{"id":191986,"date":"2026-08-25T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ieseg.fr\/?post_type=news&p=191986"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:56:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:56:44","slug":"faculty-maud-van-den-broeke","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.ieseg.fr\/en\/news\/faculty-maud-van-den-broeke\/","title":{"rendered":"[Faculty in the Spotlight] Maud VAN DEN BROEKE, Professor of Operations Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At I\u00c9SEG, professors inspire, challenge, and mentor hundreds of students every year. Each month, we sit down with\u202fa\u202ffaculty member\u202fto dive into their background, their vision, their teaching philosophy, and what truly drives them.\u202fThis month, we met with\u202fMaud VAN DEN BROEKE,\u00a0who has been teaching Operations Management\u00a0on the\u00a0Lille\u00a0campus<\/a>\u202fsince\u00a02016.\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I’m Belgian. I was born in Kortrijk, which is not that far from Lille. I studied Commercial Engineering at KU Leuven<\/a>, and I specialized in Production and Supply Chain Management. That may explain why I\u2019m part of the Operations Management department today at I\u00c9SEG!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that, I did a second\u00a0master\u00a0in General Management\u00a0at\u00a0Vlerick\u00a0Business School, where\u00a0I stayed as a research assistant\u00a0and then as a PhD candidate.\u00a0I did my PhD\u00a0in collaboration with a company called Barco, which is\u00a0a stock-listed global technology company,\u00a0specializing\u00a0in visualization and networking technology for healthcare,\u00a0enterprises\u00a0and entertainment.\u00a0In 2016, right\u00a0after\u00a0my PhD, I\u00a0had the\u00a0opportunity to join\u00a0I\u00c9SEG.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your field of expertise and research?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My specialty is production and operations management,\u00a0and more specifically how it relates to product design and\u00a0Research 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\u00a0different products\u00a0efficiently? That was also the topic of my PhD.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my research and teaching, I now look more at how\u00a0Operations Management\u00a0is impacted by new challenges,\u00a0for 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 \u2014 how to deal with uncertainty in supply chains.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you decide to become a professor?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 I hope it keeps me young too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What courses do you teach at I\u00c9SEG and in which programs?\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since joining I\u00c9SEG, I’ve mainly taught one course: Introduction to Operations Management, in the second year. I teach in the Grande \u00c9cole 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you introduce them to this topic they’ve never seen before?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I always start the class by asking if they know what Operations\u00a0Management\u00a0is \u2014 and they\u00a0don’t. So,\u00a0I introduce them to many different topics\u00a0related to OM, with almost\u00a0each\u00a0session covering something different, just to trigger their interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0I’m\u00a0in 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.\u00a0If something I ordered online arrives the next day, I ask myself how they did it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operations management is\u00a0very broad: we discuss how to become more productive, how to decide where to\u00a0locate\u00a0a facility, how to manage bottlenecks, how much inventory to hold, how to be more resilient or sustainable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I alternate between different methods \u2014\u00a0explaining concepts,\u00a0exercises, discussions, games, case studies, presentations\u00a0\u2014 so it\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0feel monotonous\u00a0for students.\u00a0I often use learning by\u00a0doing. They get\u00a0an exercise\u00a0and\u00a0have to\u00a0figure out how to solve it, which\u00a0gets\u00a0them more involved than if I just explained the topic.\u00a0I\u00a0developed the\u00a0Competitive\u00a0Car Production Game\u00a0with my colleague Tanja\u00a0MLINAR, and I also\u00a0use\u00a0the beer distribution game, which is a well-known game in Operations Management. I\u00a0also have my own\u00a0game on\u00a0facility\u00a0location.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also\u00a0have many\u00a0discussions\u00a0with them\u00a0and\u00a0give\u00a0real-life examples, such as\u00a0the\u00a0Adidas\u00a0company: why did they\u00a0shifted production from China to Germany and later reversed that decision?\u00a0This sparks students\u2019 interest and\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0the relevance of operations\u00a0management methods in real-world business contexts, making the learning experience more vivid and engaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has your teaching evolved over time, especially with AI?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It changed a lot in 10 years. COVID brought all the online teaching, and now AI is drastically changing things.\u00a0I think the focus\u00a0is now even more on interaction than on information exchange.\u00a0As a professor, my role\u00a0is shifting even more toward those moments of discussion, because knowledge is available everywhere now. You could wonder whether our role will disappear \u2014 but I think at a school like\u00a0I\u00c9SEG, the interactive aspects are what make the difference. So,\u00a0I try to\u00a0adapt\u00a0the course even more in that direction: more discussion, more exercises done together.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, in some ways\u00a0we’re\u00a0also going back to more old-fashioned approaches \u2014 like paper exams. The way students process information is\u00a0very different\u00a0now.\u00a0I’m\u00a0not scared of AI in class.\u00a0I even say during discussions, “You can look things up,” but then we try to critically discuss what we find. We\u00a0can’t\u00a0stop AI, so we should embrace it, but try to make the class even more human.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does I\u00c9SEG\u2019s mission \u2014 empowering changemakers for a better society \u2014 and its values (ARISE) resonate with you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if I had to pick one of the I\u00c9SEG values, I would say “engagement. For me, it’s about engaging in everything you do \u2014 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you do to support students in their learning, in or outside of class?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It’s super important to me that everyone understands \u2014 even if I have to re-explain.\u00a0I want students to leave class feeling that it was worth coming. Outside of class, they can of course ask\u00a0questions\u00a0and I re-explain when needed.\u00a0I really try to create an environment where they feel safe asking questions. Being kind helps here \u2014 they feel comfortable saying “I don’t understand.” When that happens, sometimes the others continue with exercises while I re-explain to the group\u00a0that’s\u00a0struggling. I also ask students who have\u00a0understood\u00a0to explain to\u00a0the others. They feel like the teacher for a moment, and it works for both sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude,\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0your\u00a0favorite\u00a0memory at\u00a0I\u00c9SEG so far?\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I think the best moments\u00a0are those perfect classes that are hard to describe \u2014 where the energy is\u00a0just right, everyone is\u00a0engaged,\u00a0they help each other, and it\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0feel like a class anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At I\u00c9SEG, professors inspire, challenge, and mentor hundreds of students every year. 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