Erik Luts

Just wrapped up our first in a series of three Expertise Days with Koen De Leus. We had a great discussion in Ghent with our clients on the current economic landscape. Here are my key takeaways: • Inflation may be coming down, but it's not behind us yet. We need to be prepared for a world where inflation and interest rates will be structurally higher. • This cycle presents opportunities for companies to hedge and for individuals to take advantage of lower interest rates. But we need to be strategic and adapt to the changing environment. • As we outlined in our book "The New World Economy", we'll be living in a world where real assets will be crucial. Money will depreciate rapidly, and actively managed assets, including stocks, will do well. • Global growth is slowing down, and the US elections will have a significant impact on America and the world. We need to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared for the potential consequences. It was great to share our insights and expertise and if you're interested in learning more about our views on the market and the economy, we’re always ready to advise! #ReadyForYourWorld #NewWorldEconomy #Inflation #InterestRates 

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Ready to boost your building's energy efficiency? At BNP Paribas Fortis, we are ready to help Belgian non-profit organisations, active in social and/or environmental causes, enhance the energy efficiency of their buildings.  Buildings are the backdrop to our lives, but they use a significant amount of global #energy. Through our philanthropic corporate fund, Impact Together, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, we launched a first “Energy Efficiency” call for projects in 2023. It’s now time for the second edition. Impact Together offers, in its own modest way, a contribution of €1 million. Eligible organisations have a chance to receive a portion of this fund to renovate their buildings and reduce their carbon footprint. Open of call for projects: 18 April 2024 via  NL : https://lnkd.in/erHhPK6Z FR : https://lnkd.in/e_i4b78J Application deadline: 4 September 2024  We believe in initiatives that enhance social inclusion, #decarbonisation and #circularity.  So, don’t miss out on this opportunity to upgrade your building for a better tomorrow. More about Impact Together: https://lnkd.in/eu7aBjP3 #EnergyEfficiency #ReadyForYourWorld  

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Spread the Word

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Here is a great example of leadership and role modelling on diversity, equity and inclusion from a CEO! Yesterday, I had the honour and privilege of presenting an “Interactive Keynote” on inclusion to the entire workforce of Credendo: One of Europe’s leading credit insurance groups. The CEO Dirk Terweduwe did two things that made this session standout: 1)  He made it mandatory for all employees to attend. Given the profile of the workforce, this meant we had a significant male contingent attending a session on inclusion (which is pretty rare!) 2)  He opened the session with his powerful and authentic vision on inclusion for the organisation. He referred to the great progress Credendo has made on DEI, but he also clearly outlined the challenge to do even better. This was just the top level support that I was looking for before I launched into my Interactive Keynote. I used Mentimeter to poll the workforce on a number of key issues about how to build inclusion and their role in it. Key highlights were: ➡️ The employees felt that a fully inclusive workplace would be safe, happy, peaceful, respectful and open. ➡️ The key reasons employees felt inclusion was important was because it enhanced employee engagement and gave the company access to the best talent. ➡️ 92% of employees rated the company as moderately to very diverse currently and 86% felt it was moderately to very inclusive. Key takeaways were : 🎯 The desire for the company to do even more on driving inclusion 🎯 The need to recognise and overcome biases and stereotypes 🎯 The need for allies and the support of each other on the journey. Personal commitments made by employees included: 🎯To work on their biases and enhance their cultural intelligence 🎯To practice curiosity and empathy towards each other 🎯To communicate with each other to understand each other and connect better. The attendees said they came away from the session motivated, inspired and ready to make progress (see the word cloud below). I came away from the Keynote really thrilled by the interaction we had during the session and in the Q&A. Thanks to Marina Hautman, Group Chief Human Resources Officer and her team Sophie De Roeck and Sandra Ringoet for their support. Thanks to Pauline Six of Hydrogen Associates for introducing me to Credendo. And finally thanks of course to Dirk Terweduwe for showing how a corporate CEO can role model on inclusion! Let's go, Credendo!!🚀🚀🚀 #ceo #rolemodel #inclusion

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We’re only human after all… In the financial industry, we often focus on numbers, strategies, and targets, but it’s the people behind those numbers that truly make the difference. That’s why I believe it’s so important for leaders to be open, honest, and real. Thank you, Sven Vonck, for this open conversation. Trust is the foundation of our industry, and we can only build it by showing our true selves. #PeopleInFinance #TrustMatters

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This week, I was on TV talking about AI on the "Z-Digital Disruption" programme on Trends Kanaal Z. https://lnkd.in/dn5YhJjJ I shared my thoughts on why AI is finally ready to take off - we've got the storage, data, and processing power to make it happen. I also talked about how AI is a game-changer, just like electricity and steam engines were in the past. And, I addressed the elephant in the room: will AI take our jobs? My answer is that AI itself won't replace you, but if you don't learn to work with it, someone else who does might just take your place. So, my advice is to get up to speed with AI ASAP! #ReadyForYourWorld #AI

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What a huge difference. I experienced such a big difference with giving workshops in the past 4 days. I think that the environment also has a big impact on people. This green environment on the picture is stimulating, positive, good for people. A closed, windowless room does the opposite to people. Did you experience that too? #teambuilding #workshop #training #coaching #leadership 😀

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I never could have imagined how much joy writing a book and having it published would bring. And especially all the great feedback Koen De Leus and I received from so many of you. I have the feeling that there is still quite a bit to say about “The New World Economy in 5 Trends”, especially because a lot of the trends that we discuss in the book are still in their very first inning. For example, I believe that the rally in the commodity space has still quite a bit to run. We will continue to monitor these trends as they develop. Nevertheless the time is slowly but certainly approaching for a new project. It is still in its infancy. But I think it will have something to do with trends and trading. And trading in the very broad sense of the word. For even for those that are not involved in markets on a day to day basis, are constantly trading. We all trade (free) family time against money (from our job). The time that we spend reading we cannot spend sporting. The list goes on an on. So it will not only be traders and investors who will find a mental home in the new project. There will be story tellers, physicists and people to just name one Stephen Covey. Over the summer period I plan to start re-reading the works by and about traders that I greatly admire. There will be the works by Mark Minervini, Michael Covel, Mark Douglas, the Market Wizards series by Jack Schwager and Podcasts like Top Traders Unplugged by Niels Kaastrup-Larsen, Ted Seides Asset Allocators and the The Money Maze Podcast by Simon Brewer, just to name a few. This should make for a both busy and interesting summer. I kick it off today with “The Best. Conversations with top traders" by Kevin N. Marder and Marc Dupée. I can not start to tell how excited I am about getting to work on this new idea that has been spinning around my mind for a while now…

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💡 Digital transformation brings exciting opportunities—like improved automation and better forecasting—but also challenges, such as cybersecurity risks. Watch the video below and learn from An Swalens, CIO at the National Bank of Belgium, how we tackle this: ✔️ A clear vision and strategy ✔️ Flexible architecture for quick, secure integration of solutions ✔️ Balancing short- and long-term planning 🔑 Trust, reliability, and accurate data are essential for a central bank navigating digital disruption. #zozijnwij #cesttoutafaitnous #DigitalTransformation #CyberSecurity

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Leading by example to change finance. That is what Triodos is doing for so many years now. Good to see that all banks have increased their overall score but there is still so much to be done, especially by the big ones! The BankWijzer score is one of the initiatives that paved the way, in a sense, to the European directives and taxonomies incoming to frame a more transparent disclosure of impact data, allowing the customers to better compare the impact of their bank choice.

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Gain invaluable insights and connect with fellow professionals and our experts. Secure your spot today and take your skills to the next level! #RSMBelgium #Seminar #ProfessionalDevelopment #Learning

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#OverMyShoulder 113 Self-help bestsellers are hot. In our book “The New World Economy in 5 Trends”, Koen De Leus and I talk about Neil Howe’s : “The fourth turning is here”. And how there is an avalanche of self-help book that are very much focused on the individual while almost none on the collective. When this changes, we will know that the fourth turning is behind us and we will have entered a more prosperous and above all more collaborative first turning. This being said, I must admit that I devour quite a bit of these books on a yearly basis. For who does not want to become a better version of oneself and that his future him looks back at the current him with a sense of pride. This is where “Rise of the reader” by Nick Hutchison comes in very handy. For very often it is quite hard to apply what is taught in these books in everyday life. Reading for personal development can be powerful as long as you’re effectively implementing the right information. Nick Hutchison read over 400 development books and developed the impactful framework that has the potential to transform our lives through reading. With relatable anecdotes and engaging stories “Rise of the Reader” will inspire and motivate you to take action and fulfill your dreams. So if you’re ready to embrace change and master your life through learning, this book is a must-read. The fact that Nick Hutchison is the visionary force behind BookThinkers, a company dedicated to bridging the gap between authors and readers, makes this message even more powerful. #ReadingTime #PersonalDevelopment #Change

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We are extremely excited to do this presentation on November 25th and get the conversation going. -a lot of things are moving and shaking - there are many risks, but even more opportunities. - and a lot of the big trends that we discuss in our book “ the new world economy in 5 trends” are playing out as we speak.

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Debunking the myths of interim management In these series we present you six myths about interim managers. Do you still believe them after reading our expert view? Myth #2: "Interim managers are temping employees" Especially in Belgium, the misconception about Interim Managers being considered temping employees is widespread, as the term "interim" can also refer to temping agency workers working on day or week contracts. Despite the confusing name, Interim Managers are not to be equated with these temping workers. Read all about it in this article: https://lnkd.in/eeVWRc9N #interimmanagement #management #3W

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✨ This afternoon the Nationale Bank van België hosted a session where professor Marc Buelens shared perspectives from his latest book on the upcoming US elections. It was an eye-opening discussion, diving deep into the forces shaping America’s political landscape and what it could mean for the world. 🌍 Engaging in these kinds of global conversations is essential to broadening our understanding and staying informed. #zozijnwij #cesttoutafaitnous #neverstoplearning

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𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆 𝙊𝙁 𝘿𝙀𝘾𝙊𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙀𝙄𝙑𝙀𝘿 𝙄𝘿𝙀𝘼𝙎 🚫 Received Idea #1: "Interim Management is a cost more than an investment." 🔍 Deciphering: Quite the contrary! Interim management is a sound investment strategy. 💡 These experts bring their experience to transform challenges into opportunities, boosting operational performance. 📈 👉 Stay tuned this week to discover the other preconceived ideas we'll be debunking! 🌐💬 #InterimManagement #StrategicInvestment #BusinessDecryption #OperationalExpertise

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# interesting food for thought but the aim should remain to build BE smart & unique eco-systems based on all the BE talents in Flanders, BXL and Wallonia and through combing smart BE public private partnerships with all the BE best practices alongside the EU/ITL ones

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If creativity would be an Olympic discipline, this Belgian athlete would definitely go for Gold: Using ChatGPT as support to qualify for the Olympics 😅 ... Sometimes you come across inspiring stories about people's careers or milestones... Yesterday, Belgian John Heymans, professional runner participating in the Olympics, drew my attention because of his attitude and mindset...and creative use of ChatGPT 🌟.   Around the age of 18, John realized he wouldn't reach the top in hockey 🏒 (his own words 😉), so he shifted his focus to running, specializing in the 5K. After completing his studies in bio-engineering 🧬, John made a pretty bold decision (and this is just 2 years ago!). He decided to pursue his Olympic dream in professional athletics. The press headlines capture attention: "With the Help of ChatGPT, Qualifying for the Olympics" 🥇!  Besides dedicating himself entirely to his athletic performance, he got smart about his path to the Olympics. Using ChatGPT, he generated Python code  to determine which races would give him the best shot at qualifying. And it worked (in a way a small side note because his dedication to training obsessively is clearly the number 1 reason 🙂 )! Yesterday, as John ran the semi-finals, it was clear how much he was enjoying himself. Rarely do you see someone enjoy a 5K semi-final like he did, waving to his family (during the race!!) with pure joy on his face 😊👋.   Loved the interview afterwards during which he was superpassionate and authentic, but also very realistic, as he said "Everyone is limited by their genetics. I do not have the genes to reach a medal level. But I do perform at the maximum of my level, and that is the only thing I can expect. I am going to experience the most beautiful moment of my life running the finals." 🌟✨ #positivity #performance #AI #chatgpt #coaching #innovation #personaldevelopment #johnheymans #sports #Olympics #talent #creativity #entrepreneurship Photo Credits: AP

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As an HR Business Partner for the sustainability function, I'm passionate about how ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors are reshaping HR practices. Integrating ESG into HR not only drives sustainable business practices but also enhances employee engagement and organizational resilience. The role of HR is pivotal in embedding these principles into the corporate culture, from recruitment to development and beyond. For more insights on this crucial intersection, check out this informative article from AIHR: ESG and HR. #Sustainability #HR #ESG #CorporateResponsibility #EmployeeEngagement #FutureOfWork #AIHR

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