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Meet MSM's faculty members: introducing Wynand Bodewes

02-07-2018

Maastricht School of Management provides scientific knowledge allowing managers and entrepreneurs to make evidence-based decisions. To achieve our mission we encourage and support our faculty members in a broad range of areas. MSM’s faculty members are passionate about what they do and tenacious in finding solutions to the toughest business challenges. Each month MSM will highlight one of its faculty members and this month the spotlight is on Wynand Bodewes.

Let me introduce myself…
As an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at MSM I teach several entrepreneurship courses in the Master in Management (MM), Master in Business Administration (MBA) and Executive MBA (EMBA) programs. Besides this, I am also Academic Coordinator of MSM’s executive Education programs.

Because of my fond memories of the city Maastricht I did not have to think twice…
After gaining work experience in various positions during my studies I started as doctoral researcher at Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) in 1993 and became an Assistant Professor of Strategy in 1998. After a few years, in 2001, I co-founded eShip (the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship) were I introduced and coordinated two MS.c. tracks in Entrepreneurship and introduced two Entrepreneurship minors. Beside this, I became part-time lector at the Hogeschool Rotterdam with the aim to drive and introduce Entrepreneurship education across its programs. In 2009 Maastricht University (UM) approached me with the question to introduce Entrepreneurship courses across its degree programs. Because of my fond memories of the city – I did my Master thesis at the UM – I did not have to think twice…so together with my wife and two young kids we moved to Maastricht in 2009 to start working for the UM. In 2016 I decided to move on and started a new adventure at MSM.

Creating value out of nothing is one of the most intriguing dimensions of entrepreneurial initiative…
In my position as academic coordinator, I guard the academic integrity of MSM’s open-enrollment executive programs (EP) and support program development with the aim to cater to market needs. It is our aim to support professional development of young and/or midcareer management professionals. The unique heritage and network of MSM allows us to introduce distinctive and attractive programs for those who are willing to commit effort, time and money to strengthen skills and deepen one’s knowledge. My other main task at MSM is teaching Entrepreneurship. From that perspective I see strong similarities between building an EP portfolio and starting a new business. Entrepreneurs need to be resourceful and creative. Their quest to create value out of nothing is one of the most intriguing dimensions of entrepreneurial initiative. Throughout my career, I have witnessed how demanding entrepreneurship education can shape the mindset, competencies and motivations of future entrepreneurs. Based on my experience I have recently launched open enrollment programs on New Venture Creation and Rethinking your business model. These two programs will start in September of this year. For many years MSM has been a breeding ground for ambitious entrepreneurship. For example Hainan airlines in China, and one of the largest private taxi companies in Ho Chi Min city in Vietnam where founded by MSM alumni. I hope that also in the future we will be able to inspire several students and alumni to choose their own path and to build a new company.

Through educating our students our impact lasts much longer than most academic contributions…
In the 1 ½ years that I work for MSM I have learned how rewarding it is to work in a team of professionals with a network of truly amazing partners who contribute to global development through education. Being a global player, firmly rooted in the Netherlands, I hope we can increase the visibility of our impact. It is not “the school” that is on a mission, but it is the MSM team as a community of practice together with our students and partners that enables MSM to make a real contribution. Through educating our students, our impact lasts much longer than most academic contributions.

The scholarly network that I am active in…
Ever since I became a doctoral researcher, I have been reviewing for the Academy of Management. The Academy of Management is the largest association of management researchers. With its annual meeting, attended by a few thousand researchers from all over the world, you have the possibility to explore new topics and to learn about new fields. Reviewing for this conference is very inspiring. You give but you also learn a lot. Nevertheless, I do actually spend more time hanging out with entrepreneurs and investors than with active researchers.

The persons that I admire in life are…
For me that must be Thomas Edison. He was not only a great inventor and scientist, but also a successful entrepreneur. His drive was to invent solutions for problems worthwhile solving, and to ensure that these solutions would reach consumers as actual products. But also Anton Phillips could serve as inspiration as he infringed on the patent rights of Thomas Edison to introduce more affordable lightbulbs to European markets. This somewhat murky start of the Phillips Corporation is interesting in the light of alleged patent infringements by Chinese companies. In the case of Philips, it was not about copying someone else’s ideas, but to use those to make something that is even better than the original. As the late Steve Jobs once said: “Good artists copy; great artists steal.”

In my spare time you can often find me…
I think that by now, many know that horse riding is one of my passions (I just broke a collar bone when my horse stumbled in a hole while doing a gallop). Since joining MSM, I have been able to ride horses in Egypt and Peru. I already look forward to my upcoming teaching assignment in Mongolia… My other passions are cooking and hiking. This year, my wife and I already walked more than 800 km. Hiking invites to appreciate the wonders of nature but also to reflect on work and family.

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