Do you really know Dennis Verhoeven, Assistant Professor of Strategy, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at SKEMA Business School since September 2024? Let’s check it out!
If you were a company: Lego. Plenty of ideas, trying to build something meaningful, and occasionally stepping on a few metaphorical bricks along the way. It’s ambitious, cares about innovation and education, and tries its best to do good. But like me on a busy day, it sometimes struggles to keep all the pieces neatly in place. Luckily, things usually click together… more or less.
The book you (would like to) read twice: Sapiens, by Yuval Harari. It’s rare that a book sticks with me as much as this one did. Originally it was meant as a history coursebook. It takes us through the history of humankind. Along the way Harari develops his central idea: What makes Homo Sapiens the most successful species isn’t strength or intelligence, but our ability to tell shared stories. These stories—whether they’re on money, nations, or gods—allow us to collaborate at an unparalleled scale, ultimately shaping the economic and cultural wealth that sets us apart. A fascinating read, and definitely one worth revisiting.
What you like best about SKEMA Lille Campus: The ‘forum’ near the entrance. It’s like a marketplace for student life—you never quite know what you’re walking into. One day, it’s students hanging out or working on projects. The next, they’re selling organic vegetables. There might even be a concert happening!
Your favourite leisure activity: Cooking. Especially when I can take my sweet time—looking up a dish, tweaking it to my taste, and putting on some good old ‘dad-rock’ while chopping onions. I love getting into that ‘flow’ while cooking, making it the perfect way to disconnect.
The strategy concept everyone should know about: Game theory. Your best move always depends on what others are doing. In business (and life), the game’s parameters determine the outcome. The art is to choose the right game to play – ideally one where everyone can win—a positive-sum game.
Your first impression of Skema: Charming. I had already met most of my direct colleagues before joining, and what drew me in was their approach to work—serious and dedicated, but realising there is more to life than work. This approach runs through the whole school. It’s easy to feel at home here, and that’s entirely down to the great people.
The subject you can talk and read about for hours: That’s a tough one. I’m more of a generalist knowing something about most things but everything of nothing. One day, I’m fascinated by how squids adapt to their environment (perhaps even more impressive than the SKameleon!). The next, I’m deep into how tree rings reveal the history of climate change. Rather than immersing myself in one topic for a long time, I love to cherry-pick and dive into whatever catches my curiosity.
What helps you concentrate best: A clear plan. I never struggle to focus when I’m writing code—probably because coding forces you to break a big problem into small, solvable steps. I try to apply the same approach to other tasks, and it makes a world of difference.
The other job you would have liked to do: Movie director. Think Tarantino-style dialogues, Scorsese-level storytelling, and Cameron-scale special effects. But given my total lack of artistic talent, it’s probably for the best that academia absorbed me. 😊
The historical figure you would have like to meet: Marie Curie. Not just to hear about her discoveries, but to ask what it was really like to be a woman in science when most labs wouldn’t even let her in. I’d love to know if she ever thought the gender gap would improve—and if she’d be reassured that, while still not perfect, things have come a long way. And of course, I’d want to tell her that her groundbreaking work didn’t just win her two Nobel Prizes, but also helped shape medicine, physics, and even how we see women in science today.