Marin Njavro

Managing Director

Marin Njavro is the co-founder and managing director of Luxembourg School of Business. He is responsible for the School’s overall strategy, operations and relations with the School’s main stakeholders. Marin has graduated from Sciences Po Paris with a Bachelor degree in political science and a Master degree in Business Law. He has previously worked for Barclays Capital in London and the corporate law department of Loyens & Loeff in Luxembourg.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Vanhoudt

Dean

Patrick Vanhoudt completed his studies in economics at the Catholic University of Leuven and the Jesuit University of Antwerp, graduating with first-class honours: a master’s degree cum laude and a doctorandus degree (MSc) summa cum laude. In 1994, he was awarded a prestigious doctoral fellowship by the Belgian Science Foundation, which enabled him to undertake his PhD research at the University of California, Berkeley. As a visiting Fulbright Scholar, he gained invaluable insights there from leading economists such as Paul and David Romer, and George Akerlof. His postdoctoral research, also supported by the Belgian Science Foundation, focused on sustainable long-run economic growth, resulting in several publications in top-ranked, peer-reviewed journals.

With nearly thirty years of distinguished experience in both academia and the wider field of applied economics, Patrick Vanhoudt’s career has spanned various esteemed institutions. He began his professional journey at the International Monetary Fund before joining the Stockholm School of Economics as a professor in 1998. The following year, he moved to the chief economist’s office at the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg, where he conducted research and provided  advice on economic growth and regional policy, including to its governing bodies. He maintained his association with the Catholic University of Leuven as a visiting professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business until 2006, when he was honoured with the title of “Fellow of the Hogenheuvel College”.

After the restructuring of the chief economist’s office, Vanhoudt continued his tenure at the European Investment Bank, transitioning to the operational directorate. In this role, he was involved in steering project evaluations and assessing financial intermediaries in support of the EIB’s public policy goals. Additionally, he served as a ghostwriter for Philippe Maystadt, a former President of the EIB, on topics within his academic expertise. Vanhoudt recently retired from the Bank, where he held the position of Principal Adviser.

Robert Spicer, JD

Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel

Robert boasts a comprehensive background in guiding companies through globalization, scaling, and enhancing profitability, with a diverse career spanning over two decades. His expertise stretches across engineering, legal frameworks, and high-level executive roles, making significant contributions to both governmental and corporate strategic transformations.

Throughout his initial professional journey, Robert was instrumental in pioneering cutting-edge computing technologies for defense and healthcare sectors, addressing intricate challenges. His transition into legal practice saw him qualify as an attorney in the U.S. and as a solicitor in the UK, leading him to establish a law firm dedicated to navigating international commercial deals, particularly for tech-driven entities, both burgeoning and established.

His trajectory has seen him occupy pivotal executive roles across various organizational scales. Notably, Robert played a crucial role in steering a Silicon Valley startup from its nascent stage to a successful IPO on NASDAQ. He further enhanced his leadership repertoire by contributing to the expansion of a premier European incubator as a key executive and board member, overseeing its international ventures. His strategic insights were also pivotal in shaping the business direction of a Fortune 500 company in the mobile infrastructure sector, where he deepened his grasp of global telecommunications markets, technologies, and regulatory landscapes.

Dr. Adam Petersen

Professor of Management Practice

Adam is a Professor of Management Practice at the Luxembourg School of Business. He received his Masters from Oxford and Ph.D from Cambridge Universities. Initially moving from academia to industry, Adam has gained over 20 years of management experience in global tech and energy corporations. He has managed Product, Program, Engineering, Operations, Maintenance, and Supply Chain teams. He has built a wide range of diverse experiences in these roles from managing emergencies on offshore oil rigs to setting strategies with C-suite members at global head offices and many in between. In addition to the UK and the EU, he has worked extensively in the US, the Former Soviet Union and Africa.