MSM connects with Limburg business community

Maastricht School of Management was one of the presenting organizations at the Connect Limburg network event held on 15 February. This yearly event brings together entrepreneurs, directors and representatives from the regional business community, knowledge institutes and social organizations. This year’s theme was ‘The power of Limburg’.

During the table conversation MSM Dean Prof. Wim Naudé elaborated on MSM as an institute and its value for the Limburg business community. Professor Naudé explained that MSM is a business driven school with the focus on the implementation of ideas, and on provision of lifelong learning. ‘I daily encounter aspiring entrepreneurs and managers with excellent ideas, we have no shortage of ideas, but almost all of them find it very difficult to implement their ideas. The reason is that to implement any idea one has to work with other people, and managing and leading people are notoriously difficult tasks. Our educational systems, focused on facts and discovery of new facts and ideas are not really oriented to this. This is where MSM contributes to the Limburg economy and beyond’, Professor Naudé said.

He also highlighted the need for managers to be able to turn the rapidly changing technology into sustainable business models. In this context MSM has a great collaboration with RWTH Aachen University and offers educational programs that combine engineering precision with managerial business skills, two key skills needed to deal with the technology push and the upcoming circular economy.

Professor Naudé emphasized that MSM would like to learn from the Limburg business community about the main challenges they are facing in thriving their business and he invited companies to contact MSM to explore the opportunities where MSM can help. MSM’s international network and knowledge can help companies to expand their business in markets they would not have considered.

Erik Joosten, CEO of Arion could only confirm this. After being a mentor of MSM MBA student Raymond Agbanu from Ghana, Raymond was hired by Arion and is currently doing field research in Ghana to investigate the feasibility of opening an Arion office in Ghana, a market which was not in Arion’s strategy before.

The two-hour dynamic event included many different topics and started with governor Theo Bovens reflecting on 150 years Province of Limburg. Before and after the event the guests had the opportunity to network.