or the rules of the game.

How did you life change with this MBA?

Erik: These two years have definitely changed the way I look at the functioning of a company and, in a broader perspective, at society. My original background is of a technical nature, so things like NPV and five forces were completely off my radar before the MBA. I feel I have a much completer look at the way a company works. This has definitely changed the way I function professionally. It has helped me to better understand the needs of my colleagues and thus increased the transversality of my approach.
In terms of self-development I have discovered the power of the “work hard, play hard” approach. Although known to me on paper, I had never really put it to practice. For me work was work, basta. The MBA (and my fellow students of course) forced me to change my view on this in a very natural way and I am very happy with the result.

Rie: One of the strengths of the Solvay MBA is the diversity, both in terms of nationalities, backgrounds and experiences. During the last year, I have come to appreciate this diversity. I have learned to take the time to listen, understand and proactively seek other perspectives before taking important decisions.

Having done some aftermaths, would you recommend this MBA to any friends, colleagues..etc..? And what would you suggest them to benefit the most from?

Erik: I would definitely recommend it to others. I have found the quality of the professors exceptional and very refreshing. The fact that this program brings together top lecturers from all over the world adds a big plus. What also sets this program apart from others is the intensive coaching on a personal level. High quality feedback is given on a personal basis, both on the side of group interaction and on the side of career development. This program really takes the time and effort to allow you to advance on your personal development.

Rie: Actually, I did just recommend the Solvay MBA to a friend who will start the programme next year.  Based on my experience, I gave her 3 pieces of advice:
1) Make sure to prioritize the personal development pillar and the CAP – despite tons of other deadlines. Personally, I learned a lot about my own strengths, weaknesses, motivations, drive and ambitions.  And I got some useful tools that I can use for the rest of my life
2) Remember that the probably most important lessons are learned not inside the class room but in interaction with your class mates
3) Enjoy and have fun! The MBA-year passes by too quickly!

Alumni of the panel discussion 2009

Another special event for the MBA Solvay community is coming soon! The MBA Solvay Alumni Day! This has become a tradition of the MBA Solvay community, a yearly celebration of the MBA Solvay Community. For the third year now, this exclusive event will bring together the alumni, participants, faculty and corporate partners of the MBA Solvay, with the aim of facilitating networking between alumni, students and corporate, discussing an important hot topic for business and new careers, strengthening the skills of our alumni.

The event will be hosted by our corporate partner Delhaize; it will open with a high level conference on supply-chain management, with the main intervention of Michel Eeckhout, Ceo of Delhaize and other keynote speakers. Followed by an alumni panel discussion – among which Carl Fransman, MCa Solutions and Sergio Barberino, P&G – and moderated by Dirk Van Den Berghe, SVP Procurement Delhaize and Hugues Pirotte, MBA Director – the key-topic will be analyzed from different perspectives and industries. A walking lunch and networking session will close the morning. The event will take place on June 19 2010 and will be another special occasion for an alumni reunion, together with current participants, faculty and corporate members!

Thursday, 11 March 2010
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Thursday, 24 June 2010

Come join us!

Ramon Suarez, MBA alumnus 2008 and Androulla Vassiliou, EU commissioner for Education, at the EU Studies Fair.