ENTREPRENEURSHIP WINTER
SCHOOL BRUSSELS 2013
What happened
January 2013 played host to ThinkYoung's first Winter edition of the Entrepreneurship School Series.
The students were provided an opportunity to learn from 8 speakers over the 5 day period, spend a greater deal of time in Q&A sessions and bond to a greater degree with a smaller group of similarly aged individuals.
Previous speakers such as Madi Sharma, (CEO of Madi Group) and Wytze Russchen (Russchen Consultants) once again, provided extremely inspirational material. The students were able to connect with other likeminded, motivated individuals, sharing their varied levels of experience in Business, ideas of success and fears of failure.
Our aim was to overcome the mental barrier of failure and foster a better mindset regarding risk and reward.
Comments students made in the finishing stages of the Winter School would suggest that they had accepted that it is ok to fail in Business, but acknowledged that standing up, improving and making an active effort for a second, third or fourth time is imperative.
The final day of the school again allowed us to tie loose ends and consolidate the learning process. Student groups were provided concluding information by Steven Price, Founder of the European Institute of Industrial Leadership and given time to prepare and highlight key elements of their knowledge acquisition. The groups then presented this information in a variety of innovative ways to a panel of judges, who identified the winning group and runners up of the Winter School.
Patrick Sapy
Board of Director - MicroStart
Patrick has spent most of his career at Adie, since 1993, where he has successively been adviser, Ile de France regional representative, financial director and manager of partnerships, development and support. He has also led a programme intended for social entrepreneurs, "Entreprendre Autrement chez Réseau Entreprendre". He has worked for five years in two retail banks, French and Italian. At the end of 2010, he launched and developed microStart in Brussels and recruited his team. Patrick is graduate of the Institute of Political Studies of Grenoble, has a master's in Development Economics, another in Banking and Finance and speaks four languages (French, English, Dutch and German).
Marie-Noëlle Keijzer
Chief Executive Officer - WeForest
Looking to have a real and lasting impact, Marie-Noëlle signed up to do her Masters degree in Environmental Sciences.
When graduating in 2009, she took up the challenge to develop WeForest.org and turn it into a world leading sustainable reforestation movement, addressing the planet’s most formidable challenges: global warming and poverty.
Passionate and trained environmentalist, Marie-Noëlle Keijzer is both determined and committed to get the job of making Earth cooler done in her lifetime for herself and for her son!
Madi Sharma
Founder of Madi Group
Madi Sharma is a businesswoman who currently runs the Madi Group - a group of private sector and not for profit companies with a philosophy to create innovative ideas tailored to local action which can achieve global impacts beneficial to society.
The group includes an import/export company, "the ethnic trail..." which actively creates entrepreneurs across Europe; MRS Business, a sourcing and resource company providing back office support to SMEs, "Madi Magnesium", a succesful consultancy which supports SMEs, organisations and Governments to overcome their challenges; and a business brokerage company "I3" which links global corporate companies and governments.
Steven Price
Founder & Executive Director of the European Institute for Industrial Leadership (EIIL)
Steven graduated in Engineering, Manufacture and Management from the University of Manchester, before beginning his career at ICI. For four years he was Project Manager with ICI Engineering where he helped to establish new business ventures in the Far East. He then moved to Brussels as the European Regional IT Manager for ICI Specialities.
Today, among other things, he provides services as an independent project manager and project management 'coach'.
He also helps client's project teams develop the necessary personal and inter-personal skills to work together more effectively. He is a member of the Association for Project Management and Vice Chairman of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Benelux branch.
The Speakers
Wytze Russchen
Founder & Managing Director of Russchen Consultants
After completing his thesis on European integration, Wytze Russchen worked as a private secretary for a Member of the European Parliament. Following this experience, Wytze became spokesman and parliamentary lobbyist of BUSINESSEUROPE, the European employers' organization in Brussels.
He was then appointed Senior Secretary of European Affairs in Brussels. In 2005, Wytze founded Russchen Consultants, which continues to advise various large multinationals and (European) federations in the field of EU public affairs, event management, communication strategy and project management.
Peter Sledsens
Born in 1960, Peter graduated as a high school teacher. Following this, he
spent many years in banking, insurance and real estate both employed and self-employed. Since 1991 he has been an Amway business owner with business
in Belgium, the Netherlands Germany Ukraine Poland and Moskou.
Business Angel, Shareholder - Cockpit Group, Synthetis, Synthetis Metals
Jacques is a serial entrepreneur and a business angel with investments in several Belgian ITC and UK based companies. His experience is based on a successful career as a seasoned Software Sales executive, experienced in the Supply Chain and Manufacturing Execution Software.
