Small Tech versus Big Tech: Disruptors and the Survival of the Corporate Giants
We will ring in the New Year with a Lecture by Wouter Dessein, Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School, and Chris Burggraeve, startup and scale up investor, board member, and former CMO AB InBev. The speakers will navigate the dynamic interplay between David and Goliath in the world of innovation and business in the US, discussing the disruptive forces facing companies today, sharing insights from real life entrepreneurship in the process.
Wouter Dessein is the Eli Ginzberg Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School. Wouter's research interests center on the economics of organizations: the allocation of decision-rights in organizations, the organizational structure of multi-divisional firms, the role of managers in setting firm strategy, and the impact of corporate leaders on the long-term performance of firms. Wouter was an assistant and associate professor of economics at the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, where he taught Competitive Strategy and Organizational Strategy. Among other academic degrees in Europe and the US, Wouter earned a Bachelor in management and applied sciences from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, in 1997.
Chris Burggraeve is a multiple award winning, world-class corporate marketer turned entrepreneur, investor, advisor, public and private board member, adjunct faculty, author, and speaker. End 2012 he joined NYU Stern and the Trium Global MBA Academic Board as adjunct faculty. This academic journey resulted in the publication of two books: “Marketing IS Finance IS Business” (Dec 2018), and "Marketing IS NOT a Black Hole" (May 2021). Among other academic degrees in Europe and the US, Chris earned a Master Degree in Economics and (international) business from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, in 1986.