Alexander Van De Putte

Professor Alexander Van de Putte is Chief Strategy Officer, Chairman of Corporate Governance & Stewardship, and Chairman of the Academic Council of the Astana International Financial Centre. He is also the Chairman of the Board of the AIFC Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD) and an independent director of the AIFC Authority. In 2002, he founded the Sustainable Foresight Institute, a small think-tank active in scenario planning and strategic foresight, and in 2021, Corporate Governance 4.0 to promote sound corporate governance to contribute to the sustainable long-term success of companies. At IE Business School, one of Europe’s top business schools, he is Visiting Professor of Strategy and Strategic Foresight and of Corporate Governance. In December 2020, he was awarded with the high state award – the order of Dostyk of Degree II by decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Previously, Professor Van de Putte was a Member of the Board of the National Investment Corporation of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, a Managing Director with the Kazakhstan Development Bank, Principal Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Senior Director and Head of Global Practices (scenario planning, global risks and competitiveness) with the World Economic Forum. At Shell, Alexander was the Senior Strategy and Portfolio Advisor to the Chairman and the Committee of Managing Directors. Prior to Shell, Alexander was Executive Director and co-leader of the shareholder value practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. At McKinsey, Alexander was an Engagement Manager and core team member of the European Corporate Finance and Strategy Practice.

Alexander is an economist and engineer by training. He holds advanced degrees in Management and Decision Sciences from Boston University, was a BAEF Fellow at Harvard Business School, holds a PhD in Applied Economics (Strategy & Finance) from the University of London, a Doctorate in International Relations from the Geneva School of Diplomacy, and an MSt in Sustainability Leadership and a PhD in Engineering (Complex Adaptative Systems) from Cambridge University.

He is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Chartered Governance Fellow with The Chartered Governance Institute, and a NACD Board Leadership Fellow and a member of the ESG continuous learning cohort. He is also a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors, an academic member with the European Corporate Governance Institute and also holds the Financial Times Non-Executive Director’s Diploma and the Stanford Directors’ Consortium Certificate.

His research has been published in the Business Environment Review, the California Management Review, The CISI Review of Financial Markets, the European Risk Management Review and the Journal of International Financial Analysis.

He has published six books on finance, strategy, leadership, and corporate governance.

Corporate Experience

• Chief Strategy Officer of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC)
• Chairman of Corporate Governance & Stewardship at the AIFC
• Chairman of the AIFC Academic Council
• Managing Director, Sustainable Foresight Institute
• Co-Founder & Managing Partner, LakeWell Capital Partners
• Executive Chairman, Corporate Governance 4.0
• Board Member of the National Investment Corporation of the National Bank of Kazakhstan
• Managing Director, Strategy and Strategic Foresight, Kazakhstan Development Bank
• Managing Director and Head of Scenario Processes & Applications, S&P Global
• Senior Director and Head of Global Practices (Scenario Planning, Global Risks, and Competitiveness) at the World Economic Forum
• Senior Strategy & Portfolio Advisor to the Committee of Managing Directors, Shell International
• Executive Director and co-leader of the Shareholder Value Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Engagement Manager and Core Team Member of the Corporate Finance & Strategy Practice, McKinsey & Company

Academic Experience

• Visiting Professor of Strategic Foresight, IE Business School, 2009 – Present
• Co-Director, Executive Master in Energy & Sustainability Leadership, The Graduate Institute, 2010 – 2016
• Visiting Professor of Scenario Planning and Corporate Strategy, INSEAD, 2005 – 2007
• Visiting Lecturer, Cambridge University, 2004 – Present
• Fellow and Visiting Professor, Energy Delta Institute, 2004 – Present
• Dean of the Grande Ecole and Professor of Finance and Economics, Rouen School of Management, 2001 – 2004
• Visiting Lecturer, Boston University, 2001 – 2002
• Adjunct Professor, Solvay School of Management, 1995 – 2002
• Company Specific Executive Education Programs (Shell Finance, DuPont, ARPEL, Tiger Group, The Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Statoil (now Equinor), Caterpillar, Tesla, The Kazakhstan Development Bank, Ecopetrol, Renault-Nissan, Toyota, Saudi Aramco, GE Leadership, Innovation & Growth)

Academic Background

• PhD, Engineering (Complex Adaptive Systems), University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Doctor of International Relations (Game Theory), Geneva School of Diplomacy & International Relations, Switzerland
• PhD, Applied Economics (Strategy & Finance), University of London, United Kingdom
• MSt, Sustainability Leadership, Cambridge University
• MBA Fellow, Belgian American Educational Foundation, Harvard Business School
• MSc, Management and Business Administration, Boston University, United States
• MSc, Computer Information Systems, Boston University, United States
• National Association of Corporate Directors, NACD Board Leadership Fellow
• Institute of Directors, Chartered Director (CDir) and Fellow (FIoD)
• The Chartered Governance Institute, Chartered Governance Professional and Fellow (FCG)
• Singapore Institute of Directors, Executive Certificate in Directorship
• Stanford Directors Consortium, Non-Executive Directors’ Certification