2010 Think-tank Members


Mr. Harolds Celms is currently Director of the Publications and Dissemination Directorate of the European Union’s Office of Publications in Luxembourg. Prior to his current mission, he was Director of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia in Paris, promoting Latvia as a destination for French capital and Latvian exports. Earlier in his career Mr. Celms was Executive Chairman of Netcards, an early stage smart card identity and payment system designer and transaction processor in Latvia working with global smart card leaders Sagem and Gemplus. He also served as advisor to Riga Carriage Building Works, the former “Alstom” of the Soviet Union in terms of urban rail rolling stock manufacturing.
He worked for Bull (both in France and in the USA) as Vice-President for business alliances and Deputy Chief Marketing Officer for Europe. He served as consultant in strategy for the Bull and two parisian wings of the Boston Consulting Group. He started his career as Product Manager for Four-Phase Systems, Inc, a Silicon Valley minicomputer manufacturer.
Mr. Celms holds a Bachelor in Economics and a MBA from the Havard Graduate School.


Ms Elim Chew is a highly sought public speaker on issues of youth matters, social entrepreneurship and work excellence. She has formally set up the speaker circuit programme to share her experiences and inspire our students, youths, educators, civil servants, working professionals and community on issues that are close to her heart.
Ms Chew is Founder and President of 77th Street (S) Pte Ltd, the leading youth and young adults streetwear fashion and accessories retail chain in Singapore with 13 outlets locally and a shopping mall in Xidan, Beijing called 77th Street Plaza. She is humbled by awards such as Most Promising Woman Entrepreneur in 2001 by the Singapore Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Montblanc Businesswoman of the Year 2002, Young Woman Achiever 2003 by Singapore Press Holdings and Singapore Promising Brand Award 2004. She is honoured as a Forbes Asia’s Hero of Philanthropy 2010.
Currently, she sits on over 20 boards and committees of public service, youth and community organizations such as the Programming Committee of *SCAPE, an iconic youth community space; and the Culture & Education Action Crucibles for Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore.


Ms Chew Mok Lee is the Group Director in charge of Entrepreneurship & Innovation in SPRING Singapore.
SPRING Singapore is a statutory board of the government of Singapore. It is the enterprise development agency for growing innovative companies and fostering a competitive SME sector. It works with partners to help enterprises in financing, capabilities and management development, technology and innovation, and access to markets. As the national standards and accreditation body, SPRING also develops and promotes internationally-recognised standards and quality assurance to enhance competitiveness and facilitate trade.
Prior to SPRING, Ms Chew was with the National Productivity Board and subsequently, PSB. Ms Chew oversees the area of fostering entrepreneurship and broad-based assistance for local enterprises. She graduated from the National University of Singapore, majoring in Economics and Statistics. She has a double Masters and is well versed in the area of enterprise promotion and development, having been involved in various aspects of capability development and support for local enterprises for 20 years.
Ms Chew has served the Action Community for Entrepreneurship as Secretariat since its inception in 2003 and is responsible for working with the Minister in Charge of Entrepreneurship and private sector members to foster entrepreneurship in Singapore.


Michel Coster is the head of EMLYON Incubator. Launched in June 2008, the EMLYON Incubator accompanies currently 31 companies (including 11 companies accompanied in the category “hopes”, all founded by students of the School).The Centre for Entrepreneurs - first generation Incubator - supported in 25 years the projects of more than 1000 entrepreneurs or business acquirers.
In addition to this role, Michel Coster is also professor of entrepreneurship at EMLYON. He is in charge of training programs for entrepreneurs, training director for various programs. He is the founder and the head of the Entrepreneurship Specialized Master.
In 1987, he founded CCR Associés, a Consulting firm specialized in entrepreneurship in high tech environment. Most of missions were based on feasibility studies, strategic alliance operations and risk capital.
He is the author of two books, and wrote several book chapters and articles. He serves in the board of the Entrepreneurship Academy as Vice-President
He holds a Doctor of Advanced Studies in Company Law and a Doctor of Specialized Studies in Finance and Taxation from the University of Grenoble.


Zoë Dean-Smith is the Managing Director of Visionary Growth & Development Consultants – a consulting company committed to developing SMME businesses while focusing on the importance of having a social mission. Visionary works in a mentoring capacity helping organizations with conceptual strategy, project management and the refinement of existing infrastructures.
In January 1999, Zoe was invited by the late Jenny Thorne to join her in the Gone Rural business, a rural women’s development company, working with over 700 women. Zoe was the Managing Director of the Gone Rural, overseeing the marketing, human resource management, budgets / projections and logistical and administrative support for the company. In late 2006, Zoë accepted a one-year-long contract from the International Finance Corporation to develop and project-manage the creation and implementation of Gone Rural BoMake, a non-profit community development entity assisting Gone Rural’s 700 rural Swazi families with access to clean water, food security, HIV/AIDS support, women’s rights & literacy and youth entrepreneurship.
Zoe currently lives in Swaziland. Outside of the business environment, Zoe is actively involved in the Performing Arts and is a Trainer and Instructor in the Fitness arena.
She is a member of the Vital Voices Africa Advisory Board.


In 1975, Mr. Jean-Luc Decornoy joined KPMG to rise to the position of Manager in 1984 and then Partner 4 years later. He was then made CEO in 1993 before reaching the position he occupies today.
During his distinguished career, Mr. Decornoy’s professional activities have covered a variety of fields of expertise, from Chartered Accounting and Audit Assignments for Paris-listed French companies through to special engagements in financial advisory services and significant experience of the wholesale distribution and retail sectors. His client base boasts companies of the stature of Carrefour, Etam, Cap Gemini, Air France, DCN and EDF. He is also a member of the French National Statutory Auditors Institute.
He was professor during 10 years at École Centrale Paris where he taught finance.
Jean-Luc was graduated from ESSEC Business School. Besides, he was recently elected president of the ESSEC Alumni Association, and he organized a fund raising campaign for the extension of this top European business school.


Laurel Delaney is a successful entrepreneur, author, speaker, educator and columnist with more than 20 years of experience in global business.
She founded GlobalTrade in 2001. GlobeTrade main goal is to integrate both online and more traditional best-practice strategies for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.
Delaney has extensive international travel experience and is a renowned global small business expert. She also helps big companies develop strategic initiatives that target global small businesses. She teaches M.B.A. International Marketing at Loyola University of Chicago. Delaney's numerous articles have been published in international and scholarly publications.
Awarded the Small Business Administration's "Illinois Exporter of the Year," Ms. Delaney serves on the International Editorial Advisory Board of the "Journal of International Entrepreneurship” and the advisory board of Women Entrepreneurs, Inc.
Most recently, she was named to Irish America’s Annual “The Business 100,” celebrating corporate success and Irish heritage. She is also the Chicago Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents’ Organization.
She holds a BA in Advertising from Columbia College and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.


Frédéric Delmar is a professor in entrepreneurship at the Department of Strategy and Organization at EMLYON Business School.
Frédéric Delmar is also one of the initiative takers of the GEP ( Global Entrepreneurship Program) and now program director of this Master program started in fall 2009. This is a twelve month program were around 25 students from three schools (EMLYON Business School, Babson College and Zhejiang University) study together. They spend four months at each school. Delmar has designed the program.
He is also affiliated to the Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Sweden. He took his PhD at Stockholm School of Economics. His main research interest lies in the early development of new ventures as well as organizational growth. He finds the behavioral aspects of entrepreneurship to be particularly interesting.
His work has been published in a number of journals like Management Science, Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Organization, Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and books.


Abdelmounaïm Dilami is a Moroccan journalist and press baron. He holds a Doctorate in public law and political sciences from the University of Grenoble. He is a professor of strategy and law at the University Mohammed V of Rabat. He also teaches in the Center of Strategic Studies.
Abdelmounaïm Dilami is CEO of the publishing conglomerate Eco-Médias, owner of the daily paper L’Economiste, and its Arabic version Assabah. He owns the Atlantic radio station.
Besides, Dilami is the president of the Moroccan Federation of press publishers, the vice-president of the International Union of the French-speaking Press and the president of the Association of the African Political Analysts. He is regularly an international observer of many electoral processes in African and Eastern Europe accredited with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (French-speaking international organization).
Dilami is a member of the ESJ International Board (Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme Paris), the first school of journalism ever created in the world.