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At IÉSEG, professors inspire, challenge, and mentor hundreds of students every year. Each month, we sit down with a faculty member to dive into their background, their vision, their teaching philosophy, and what truly drives them. This month, we met with Maud VAN DEN BROEKE, who has been teaching Operations Management on the Lille campus since 2016.  

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

I’m Belgian. I was born in Kortrijk, which is not that far from Lille. I studied Commercial Engineering at KU Leuven, and I specialized in Production and Supply Chain Management. That may explain why I’m part of the Operations Management department today at IÉSEG!

After that, I did a second master in General Management at Vlerick Business School, where I stayed as a research assistant and then as a PhD candidate. I did my PhD in collaboration with a company called Barco, which is a stock-listed global technology company, specializing in visualization and networking technology for healthcare, enterprises and entertainment. In 2016, right after my PhD, I had the opportunity to join IÉSEG. 

What is your field of expertise and research?

My specialty is production and operations management, and more specifically how it relates to product design and Research and Development (R&D). It has always been a passion for me. I find it fascinating: how are products made? How can you produce many different products efficiently? That was also the topic of my PhD. 

In my research and teaching, I now look more at how Operations Management is impacted by new challenges, for example, digitization, human-machine interaction, sustainability, closed-loop supply chains, and what we call the “future of work,” which looks at how well-being is increasingly considered in operations. We also work on resilience — how to deal with uncertainty in supply chains. 

Why did you decide to become a professor?

I never had a predefined career plan but the job had all the ingredients I like. When I was studying, I always studied out loud, explaining things as if there were an audience. I also love research, continuous learning, and collaborating with companies to improve things in a rigorous way. And then, being with young people — I hope it keeps me young too!

For me, a good professor is knowledgeable about the topic, but equally good at engaging with students and exchanging ideas. Exchange plays a huge part in that role. Of course, there are tough days, but when a class goes well, it really gives you energy, even when teaching at 8 in the morning.

What courses do you teach at IÉSEG and in which programs? 

Since joining IÉSEG, I’ve mainly taught one course: Introduction to Operations Management, in the second year. I teach in the Grande École Program, Bachelor in International Business, and in the Entrepreneurship track. The content can vary slightly depending on the number of sessions, but the general idea is to introduce students to the basics of Operations Management, also called OM. I’m usually one of the first professors they meet who really talks about operations.

How do you introduce them to this topic they’ve never seen before?

I always start the class by asking if they know what Operations Management is — and they don’t. So, I introduce them to many different topics related to OM, with almost each session covering something different, just to trigger their interest.

I really try to show students that operations management is increasingly relevant today. We can see operations management constantly in our daily lives. For example, if I’m in a queue at a shop, I think about how it could be improved. If a product is out of stock, I wonder how they managed inventory. If something I ordered online arrives the next day, I ask myself how they did it. 

Operations management is very broad: we discuss how to become more productive, how to decide where to locate a facility, how to manage bottlenecks, how much inventory to hold, how to be more resilient or sustainable. 

I alternate between different methods — explaining concepts, exercises, discussions, games, case studies, presentations — so it doesn’t feel monotonous for students. I often use learning by doing. They get an exercise and have to figure out how to solve it, which gets them more involved than if I just explained the topic. I developed the Competitive Car Production Game with my colleague Tanja MLINAR, and I also use the beer distribution game, which is a well-known game in Operations Management. I also have my own game on facility location.  

I also have many discussions with them and give real-life examples, such as the Adidas company: why did they shifted production from China to Germany and later reversed that decision? This sparks students’ interest and demonstrates the relevance of operations management methods in real-world business contexts, making the learning experience more vivid and engaging.

How has your teaching evolved over time, especially with AI?

It changed a lot in 10 years. COVID brought all the online teaching, and now AI is drastically changing things. I think the focus is now even more on interaction than on information exchange. As a professor, my role is shifting even more toward those moments of discussion, because knowledge is available everywhere now. You could wonder whether our role will disappear — but I think at a school like IÉSEG, the interactive aspects are what make the difference. So, I try to adapt the course even more in that direction: more discussion, more exercises done together. 

Interestingly, in some ways we’re also going back to more old-fashioned approaches — like paper exams. The way students process information is very different now. I’m not scared of AI in class. I even say during discussions, “You can look things up,” but then we try to critically discuss what we find. We can’t stop AI, so we should embrace it, but try to make the class even more human. 

Does IÉSEG’s mission — empowering changemakers for a better society — and its values (ARISE) resonate with you?

It is in every one of my topics. Our students will be the managers of tomorrow, so they will have to be ready to deal with changes. I believe adaptation is the new competitive advantage. Young people are really good at adapting, so it is a skill they should not loose, especially in an even more rapidly changing business context. 

And if I had to pick one of the IÉSEG values, I would say “engagement. For me, it’s about engaging in everything you do — not only in class, but in life. You only do things well if you truly engage. That applies to careers, but also to friendships and everything else. 

How you do to support students in their learning, in or outside of class?

It’s super important to me that everyone understands — even if I have to re-explain. I want students to leave class feeling that it was worth coming. Outside of class, they can of course ask questions and I re-explain when needed. I really try to create an environment where they feel safe asking questions. Being kind helps here — they feel comfortable saying “I don’t understand.” When that happens, sometimes the others continue with exercises while I re-explain to the group that’s struggling. I also ask students who have understood to explain to the others. They feel like the teacher for a moment, and it works for both sides. 

To conclude, what’s your favorite memory at IÉSEG so far? 

I think the best moments are those perfect classes that are hard to describe — where the energy is just right, everyone is engaged, they help each other, and it doesn’t feel like a class anymore.