Rudy Aernoudt studied Economics and Philosophy (KU Leuven) and European Economics (College of Europe). He is Professor of Corporate Finance and Enterprise Policy at the Universities of Ghent and Nancy. He was Director of Cabinet at European level, at Belgian federal level, at Walloon level and at Flemish level. He was also Director-General of One Laptop Per Child, a spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Secretary-General for Economy and Innovation in Flanders and Chief Economist at the European Commission. He is a columnist and author of several books and papers in the fields of economics politics and philosophy. His book, Corporate Finance in Practice has become a standard reference text in the area of corporate and entrepreneurial financing.
