The team

Wim Voordeckers is full professor Entrepreneurial Finance and Family Firm Governance at Hasselt University. He is research director within the Research Center for Entrepreneurship & Family Firms (RCEF) research center. Within the SBO project he fulfills the role of general coordinator and is also promoter(within the work package Governance) and co-promoter (within the work package Affect) of two doctorates.

He obtained a PhD in Applied Economics at Hasselt University in 1999, in which he studied capital structure decisions in SMEs. After his PhD, he worked for a while in the banking industry as an equity analyst before returning to academia. In his current research he focuses on various financial aspects of family firms (capital structure, dividend policy), the functioning of boards of directors and top management teams in family firms and the effectiveness of family governance in relation to strategic change.

Wim is co-author of various practical books for family firms with topics such as organizational development, radical innovation, corporate governance and the non-family CEO, which were created in collaboration with VKW-Limburg via ERDF and ESF projects. Together with these books, screening tools were also developed for the family entrepreneur.

Wim has published 48 articles in national and international academic journals, including Journal of Banking & Finance, Journal of Management Studies, Small Business Economics, Family Business Review, Corporate Governance: an International Review, Journal of Small Business Management, International Journal of Management Reviews and Technovation. He currently serves on the Review Board of Family Business Review, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice and Corporate Governance and International Review. He was also associate editor of Family Business Review for 6 years.

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Ann Jorissen is Professor Accountancy at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Antwerp. Ann Jorissen is co-promoter within the SBO project and supervises the cognition work package, which focuses on control and information systems in a company. 

Ann obtained a PhD in Applied Economics and her research is situated in the fields of management accounting and control, corporate governance and financial analysis and reporting. Ann ensures the application of academic insights in practice through various channels. For example, Ann has been a member of the Academic Panel of EFRAG (European Financial Reporting Advisory Group) since 2017, which advises on financial reporting to the EU. In addition, she was a member of the Advisory Council of the IFRS Foundation (International Financial Reporting Standards) from 2015 to 2020. She is also a member of the High Council for the Economic Professions in Belgium (2004-2013 and 2018 - ….). Finally, she was promoter-coordinator of the SBO project “Corporate Governance in Private Companies” (2009-2014). 

Ann has published her research in Accounting, Organizations and Society; Entrepreneurship, Theory and Practice; Family Business Review; Journal of Family Business Strategy, Journal of Small Business Management; Corporate Governance: an international review; Accounting and Business Research; Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, European Accounting Review, …

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Eddy Laveren is emeritus professor Financial Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Antwerp. Until 2019, he was academic director of the Competence Center for Family Business of the Antwerp Management School. Since 2012, he has been a board member of the European Council for Small Business (ECSB). Within the SBO project he is co-promoter of research on resources and strategic changes.

He obtained a PhD in TEW from the University of Antwerp, in which he focused on the interactions between investment and financing decisions and the integration of them in investment analysis. His teaching and research can be situated in the field of financial management of SMEs and family firms as well as growth management and business transfers.

He was a member of the scientific steering committee of the knowledge center about financing of SMEs, for which he conducted 5 practical studies among SMEs in Belgium. He is the promoter of several projects concerning financing of companies as well as business transfers in SMEs financed by, among others, the NBB, the Flemish Government, Vlaio and UNIZO. He developed an online tool for the valuation of SMEs on behalf of Vlaio.

He is the author or co-author of more than 150 national and international publications, including 50 articles, 15 books, 35 conference papers and 47 reports. He serves on the Review Board of Family Business Review and was associate editor of the Journal of Small Business Management (2009-2019).

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Frank Lambrechts is professor Organizational Change & Learning within the Research Center for Entrepreneurship & Family Firms (RCEF) and vice dean of the Faculty of Business Economics at Hasselt University. Within the SBO project, he is supervisor and co-supervisor of two PhDs, on “affect and change readiness” and “governance” respectively.

He holds a PhD in Social Sciences (Tilburg University, NL, 2007) and a PhD in Business Economics (Hasselt University/Jyväskylä University, FI, 2012). Within RCEF he focuses on change processes, collaborative dynamics, systemic learning, and strength-based change (Appreciative Inquiry) in a diversity of organizational contexts, with a special focus on family firms.

He has facilitated change and learning processes in various organizations, MBA and executive programs. Frank is also co-author of practical books and scans for family firms on organizational learning, radical innovation, corporate governance and the non-family CEO in collaboration with VKW-Limburg via ERDF and ESF projects.

Frank is Associate Editor of Journal of Family Business Strategy and Guest Editor for several international journals. His work has been published in Academy of Management Learning & Education, Journal of Business Ethics, Family Business Review, Technovation, Corporate Governance: An International Review, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Journal of Family Business Strategy , British Medical Journal (BMJ) Quality & Safety, Journal of Management Inquiry.

Pieter Vandekerkhof is Assistant Professor Entrepreneurship and Governance within the Research Center for Entrepreneurship & Family Firms (RCEF) at Hasselt University. Within the SBO project, he is co-promoter of two PhDs, in particular the PhD research on governance as well as that on change readiness.

Pieter obtained his PhD in Applied Economic Sciences at Hasselt University in 2015. His doctoral research focused on diversity in management teams within family firms and its impact on decision-making processes. His current research focus is twofold. On the one hand, governance dynamics and strategic processes within family firms, on the other hand, entrepreneurship dynamics in a broader perspective with a focus on start-ups and scale-ups.

Pieter attaches great importance to valorization of research. For example, he has already carried out several studies on behalf of the Flemish government, he works closely with employer organizations in the context of knowledge transfer through training as well as developing practice-oriented tools, and he recently wrote a book on soft skills in entrepreneurship. Finally, he is currently working with his entrepreneurship colleagues on the development of a matchmaking platform for co-founders.

Pieter has several international publications in scientific journals such as Family Business Review, Journal of Management Studies and Journal of Family Business Strategy.

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Ine Paeleman is Assistant Research Professor in Entrepreneurial Finance at the University of Antwerp. Within the SBO project she is co-promoter of two doctorates, in particular the doctoral research on resources as well as that on cognition.

She obtained a PhD in Applied Economics at Ghent University in 2015 and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Flanders Scientific Research Fund. She was also a visiting scholar at the Carlson School of Management (University of Minnesota) and has also done internships at the National Bank of Belgium. Ine's research lies on the border of entrepreneurship, management and financing. She mainly focuses on topics such as entrepreneurial finance, slack resources and international entrepreneurship.

Ine has already collaborated with the NBB on various projects during her career. She was also Vice-President of the alumni association VOSEKO (UGent – ​​FEB). She has organized events for more than 300 people (both academics and practitioners) where research results were presented followed by panel debates with entrepreneurs, policy makers and academics. Her doctoral work also attracted the attention of VOKA, iMinds, NBB and other banks.

Ine has published in journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Journal of World Business, Journal of Technology Transfer, Small Business Economics, Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings and Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research. She serves on the editorial board of Venture Capital: An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance.

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Anh Duong is postdoctoral research manager of the SBO project. She provides support for the various work packages of the project, ranging from data compilation, data analysis to integration of the research results in an overarching framework. She works closely with dr. Laura Hoekx and dr. Katrien Jansen for the valorisation of the research results of the project.
Anh obtained a PhD in Applied Economics from Hasselt University in 2022. Her research centers on organizational drivers of (eco-)innovation performance in family and non-family businesses.
Before her PhD, Anh was a corporate banker at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and a copywriter at TBWA advertising agency.

Her work has been published in Technovation journal and presented at various international conferences and research forums such as DRUID and IFBRF. Anh is also a member of the organizing committee of the European Family Business Research Centers Network.

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Laura Hoekx is part-time valorisation manager and administrative manager of the SBO project. Together with Katrien Jansen, she translates the theoretical insights that arise from the various work packages into practice-oriented knowledge and tools. She is also active as a postdoctoral researcher at Hasselt University.

Laura obtained her PhD in Applied Economic Sciences at Hasselt University in 2020. In her doctoral thesis she unraveled the impact of emotions in family top management teams. In her current research, Laura focuses on human resources in family firms, with a specific interest in emotions, well-being and engagement.

Within the framework of a VLAIO innovation mandate, Laura recently developed the “Hoewist?” application, a smartphone application that measures employee engagement in family firms. She is also regularly involved in family firm-specific information sessions of employer organizations, where she gives sessions on emotions and communication in family businesses.

Laura's academic papers, which have already been presented at various international conferences, are published in different management and family business magazines, such as Small Group Research and European Journal of Family Business.

Katrien Jansen is communication and valorisation manager of the SBO project. Together with dr. Laura Hoekx, she will translate the results from the project into concrete information and tools that are relevant to practice. She is in close contact with various organizations that are part of the project's supervisory committee. These organizations help monitor the practical relevance of the tools offered.

Katrien obtained her master's degree in Applied Economic Sciences in 2017, with a specialization in accountancy and auditing, at the University of Antwerp. In 2022 she defended her PhD on financing decisions in family firms at Hasselt University. In her research she mainly focuses on how financial choices are influenced by family dynamics and governance mechanisms.

Katrien's interest in family firms started during her studies, where she carried out a project at a family SME. The dynamics in the company appealed so much to her that she also wrote her master's thesis about the company. During her academic career, she presented her work at conferences in Monaco and Zwolle (the Netherlands). Her paper about financing decisions in family firms is published in Small Business Economics. 

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Niklas Engelhard is a PhD student within the Research Center for Entrepreneurship & Family Firms at Hasselt University. Within the SBO project he is responsible for researching change readiness within family firms. Ultimately, he will also help shape the valorisation of this project by integrating the results of his study into the information and tools that are available.

Niklas obtained his master's degree in Business Administration in 2019 with a specialization in entrepreneurship & management at Hasselt University. In 2023, he will defend his PhD on strategic readiness for change within family firms. The focus is on the role that emotions play in the development of willingness to change at the individual and team level.

Niklas's interest in family firms was triggered during his master's degree at the Hasselt University, where he got to know the multiplicity and complexity of family firms within the course SME Management and Family Firms. From that moment on, his interest in helping people focused on family firms, which made the step to this PhD unambiguous. He is currently working on his papers and has presented his work at IFERA (Santander, Spain).

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Tristan De Blick is a PhD student within the Department of Accountancy & Finance at the University of Antwerp. For the SBO project, Tristan is investigating what role financing, or lack thereof, plays in the field of strategic change.

After obtaining the master's degree in Applied Economics (specialization financing) in 2019, Tristan will defend his PhD in Applied Economics in 2023. Within the doctoral training, Tristan has continued developing his interests from during his study and has followed additional training in statistics & corporate finance.

When developing scientific studies, Tristan attaches importance to the practical relevance of the findings - especially with SMEs and family firms in mind. The SBO project offers a great opportunity to valorise these insights.

Tristan's papers will soon be submitted to academic journals. His work has been presented at various conferences, such as the 2021 EURAM conference.

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Sahar Salehi is a PhD student at the Department of Accountancy and Financing of the University of Antwerp. Within the SBO project she mainly focuses on the accounting aspects of strategic changes within organisations. Her four-year doctoral project ends in 2023.

After obtaining her bachelor's degree in accounting, Sahar obtained her first master's degree in International Business at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She then obtained a master's degree in Statistics at the KU Leuven in 2019. During her PhD she studies various topics including control systems in management, knowledge management and strategic change management.

In the context of the SBO project, Sahar is investigating what kind of control systems can ensure that companies are resilient to change and whether there is any difference in this aspect between family and non-family firms. Her work will help companies design and deploy their control systems in such a way that the business can survive and even thrive in turbulent environments where change is omnipresent.

Sahar's academic research has already been presented at various international conferences, such as the Annual Conference for Management Accounting Research.