Learn more about us.
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Profile
Looking to accelerate your career and reach leadership positions faster? Feeling stuck in daily management challenges and ready to step up? Or perhaps you're launching a business or taking over a family company and need the right tools to succeed?
If this sounds like you, then it’s time to join our flagship Executive MBA at Solvay Brussels School.
6 Phases of Growth
Innovative Learning
The Delta Series
Specialisation Tracks
Leadership
At Solvay
The Solvay Executive MBA is a journey of growth and transformation, designed to empower you to become an impactful leader equipped with the skills to navigate complexity and inspire change. Through six distinct phases, the programme progressively develops your analytical reasoning, soft skills, and leadership capabilities:
- Accelerate: Build a solid foundation of management essentials, focusing on key concepts and frameworks.
- Navigate: Gain critical insights into decision-making processes by applying analytical thinking to real-world challenges.
- Specialise: Tailor your expertise with focused tracks in Finance or Entrepreneurship & Innovation, mastering skills aligned with your professional aspirations and goals.
- Impact: Apply your expertise in real-world projects. Consult for clients in the Advisory Lab or transform ideas into ventures in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lab.
- Develop: Be equipped with the tools to lead yourself and others.
- Boost: Elevate your executive capabilities with targeted Executive Capacity Trainings, focusing on key skills identified by top BEL20 CEOs.
This unique journey, informed by the latest learning research and competitive analyses by our Learning & Development Hub, ensures you emerge as a confident, well-rounded leader ready to inspire change, problem-solve, and drive success.
Transform the way you approach challenges through our cutting-edge learning methods, ensuring every lesson is practical, immersive, and impactful:
- Blended Learning: A carefully crafted mix of online and on-campus experiences, offering flexibility and engagement to balance commitments while maximising learning effectiveness.
- Active Learning: On-campus learning focuses on active engagement through real-world problems, case analysis, and experiential activities like simulations and role-playing to apply knowledge in practical contexts.
- Authentic Assessment: Authentic assessment bridges theory and practice by evaluating learners through real-world tasks that mirror professional challenges, fostering deeper understanding and actionable skills.
This approach recognises the unique needs of professionals, offering a flexible learning experience that combines the benefits of physical classroom engagement with the accessibility of online resources. Through our partnership with Coursera, a wealth of quality online content further enhances and supports you.
To optimise your learning environment, class sizes are deliberately limited to manageable and cohesive cohorts. This ensures maximum participation and easy access to faculty and the Executive MBA academic or administration team. The result is a programme that values your time, allowing you to pursue an executive training without compromising your effectiveness at work.
Experience unparalleled exposure to industry through the Delta Series (Δ Series)— a hallmark of our Executive MBA. This series, co-designed with leading industry experts, bridges the gap between academic knowledge and practical application. Through hands-on engagement, you’ll tackle real-world challenges, gaining actionable insights that foster innovation and business acumen.
Beyond the Delta Series, our programme opens doors to extensive industry ties and networking opportunities. From guest lectures by top executives to collaborative projects with renowned organisations, you’ll build lasting connections with influential leaders across diverse sectors.
Through networking events, alumni interactions, and partnerships with industry pioneers, the Executive MBA ensures you’re not only learning from the best but also joining a thriving, influential network that will support your professional journey long after graduation.
Beyond the Delta Series, our programme opens doors to extensive industry ties and networking opportunities. From guest lectures by top executives to collaborative projects with renowned organisations, you’ll build lasting connections with influential leaders across diverse sectors.
Through networking events, alumni interactions, and partnerships with industry pioneers, the Executive MBA ensures you’re not only learning from the best but also joining a thriving, influential network that will support your professional journey long after graduation.
Our Executive MBA is designed with flexibility at its core, ensuring it aligns with your unique aspirations and career trajectory. Choose from specialisation tracks in Finance or Entrepreneurship & Innovation, rooted in Ernest Solvay’s visionary legacy of scientific prowess and entrepreneurial boldness.
The blended learning format empowers you to seamlessly balance your studies with a demanding professional schedule, offering a mix of in-person classes and online learning tailored to your needs. Whether you’re advancing your expertise in finance or pursuing entrepreneurial innovation, the programme adapts to your goals, equipping you with the tools to lead with confidence in your chosen path.
- The specialisation tracks can also be pursued independently as stand-alone programmes, offering participants the opportunity to earn a University Certificate in their chosen area of expertise: University Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Innovation (UC-EI) or University Certificate in Corporate Finance (UC-CF).
We understand that complete leadership is about more than technical expertise and decision-making: it’s about the human connection. By cultivating key soft skills, we help you navigate complexity, foster meaningful collaboration, and build trust to lead with authenticity.
Building on this foundation, our curriculum places a clear focus on your personal transformation through the Personal Development & Coaching Reflection Process (PDCRP). This unique, personalised journey goes beyond preparing you to lead—it empowers you to become a coach yourself, complete with a micro-certification in coaching.
By combining active learning experiences with targeted development tools, you’ll exercise your emotional intelligence, refine your communication strategies, and emerge as a confident, authentic leader who drives impactful change.
- The PDCRP is also available as a stand-alone programme, offering participants the opportunity to earn a Micro-Certification in Personal Development, Coaching & Reflective Practices (MC-PDCRP).
Undertaking the Solvay EMBA means stepping into over 100 years of academic excellence and industry connections. Solvay Brussels School is globally recognised for its tradition of scholarly rigour and pioneering research, where renowned professors and top-level practitioners collaborate to deliver our signature blend of theoretical knowledge and real-world insights. Accredited by EQUIS, AMBA, and Qfor, our programme meets the highest global standards, ensuring the lasting value of your certification.
Beyond the classroom, our elite alumni network connects you to a century of influential leaders and fosters lifelong connections. Solvay Schools Alumni brings together all graduates and certified from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management ULB and the Solvay Business School VUB. The association is counting more than 35,000 alumni, coming from more than 100 countries around the world and representing all sectors of economic activity. Each year, they organise nearly 50 activities and conferences, providing you continuing education opportunities, support for your career development, and numerous networking opportunities.
“The Solvay Executive MBA is a journey of growth and transformation, designed to become an impactful leader equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to navigate complexity and inspire change.”
United Nations' SDGs Scholarship
The Solvay Executive MBA proudly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 17 goals address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice - they are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
Women Change-Agent Scholarship
No business and no MBA class is complete without gender balance. The Women Change-Agent Scholarship supports women in breaking the glass ceiling in business. Our ambition is that by 2026, we achieve gender balance in our recruitment, ensuring that more women access high-quality lifelong learning to bridge the gap in leadership positions.
Vanessa Callaert
Managing Director
I began to assess my career path and realised I was feeling stuck, unsure of how to explore new options or connect with professionals outside my industry. I lacked knowledge in areas like entrepreneurship and struggled to expand my network. Enrolling in the Executive MBA at Solvay was driven by my desire for a significant challenge and growth.
The programme's Advisory Lab, where you work on real-life business problems instead of a traditional thesis, was particularly appealing to me. It provided an opportunity to tackle complex, real-world issues and contribute meaningfully to solving them.
The Executive MBA programme was instrumental in my transition from a background in finance, administration, and HR to a managing director role. It helped me develop essential skills like leadership and working under pressure. The experience made me more confident and resourceful, significantly changing my approach to business challenges. I’m no longer easily impressed or intimidated by complex issues, and I’ve become more aware of the resources at my disposal.
Borja Bosch
Senior Manager of Financial Services
EY
The Executive MBA programme was a transformative experience for me, fundamentally changing who I am and helping me become a better version of myself. With my technical background, I initially had a narrow perspective; the programme equipped me with the tools and insights to broaden my view and understand the intricacies of business and strategic decision-making.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of leading by example. If you want to drive change, it must start with yourself. The Executive MBA emphasises critical thinking and a pragmatic approach to learning, which are crucial for effective leadership.
The international scope of the programme, combined with the real-world experience of the faculty, provided a comprehensive understanding of global markets and strategic considerations. This has been instrumental in helping me identify new market opportunities and stay ahead in my career.
Overall, the Executive MBA has not only enhanced my ability to manage and lead effectively but has also reinforced my commitment to lifelong learning and adapting to new challenges. It’s a powerful journey that nurtures your potential and prepares you for a broader leadership role.
Yeliz Kartal Brackman
Co-Founder
Kolonya Carré
The Solvay Executive MBA gave me a profound understanding of what real sustainability means. The entrepreneurial classes greatly expanded my horizons, especially with their focus on sustainability and environmentalism.
I used to think that finance and environmental friendliness couldn’t coexist, but the programme showed me otherwise. It provided a solid foundation for achieving financial success while remaining environmentally responsible.
This new perspective inspired me to integrate sustainability into my company and develop a new line that aligns with both economic and environmental goals.
Izabel Medeiros
New Services Programme Director
Volvo Financial Services
"Before the MBA, I had a much more narrow perception of my abilities and myself. This has totally changed... I apply the Solvay approach to solving business cases every day in strategic programme management at Volvo Financial Services. My coursework on stakeholder management and process improvement is fundamental to my job as well."
Srilakshmi Amarnath
Transformation Leader
Telenet
"The Solvay Executive MBA excels at providing a holistic view of today’s business challenges and equipping us with practical solutions for addressing real-world issues."
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Jarlath Lally
Global Marketing Director
Global Invacom Group
"I was looking for an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship. One of the things that struck me about Solvay Brussels School was that emphasis in the EMBA programme... A sustaining gift from the programme is that I have a strong network that has grown exponentially on the back of the contacts I made within the programme"
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What are the admission criteria?
The key admission criteria include:
- Higher Education Diploma (Bachelor/Master/Other)
- Minimum 3 years of professional experience
- English proficiency
- Scores from GMAT, GRE or Solvay Lifelong Learning Admission Test (SllAT)
What is the certificate awarded?
Upon completion of your curriculum, you will be awarded the “Executive Master in Business Administration” university certificate delivered by Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management – Université libre de Bruxelles.
Alumni requests
Did you complete your MBA or EMBA with Solvay Executive Education/Brussels School and require administrative assistance? Please complete this form and our team will get back to you shortly.
How can I finance my EMBA?
DISCOUNTS
- Early bird: Early bird applicants who submit their applications before the end of the early bird date will receive a discount on the tuition fees.
- Alumni of the Solvay Brussels School, Solvay Lifelong Learning, Université libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel benefit from a 10% discount on tuition fees.
- Ruling: Your tuition fees may be recognised by the Belgian authorities as professional expenses and could therefore be eligible for a deduction under personal income tax (IPP) and corporate tax (ISOC). This potential tax saving could cover up to 25% of your tuition fees. For more information, please contact us or visit the SPF website.
SCHOLARSHIPS
- We offer numerous scholarships each year to promote diversity in the classroom, academic excellence and equal access to learning. You can find more information about our United Nations' SDG Scholarships here and our Women Change Agent Scholarship here.
SUBSIDIES & FINANCIAL AIDS
Subject to renewal of the regional agreements
- Brussels Region - Paid Training Leave: Paid educational leave allows workers (private sector) to train during the day or in staggered hours while retaining their salary. Employers receive reimbursement from Brussels Economy and Employment, based on certain criteria. The employee must submit the certificate of enrolment (specific certificate for educational leave issued by the school) to his employer within 20 days of the start of the course. This certificate must be delivered to the employer either by registered mail or with an acknowledgement of receipt. In case of a late registration after the launch of the programme at the latest within 8 days of the registration. (for more information: Economie-Emploi)
- Flanders Region - SME Wallet: The SME e-wallet is oriented towards practitioners of ‘liberal professions’ and SMEs whose operational headquarters are located in the Flemish Region. You have to submit the subsidy application within 14 days of the start of the programme/module/course. (for more information: VLAIO)
- Flanders Region - Paid Training Leave: Under certain conditions, employees in the private sector are entitled to Flemish training leave. They are allowed to be absent from work to attend training or to prepare for evaluations, while their wages continue to be fully paid. The employer can be reimbursed a lump sum as compensation for the wage costs. You have to submit the subsidy application within 14 days of the start of the start of the programme/module/course. (for more information: Vlaanderen)
- Flanders Region - Training Vouchers: You are an employee or you work as a temporary worker and you live or you work in Flanders/Brussels. You can request your training voucher via the WSE counter and you should preferably request the cheque before your registration, so that you can use it to pay your registration fee. (for more information: Vlaanderen)
- Wallonia Region - Training Vouchers: Full or part-time employees from SME which has a maximum of 250 workers as well as self-employed. You have to submit the subsidy application within 14 days of the start of the programme/module/course. (for more information: Forem).
