Wilfried Vanhonacker

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

Before these entrepreneurial endeavors, he was the founding director of INSEAD’s highly successful PhD program, and built the marketing department at UST (Hong Kong) into a top academic research department. Most recently, he led the Olayan School of Business at the American University of Beirut (Lebanon) where he held the prestigious Coca Cola Chair in Marketing. In early 2017, he was a Research Scholar at MIT Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, USA).

Managing complex projects in China, Russia and MENA over the last 25 years, Wilfried has a deep knowledge and understanding of these challenging markets. This experience and expertise have enabled him to engage in consulting and executive development for governments, international organizations and corporations. Dr. Vanhonacker’s path-breaking work has enabled him to develop an extensive network of contacts, and respect and admiration among political and corporate leaders in China, Russia, and the Arab world. For his contribution to global business and business education, he was elected unanimously as the Distinguished Honorary Fellow of the European International Business Academy for 2011.