“THEORY IS IMPORTANT, BUT YOU LEARN AT LEAST JUST AS MUCH FROM EACH OTHER”
TIAS EXPERIENCE
“The reason I signed up for the program was because I felt a strong urge to learn and absorb knowledge again.” Today we sit down with Bas van Vugt, Executive Director of Rabo Investments. Bas is in the home stretch of his capstone project for the Executive MBA program at TIAS. “I wanted to draw inspiration from the question of how to achieve success for businesses, both large and small, and how to operationalize that around major transition themes.”
Purpose
Prior to joining Rabo Investments Bas had been with Heineken for almost 14 years in a variety of roles, both in the Netherlands and abroad. At a certain point, he decided to move on – not because it was no longer enjoyable, quite the contrary in fact. “I wanted to progress, not necessarily in terms of career. More in terms of my contribution to the greater good and by fulfilling purpose through work. I decided to take a sabbatical with my family, to make time for the things that really mattered. After that I started talking not only with people in my network, but also and especially with people outside my network. That’s how I discovered that Food & Agri is the sector where my heart lies. Food is a major issue in the climate crisis and in health, as well as for the food supply of 10 billion people in the near future. I realized just how fundamental this is, with an acute need for innovation where I could make my contribution.”
Interest in startups and scaleups
At the same time, the world of startups and scaleups really spoke to Bas. “To gain a solid understanding of this world within the Food & Agri sector, I decided to focus on investments in this field. Then I was invited to join Rabo Investments, and given the opportunity to do exactly that. As I wanted to broaden my perspectives on business and deepen my knowledge of Food & Agri, I started looking for the right program. Before leaving Heineken, I’d already done a kind of mini-MBA at INSEAD in France. But I wanted more. I wanted to take in all the MBA knowledge, while also becoming thoroughly familiar with the world of Food & Agri. The Executive MBA (EMBA) at TIAS, in combination with the Food & Agri track at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), was the perfect match for me.”
‘The combination of business and society is quite powerful.’
One more reason to choose TIAS
“Another reason why I opted for TIAS is that, aside from the EMBA piece, it also has a strong society component. I think the combination of business and society is quite powerful. You can’t lead an organization from a purely business perspective anymore. Businesses are required to take an active role and stand, and to be part of the solution for large societal issues. This takes a different kind of leadership. Here, leadership is about truly understanding how business and society can reinforce each other for the greater good, and is about bringing people together to actually realize these transitions. You can only do that by finding each other, not by polarizing. That really shines through in the program.”
Name Bas van Vugt
Position Executive Director at Rabo Investments. In this role, Bas is responsible for strategic investments in startups and scaleups in areas vital to both society and Rabobank, such as the food system transition and the energy transition, as well as FinTech.
Program Executive MBA, in combination the with Food & Agri track at Wageningen University & Research. “You can’t lead an organization from a purely business perspective anymore. Businesses are required to take an active role and stand, and to be part of the solution for large societal issues. This takes a different kind of leadership.”
Leadership development
Bas’s favorite aspect of the EMBA leadership program is how students get the opportunity to learn from each other. “It really teaches you about yourself. You compare yourself to others because you see things in others and wonder how you could do them yourself. All throughout the program, you’re all working together in groups. This creates a different dynamic than a work situation where you serve in a role based on leadership or a specific discipline. Once you start working in groups where everyone is equal, you really seek out your own role. Sometimes you take on a role because others are not, but you might also not take on a role because someone else already has. That taught me to be far more conscious of the role I do or don’t want to take on in a group at different times. The context is really key here, due to the different people and roles in these groups.”
Trail in Austria: increasing self-awareness by helping each other
One part of the EMBA program is the trail in Austria. Definitely a major plus for Bas. “Having a few days set aside to work on yourself is a real gift. The main thing I took from it and what really appealed to me was how nice it is to spend time with a group of like-minded people, and especially to help each other. Because you see parallels with your own experiences, things really start to click fairly quickly. It’s like a breath of fresh air. Of course you learn a lot of theory in the different EMBA modules, but you learn at least just as much discussing each other’s personal learning goals. The trail really increased my self-awareness, not so much by working on it myself, but mainly by working on it with others. You also come out of it with some strong friendships.”
Trail activities
The trail days started at the crack of dawn with physical exercises to raise awareness of the interaction between body and mind, followed by a walk or brisk hike, interspersed with meditation and space to reflect on the topics – by yourself, one-on-one or in small groups.
‘You learn to see the connections, the dependencies, and how it all fits together.’
From a broad vision to keen judgment “You develop a broad vision by expanding your awareness with a kind of 360º view that also cuts across different dimensions,” Bas adds. “You learn to see from a macro perspective. Such as from financial markets, as well as from social and geopolitical perspectives, and have a much clearer view of how all movements play out in business. This also helps you see the connections, the dependencies, and how it all fits together. That sharpens your judgment, so you can quickly see all the interconnections.”
Personal transition When Bas looks at his personal development, he notices that the program clearly showed him his strengths and weaknesses. “And especially what energizes me. What I want to do and where I can help to make a difference. You get inspired to take action and take responsibility. For instance, together with others we set up a large initiative to help thousands of refugees from Ukraine. The feeling of wanting to make a difference, which grew over the course of the program certainly had to do with this.”
Rwanda trip: helpful advice for local business owners
The trip to Rwanda, a new component of the EMBA, is designed so participants actually go into the country and help local business owners. Bas: “I wouldn’t have missed that experience for the world. Aside from the fact that Rwanda is a beautiful country and also unique due to its recent history and the impact that still has on its society, it was great that we were quickly put in touch with local businesses who were asking for advice on certain matters. We set off into the field, both literally and figuratively, to gain a real understanding of the issues facing Food & Agri companies in particular, from all different angles, so we could provide them with advice. It was wonderful to see how it actually helped these businesses.”
Connection is key
When Bas thinks about what he got out of the Rwanda trip, three big take-aways come to mind. “Bringing about a change or a transition is about uniting people around a topic or theme. One distinctive feature of Rwanda is that the culture really needs that connection again, due to its recent history. So making those connections with each other, and really seeing each other’s point of view, was critical.”
The relevance of entrepreneurship
“In addition, entrepreneurship is even more important in developing markets than in developed markets. Like how you seize on opportunities and quickly familiarize yourself with things so you can truly make a difference. So when you look at making a difference, it’s not just about setting up a new business. With Food & Agri, it’s also about the relevance. The business owners’ questions touched on issues which, directly or indirectly, make a major contribution to society in terms of the food supply and food security.”
A nice test
“And because you come together in a completely different setting, the Rwanda trip was also a nice test of whether you can take the knowledge and skills you’ve gained and put them into practice in a completely different situation and context. You learn so much from it, including about yourself.”
Connections at every level
Making connections is one skill where the program reaffirmed Bas’s ability to make a difference. “In the past few years at Heineken I was working to bring major innovations to the market in different regions. I really enjoyed that because it brought everything together for me: making connections on the abstract, conceptual level, thinking them through in practice and organizing the execution, bringing people together around a topic, idea or concept, and making sure everyone can make their contribution. Of course that involves leadership, although leadership for me first of all means taking the lead over yourself and your own course.”
Capstone project: plant-based cheese and behavioral change
For his capstone project, Bas picked a topic that is important for the food system transition, as well as to Bas himself as a consumer. The challenge was how to get WildWestLand’s plant-based cheese on the minds – and on the plates – of people other than just vegans. WildWestLand is a joint venture between the founders of “de Vegetarische Slager” (the Vegetarian Butcher) and cheese producer Westland Kaas. The aim is to produce plant-based cheese to prevent animal suffering and the adverse climate impacts of cheese production from cow’s milk, while also offering a healthier alternative.
Bas: “In the capstone project, I’m mainly working on the question of how to bring about a change in behavior so more people want to choose plant-based cheese. Here I focus on the different reasons why consumers make certain choices, such as their social, cognitive and functional motivations, and the best order in which to use this knowledge at different times. My advice mostly looks at which subsets of consumers to address first and how, at what times, through which channels, and with which messages, using a specific ranking of these motivations. I also look at how you can then apply this to larger groups of consumers, to bring about lasting behavioral change.”
Solidifying knowledge
Bas: “Looking back on the program, I absorbed a great deal of new knowledge and heard many inspiring stories. I often thought to myself ‘that’s something I can use in Food & Agri’. All in all, the program is about knowledge, and has a focus on leadership. At the same time, it is about what we can learn from each other. That really helped me grow, and at times pleasantly surprised me. Finally, I think the real strength of the program is that after each module, you write a paper on how to apply your new knowledge to your actual work. This forces you to think deeply about what your knowledge means in practice. This lets you solidify your knowledge – for today and tomorrow.”
TIP FROM BAS
“Of course you can consider all kinds of factors: whether you should do an EMBA, when you should do it, what business school you should take it at. Rational arguments do play a role, but I think it’s also about the feeling you get from it. What really spoke to me at TIAS was that a relatively small group of 30 to 35 participants truly go through a two-year process together, where you get to know and help each other. If that approach feels right, and the course content is a good fit for your learning needs, then that makes the decision easy for you. Just do it!”
Becoming future proof in leadership and strategic thinking
It takes leadership and strategic thinking to build the right bridges and mobilize the organization. The Executive MBA (EMBA) will help you increase your agility in complex, changing environments – based on a sound understanding of business.
Intensive attention to your personal development and leadership qualities allows you to master your new skills. This way, in situations that require both broad and in-depth knowledge, you’ll know which questions to ask and how to act. That’s how you make the difference. Our English-taught EMBA is a top-ranked 2-year program that lets you combine your work, study and private life.
THE NEXT STEP
What suits you? Are you interested in exploring your learning question in depth, discussing the options and discussing the most appropriate learning path? I am happy to help you discover which learning path fits well with your ambitions, learning goals and phase in your career.
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