Discover Benelux | Top Flemish Education | Building a Bright Future!
A full-time business programme graduation ceremony.
Opening minds to impact the world TEXT: EVA MENGER | PHOTOS: ANTWERP MANAGEMENT SCHOOL
Antwerp Management School is celebrating 60 years of international success. Located in the diamond capital of the world, it seems only right for them to celebrate this diamond anniversary. And as if that is not enough reason for a celebration, the institution has also just moved to a brand-new campus, allowing them to continue to grow and provide high-quality, practical business education and management development for graduates, professionals and corporations for another 60 years. Antwerp Management School (AMS) was founded in 1959, after a group of professors came back to Belgium after teaching at various American business 34 | Issue 63 | March 2019
schools. The founding professors used their experiences to set up a business school that offered the first executive business master’s degrees in Belgium. Initially part of the University of Antwerp, AMS became an independent organisation in 2008. “We’re still closely tied to the University of Antwerp,” dean Steven De Haes tells us. “But our independence allows us to position ourselves as a more agile and market-driven institution. Since learning from real-life business case studies is one of the cornerstones of our educational system, we want to be as embedded within society as possible. We teach our students to put great emphasis on evaluating the human-centred design
of an organisation and to have a holistic approach.”
Embracing their location What makes Antwerp Management School unique is the way in which they embrace their location. Antwerp is a harbour city at heart, with global supply chains and logistics as a strong economic driver. Does that not spark your interest? Do not dismiss Antwerp just yet: the versatile city is equally appealing to engineers, entrepreneurs and creatives alike. With a vast creative sector powered by the number one diamond industry, Antwerp has become an important breeding ground for international fashion brands to flourish in. Still not convinced? Then know that the city is also interna-