Antwerp Management School appoints Wouter Dewulf as new dean
Antwerp Management School appoints Wouter Dewulf, Academic Director of the Master in Maritime and Air Transport Management, as its new dean. He succeeds Steven De Haes, who led the school as dean for nearly eight years. In his new role, Wouter aims to further strengthen the school’s international position, with a strong focus on innovation, future-oriented leadership, and lifelong learning for professionals and organizations. Official commencement of service will take place in September.
Wouter Dewulf brings a broad mix of international corporate and academic experience to his new role. He began his career at British Airways and Sabena Technics, after which he spent eleven years at Van Gansewinkel. He later transitioned to academia. Since 2015, he has been affiliated with the University of Antwerp, where he currently serves as academic director of the Master’s program in Maritime and Air Transport Management at Antwerp Management School and gives guest lectures at institutions including KEDGE Business School, MIT, and Hasselt University.
As dean, Wouter wants to build on what sets Antwerp Management School apart today: a strong academic foundation, close ties with organizations, and a distinctly international outlook. He sees management education evolving in the coming years from traditional knowledge transfer to an environment in which leaders learn to deal with uncertainty, accelerating technology, societal pressure and complex decision-making. According to him, topics such as AI, sustainability, talent management, entrepreneurship and geopolitical change call for leaders who not only think strategically, but also act in a connecting, responsible and execution-oriented way.
The goal for the coming years is to further strengthen AMS’s position as a business school that helps leaders and organizations make a real impact. This means investing in strong learning and expertise domains, lifelong learning for professionals, international collaboration, and a deeper connection with the University of Antwerp and other academic institutions. Wouter wants to focus in particular on quality, relevance, and scale: programs and partnerships that are academically strong, aligned with the challenges faced by companies and public organizations, and that simultaneously contribute to the school’s international reputation.
Wouter Dewulf states: “Antwerp Management School is at an important turning point. I am taking on this role because I believe AMS has everything it needs to become even more internationally relevant: a strong academic foundation, its anchoring in the University of Antwerp, a unique relationship with companies and organizations, and an ecosystem in Antwerp and Flanders that matters globally. The opportunity lies in connecting those strengths more sharply to the big questions leaders face today: AI, international competition, talent management, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and geopolitical uncertainty.
For me, ‘Opening Minds to Impact the World’ means that management education must go beyond knowledge transfer alone. It is about leaders who dare to think critically, can look at the world through an international lens, and take responsibility in complex environments. Professionally and personally, that aligns closely with what I want to do with AMS: connect people, organizations and ideas, push boundaries, and ensure that the programs we develop and deliver here in Antwerp also have international impact.”
Jan Remeysen, Chairman of AMS’s Board of Directors, continues: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to sincerely thank Steven De Haes for his exceptional leadership as dean over the past eight years. With vision, drive and an entrepreneurial spirit, he guided Antwerp Management School through challenging times and strengthened the school’s growth, portfolio, reputation, and both its local and international ties with academic and business partners. Under his leadership, AMS has further expanded its impact as a leading management school. We are especially pleased that Steven will remain affiliated with AMS in the future as Professor of Digital Governance.
At the same time, we have every confidence in Wouter Dewulf as the new dean. Wouter knows the school inside out and brings a unique combination of academic expertise, international experience, and business insight. Thanks to his strong local and international network, he is ideally positioned to shape AMS’s next phase of growth. I wish him every success in this new role, and together with him and the entire AMS community, we look to the future with great confidence.”
“The challenges organizations and professionals face today do not stop at national borders. That is why knowledge, innovation and talent remain essential to staying internationally relevant,” Steven De Haes concludes. “For 65 years, Antwerp Management School has been building bridges between academic research, entrepreneurship and real-world impact. Together with strong partners from the business world, the public sector and academia, we help leaders and organizations adapt to a rapidly changing world. In line with that ambition, we will continue to invest in future-oriented leadership, innovation and lifelong learning. I am fully confident that Wouter will further strengthen that international ambition and lead the school into its next phase with the same open mindset and entrepreneurial spirit.”
About Antwerp Management School
For more than 65 years, Antwerp Management School (AMS) has been creating value for organizations and businesses by focusing on the sustainable transformation of individuals, teams, and organizations from a global perspective. Through its high-quality management education and research, the school provides a strong impetus for economic and societal development in Belgium and far beyond.
Around 70 faculty members inspire approximately 900 students each year across our Master’s, PhD, and executive education programs. In addition, we welcome 3,000 professionals annually through B2B solutions and events. The school is renowned for its personal approach, which is highly valued by its community of more than 26,000 alumni representing 96 countries.
