Alexander is a part-time PhD student. His research focuses on 5 decades of scenario planning and explores ways to improve the link between scenario planning, strategic planning, resource allocation and portfolio management in the energy industry.

Career

Alexander Van de Putte is Senior Director and Head of Scenario Processes and Applications at PFC Energy International. Alexander is an expert project manager for complex projects, as well as an accomplished valuation and scenario planning expert. He is based in PFC Energy’s Lausanne, Switzerland office.

Before joining PFC Energy, Alexander worked as Director and Head of Global Practices with the World Economic Forum where he led the research practices (Scenario Planning, Global Risks and Competiveness) with a global network of leading academic institutions and experts. As the first incumbent head of scenario planning at the World Economic Forum, he developed the scenario planning processes and tools, and directed a series of scenario projects as part of the Forum’s objective to help shape the industry, regional and global agendas. Alexander’s past experience includes Shell International where he was the Senior Strategy and Portfolio Advisor to the Committee of Managing Directors. Part of his work for Shell was to evaluate and restructure the Group’s global investment portfolio. He also explored ways to improve the Group’s strategic position as influenced by scenarios and managed a two-year Group sponsored initiative on real options. Prior to Shell, Alexander was 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. During his career as a consultant, Alexander has worked in more than 25 countries, mainly for energy and metals & mining companies.

Qualifications

Alexander graduated from the University of Antwerp with Business Economics and Business Informatics degrees. He holds advanced degrees in Management and Decision Sciences from Boston University, was a BAEF Fellow at Harvard University and holds a PhD in Applied Economics (Finance) from the University of London. Alexander also holds a Master Financial Professional (MFP) Board Certification from the American Academy of Financial Management. In 2004, he was elected an Honorary Teaching Fellow at Birkbeck College (University of London).

In 2006, he joined the Brains Trust of the Evian Group at IMD, and in 2007, he was appointed as a U.S. National Intelligence Council (NIC) Associate to develop global scenarios as part of the Global Trends 2025 initiative.

Alexander is a Researcher and Lecturer with the Cambridge University Centre for Economics and Policy, and a Visiting Professor at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands). From 2006 to 2007, he was a Visiting Professor of scenario planning at INSEAD and from 2001 to 2004, he was (part-time, full) Professor of Strategy & Finance and Dean of the Grande Ecole Programme at the Rouen School of Management (France) and a Teaching Fellow at the University of London. Alexander has been a lecturer in executive education at INSEAD (both France and Singapore), IMD (Switzerland) and Wharton (USA) and has taught at the Solvay School of Management, Boston University and in company programs at DuPont, Caterpillar, GE, Shell, and Statoil.

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