Our Dean’s Club is a prestigious, invitation-only community comprised of CEOs and Managing Directors from the trusted network of business partners of Antwerp Management School (AMS). Founded in May 2021, the club meets twice annually to encourage open discussions around the most pressing challenges facing business and society today. By bringing together leaders from the corporate world, academia, and government, we strive to identify impactful solutions and exemplify positive leadership in an ever-changing landscape.
And that we did. It was a lively discussion with interesting input coming from all sides. Seeing everyone involved, caring and enthousiastic led to the two main conclusions written below.
A special thank you goes out to three people who have helped make this all happen. Firstly, Prof. Dr. Robert Burgelman, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Fiel Vanthemse, Deputy Permanent Representative of Belgium to NATO. Both gentlemen came well prepared and helped us kickstart a well-grounded discussion. Secondly, Prof. Dr. Steffi Weil, who helped facilitate the discussion, gave us time to highlight the pressing issues, and dictated the pace of the session when things were moving along quite fast.
Please read below the main conclusions:
In hard times, it’s important to keep innovating
Crises push organizations and societies to make tough choices. But pulling back on innovation during hard times is a mistake - one that both history and recent experience make clear. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, forced companies to digitize fast, rethink supply chains, and build resilience. Crisis doesn’t freeze progress, it triggers it. But only for those who keep moving.
That message stood out clearly at the latest Dean’s Club from Antwerp Management School. Both keynote speakers and participants agreed: in a world shaped by geopolitical instability and shifting alliances, standing still is not an option. Whether we’re talking about cybersecurity, energy, healthcare, or defense, businesses that keep innovating in uncertain times come out stronger. Professor Robert Burgelman called this “Moore’s Second Law” - the idea that in difficult times, innovation must continue, otherwise we are that much more behind when the crisis passes.
Belgian SMEs, in particular, know what it means to adapt. They’ve learned to compete alongside much larger global players. Now is the time to turn those lessons into action, by streamlining operations, adopting smart technologies like AI, and focusing on what truly drives value. For European companies, innovation means investing in both hard power - like defense and cybersecurity - and soft power - such as intelligence and adaptability - so that businesses and countries can stay resilient and competitive, even in uncertain times. It also means embracing collaboration, both within and across borders, to share knowledge and resources. And it means seeing failure not as a setback, but as a valuable learning opportunity.
More broadly, innovation is a mindset - one that builds societal resilience through strong systems, shared values, and the willingness to work together. A broader societal mindshift is needed, so that innovation becomes everyone’s business, not just the responsibility of a few.
In short: leaders who keep innovating through adversity don’t just protect their organizations, they help build a stronger, more future-ready society. As the group concluded: the future belongs to those who keep moving, even when the path isn’t clear.
The fundamental challenge on a European level is how we are going to develop a geopolitical strategy
Europe stands at a crossroads. The world has shifted from a stable, bipolar order to a complex, multipolar reality. Old certainties - like reliable US support - can no longer be taken for granted. The war in Ukraine, rising populism, and the assertiveness of powers like China have exposed Europe’s vulnerability: a lack of coherent geopolitical strategy.
This challenge goes beyond military spending or economic policy. It’s about defining Europe’s interests, building unity, and finding the leadership to act decisively on the global stage. As Professor Robert Burgelman emphasized, Europe has relied too long on “strategic somnambulism” - moving without a clear plan while depending on others for security. If Europe wants to preserve its autonomy, it must act. That means a clear geopolitical strategy and real commitment to security, diplomacy, and innovation.
But developing a European geopolitical strategy means answering tough questions: who speaks for Europe? Will it be France? Germany? Or the UK? How do we balance national interests with collective action? And can we move quickly enough in a crisis, or does our commitment to democracy slow us down? To move forward, Europe needs more than internal debate. Only with strategic leadership - capable of uniting diverse interests and acting decisively - can the continent avoid being sidelined.
Europe’s strength has always been its values and its ability to collaborate. But values alone are not enough. The group agreed that, at the European level, investing in both hard power and soft power is necessary for building a coherent geopolitical strategy. At the same time, Europe needs to form new strategic partnerships and reduce its reliance on traditional sources of support - such as the United States for security and Russia for energy. By building new alliances and becoming less dependent on these established relationships, Europe can strengthen its position.
The path forward is not easy, but the Dean’s Club participants were clear: Europe’s future depends on its ability to define its interests, act with unity, and develop a true geopolitical vision. This is the fundamental challenge of our time.
