Dries Faems

Dries Faems is a prominent figure in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management. Here are some key details about his background and role:

Academic Position

Dries Faems holds the Chair of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technological Transformation at WHU. He serves as the academic director of two important initiatives:

1. The WHU Entrepreneurship Center
2. The WHU Global Online MBA program

Research and Expertise

Professor Faems specializes in several areas:

• Collaboration for innovation
• Alliance activities and their impact on firm performance
• Management of open innovation strategies

His research has been published in prestigious journals like the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Management Studies.1

Educational Background

• PhD in Applied Economics from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
• Master's degree in Commercial Engineering (magna cum laude) from the same institution

Professional Experience

Before joining WHU, Professor Faems held positions at:

• University of Twente (Assistant and Associate Professor)
• University of Groningen (Full Professor of Innovation & Organization)

He currently also serves as a Visiting Professor at Ghent University in Belgium and LUISS Business School in Italy.1

Focus on Generative AI

Professor Faems has been actively involved in integrating generative AI into business education and development:

• He leads bootcamps and workshops on leveraging generative AI tools for business applications
• His sessions cover practical use cases such as customer interviews, competitor analysis, and business model development using AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude AI2

Teaching Approach

Faems emphasizes hands-on learning experiences, focusing on practical applications of AI in business contexts. His workshops and bootcamps are designed to provide participants with actionable skills in using generative AI for tasks like:

• Improving ideation capabilities
• Facilitating customer exploration
• Optimizing data-driven decisions
• Automating various business tasks2

Through his work, Professor Dries Faems is at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge AI technologies into business education and entrepreneurship training at WHU.