About the Speakers

​Ludo Van Der Heyden has been Professor of Technology and Operations Management at INSEAD since 1988. He is the INSEAD Chaired Professor in Corporate Governance since October 2010. He became Emeritus in September 2018. 

He was the founding Academic Director of INSEAD's Corporate Governance Centre and, with colleagues, co-founded the International Directors Programme, the Modern Governance in Banking, and the Value Creation for Owners and Directors programmes amongst many other academic roles at INSEAD.

Ludo Van der Heyden was the first (and only) holder of the Wendel Chair in the Large Family Firm, which initiated INSEAD's activities in family business. He also held many honours outside of INSEAD including the Solvay Chair in Technological Innovation and the Mubadala Chair in Corporate Governance and Strategy.

Before joining INSEAD, Ludo Van der Heyden was on the faculty of Yale University (1980-1988) and Harvard University (1978-80). He holds an Engineering Degree in Applied Mathematics from the Université Catholique de Louvain (1974) and a Ph.D. Degree in Administrative Sciences from Yale University (1979). 

Ludo Van der Heyden research and publication achievements are voluminous and extensive. Amongst them, with INSEAD colleagues, he is the recipient of the Family Business Network 2006 Research Award for the article Striving for Justice in Family Firms, as well as a co-author of Industrial Excellence, a book that identifies better manufacturing practices in French and German factories.

He is Chairman of the Board of Seisquare, a software company for estimating natural resource reserves.  He is a member of the Supervisory Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine (2019-2021 & 2023-…), the largest energy company of Ukraine. He was a Board member - and then Advisory Board member - of Bencis Capital Partners. 

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Deep Parekh is a globally recognized advisor, educator, and venture builder working at the intersection of sustainability, value chain ecosystem design, and business model innovation.  With a career spanning over three decades, he has partnered with global corporations—including Unilever, AB InBev, Tetra Pak, and Moncler—to embed sustainability into strategic operations and long-term business transformation.
Currently an Executive Advisor at Grant Thornton Belgium, Deep provides strategic guidance for the firm’s sustainability initiatives, helping clients turn regulatory compliance into strategic advantage.  He is the founder of Epistemy, a strategic advisory platform, and a former managing partner of investment firm Asteroidea AG.  His work has shaped supply chain resilience, business model renewal, and stakeholder-centric innovation across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia.
A Fulbright Board Member and Chair of the Sustainability & Innovation Committee at AmCham Belgium, Deep is also a passionate educator.  He teaches in executive programs at institutions including EPFL, Solvay Business School, and VUB Brussels.
He is the author of the forthcoming book Sustainability at a Crossroads (September 2025) and a frequent keynote speaker and contributor to sustainability thought leadership through his Medium publication The ESG Chronicles.

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Cemre Aksu is an experienced ESG and proxy voting professional, currently Co-lead of the Proxy Voting & Engagement team at Candriam.  She co-leads global stewardship activities, including proxy voting and and spearheads ESG engagement initiatives across multi-asset portfolios with a focus on corporate governance, climate risk, and board diversity.  Prior to joining Candriam in 2021, she held analytical roles at Institutional Shareholder Services, supporting institutional clients across Europe.

Ms. Aksu holds a law degree from Ankara University, an Advanced Master’s in International Business Law from Ghent University (cum laude), and studied Economics at Anadolu University and currently holding CFA ESG certificate.