(openPR) - May 6, 2010

The van Oord Family Association, in charge of the charity activities of the family, and the IMD MBA program announced today the creation of the van Oord Scholarship.

According to Jan Kornelis van Oord, Chairman of the Charity Committee of the Family Association, the objective is to provide partial IMD MBA tuition fees for a candidate from a developing country whose advancement / progress has been strongly influenced by its sea-based location. The candidate should ideally have technical experience and an interest in the economic development of his or her country’s sea-related activities. The scholarship will be awarded for three years starting with the class admitted for the 2011 program. The CHF 30,000 scholarship will provide a substantial contribution toward tuition costs.

“We are very happy and honored that we’ve received this generous commitment from the van Oord Family Association,” stated Professor Martha Maznevski, IMD MBA Program Director. “Many van Oord family and company members are IMD alumni themselves, and their commitment to developing other future leaders is highly appreciated.”

According to van Oord, candidates for the scholarship will include individuals admitted by the IMD MBA Admissions Committee to the class. In view of the involvement of the family in dredging and marine construction, preference will be given to those with an interest in the marine engineering industry. Prospective scholars will be asked to submit an essay (maximum 750 words) answering the question: “How can the seaside location of my country be better used to contribute to economic growth and sustainability?” All criteria must be fulfilled by September 30.

“The marine engineering industry is hugely significant in the economic development of countries with a coastline,” van Oord stated. “We have benefited from our involvement in this industry and would like to give back to encourage young leaders who have also been associated or who may be in the future.”

About IMD

Based in Switzerland, IMD is consistently top-ranked among business schools worldwide. With more than 60 years’ experience, IMD takes a real world, real learning approach to executive education. IMD offers pioneering and collaborative solutions to address clients’ challenges. Our perspective is international – we understand the complexity of the global environment. Real-impact executive learning and leadership development at IMD enables participants to learn more, deliver more and be more. (www.imd.ch).

About the van Oord Family Association

The van Oord family has a long tradition in the dredging and marine construction industry. Well know projects realized by the Van Oord Company include the construction of the Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong, and more recently, the construction of the Palm Jumeirah and the World Islands in Dubai. For more details see www.vanoord.com. The van Oord Family Association handles the non-business related matters of the family such as passing over the values and family heritage to future generations, the stimulation of entrepreneurship, charity, education of young family members and above all maintaining cohesion within the family.
www.imd.ch

Based in Switzerland, IMD is consistently top-ranked among business schools worldwide. With more than 60 years’ experience, IMD takes a real world, real learning approach to executive education. IMD offers pioneering and collaborative solutions to address clients’ challenges. Our perspective is international – we understand the complexity of the global environment. Real-impact executive learning and leadership development at IMD enables participants to learn more, deliver more and be more. (www.imd.ch).

Ch. de Bellerive 23
P.O. Box 915
CH-1001 Lausanne, Switzerlande