Starting in January 2011, Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University, will join with Wetsus, Center of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology to launch a new water specialization as part of the RSM Executive MBA program.
With this program, RSM and Wetsus will offer a higher management education to companies in the water business. The program is targeted at internationally oriented businesspeople who wish to develop their activities in the global water business. With a strong emphasis on leadership development in an international environment, the aim of the EMBA Water Specialization program is to reflect and further expand on issues related to water quality, distribution and availability. Moreover, the goal is to provide insights into state-of-the-art technological and managerial aspects of operating successfully in the industry.
Participants will take part in the first two terms of the Executive MBA Program at RSM. The third term of advanced courses, specializing in the water business, will be modular in format and will take place at Wetsus in Leeuwarden. The In-Company project, supervised by an RSM faculty member, will also be in specialized water topics.
“The increasingly severe, global water shortage requires that the people working in the water management business have the necessary management and leadership skills,” said Prof. Dr. George Yip, dean of RSM. “As a top European management school--located in The Netherlands, with its 500-year history of water management--RSM is well positioned to deliver this specialized, and highly relevant, program.”
“The growing demand for clean and affordable water is fuelled by global drivers, including health/safety concerns, water shortages, the energy-water nexus and the demand for closed water loops including water reuse,” said Menno M. Holterman, chief growth officer and member of the board of directors at Norit, one of the founding partners. “These drivers require integrated solutions that meet local requirements, while at the same time employ state-of-the-art, effective technologies. Focus is needed not only to provide access to safe and reliable drinking water for more than 2 billion people globally, but also to prompt management to make smart investment decisions, especially for locations where the availability of water is jeopardized. The initiative of Wetsus, RSM and its founding sponsors is driven by our desire to motivate experts to prepare themselves for the future’s ever demanding water requirements.”
“Times have changed dramatically for drinking water companies,” said Dr. M.G. Flick, general manager at Evides N.V, one of the founding partners. “While technical issues with long-term views have historically ruled the boardroom, recent developments have forced water companies to adapt business principles according to short and medium term changes. Demand for specific qualifications is also shifting. It goes without saying then that Evides--an all-in-water company that supplies household drinking water and commercial water services--supports initiatives that aim to develop human capital to tackle challenges faced by the water industry. The RSM-Wetsus water MBA specialization fills the void on the management level. Evides wishes Wetsus and RSM success in this initiative and looks forward to a fruitful cooperation.”
Source: Rotterdam School of Management
