Wilfried Vanhonacker

Wilfried Vanhonacker is recognized as an accomplished scholar, an academic entrepreneur, a pedagogical innovator, and an authority on emerging markets with extensive hands-on management experience in China, Russia, and the MENA region. Wilfried led and played a key role in the creation of the leading business school in Russia (Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO) and China (China-Europe International Business School, CEIBS).

Prior to that, he was the founding director of INSEAD’s successful PhD program and turned the marketing department at UST (Hong Kong) into a world-class academic research department. Most recently, he directed the Olayan Business School at the American University of Beirut (Lebanon), where he held the prestigious Coca Cola Chair in Marketing. In early 2017, he was a research fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, United States).

Managing complex projects in China, Russia, and the Middle East and North Africa over the past 25 years, Wilfried has a deep knowledge and understanding of these challenging markets. This experience and knowledge have allowed him to dedicate himself to consulting and executive development for governments, international organizations and companies. Dr. Vanhonacker’s pioneering work has allowed him to develop a wide network of contacts and the respect and admiration of political and business leaders in China, Russia, and the Arab world. For his contribution to global business and business education, he was unanimously elected as a Distinguished Honorary Member of the European Academy of International Business for 2011.