Dr. Deep R. Parekh
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Dr. Deep Parekh is a globally recognized advisor, educator, and venture builder working at the intersection of sustainability, value chain ecosystem design, and business model innovation. With a career spanning over three decades, he has partnered with global corporations—including Unilever, AB InBev, Tetra Pak, and Moncler—to embed sustainability into strategic operations and long-term business transformation.
Serving as an Executive Advisor at Grant Thornton Belgium, Deep provides strategic guidance for the firm’s sustainability initiatives, helping clients turn regulatory compliance into strategic advantage. He is the founder of Epistemy, a strategic advisory platform, and a former managing partner of turnaround firm Asteroidea AG. His work has shaped supply chain resilience, business model renewal, and stakeholder-centric innovation across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. A Fulbright Board Member and Chair of the Sustainability & Innovation Committee at AmCham Belgium, Deep is also a passionate educator. He teaches in executive programs at institutions including the Swiss Federal Institute in Lausanne (EPFL), and Solvay Business School, Brussels. |
episteme /ˌɛpɪˈstiːmi/
"Scientific knowledge, a system of understanding; specifically the body of ideas
which shape the perception of knowledge in a particular time period."
"Scientific knowledge, a system of understanding; specifically the body of ideas
which shape the perception of knowledge in a particular time period."
View From the Frontlines of Corporate Sustainability
"I have worked in the area of corporate sustainability for the past 10 years now, and what I'm seeing today is not what we started with; regulation has 'hijacked' corporate sustainability initiatives, with a relentless list of requests. Regulation is good, mind you, but it needs to be drip-fed and not snowballed. Companies are focusing on the wrong things today, and we need to pivot to set them right, going forward."
Professional and Educational Background
strategic advisory
- Developed Sustainability Strategies for mid-size to multinational enterprises
- Developed and Reconfigured Stakeholder-Centric Business Models
- Embedded sustainability into Business Process Architecture
- Developed new Operating Models that embed Sustainability principles
venture building
- Developed sustainability service line for Grant Thornton Belgium
- Designed Center of Excellence for ESG Services for Grant Thornton International
- Developed Social Service Delivery business for senior citizens in Belgium
- Developed Excellence Hub for Sustainable Operations Planning at Unilever
- Developed Excellence Hub for Sustainable Supply Chains at Ernst & Young
- Developed Sustainable Business Models Center at EPFL
Board & chair positions
- Board Member, Juvo BV - Technology Advisory, Specializing in AI for Sustainability, Belgium
- Board Member, Yodiwo - Sustainability Technology Enablement Applications, UK
- Board Member, Fulbright Commission of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU
- Leadership Committee, AmCham Belgium - Chair of the Sustainability & Innovation Committee
- Former Board Member, GWS AB - Publicly listed Social Safety Enterprise, Sweden
- Former Board Member, SparkWorks AG- Design Thinking Advisory, Switzerland
- Group Chair, CEO Collaborative Forum - Senior Leadership Collaboration Organization, UK
Education
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PhD in Business Model Dynamics
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Swiss Federal Institute Lausanne (EPFL), funded by a Sinergia grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
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MS in Operations Management & Statistics
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NYU - Stern School of Business
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BS in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
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TEACHING
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EPFL (Switzerland)
Solvay Business School (Belgium) SPJain (Dubai / Singapore) EHL Business School (Switzerland) |
Responsible Supply Chain & Operations Management (Executive MBA)
Sustainable Business Models (Executive Education) Sustainable Supply Chains (Masters) Embedding Sustainability in the Luxury Industry |
Invited to give Guest Lectures on sustainability related topics at:
- Vrij University Brussels (Belgium)
- Imperial College London (UK)
- EHL Business School (Switzerland)
- University of Cape Town (South Africa)
- NYU Stern School of Business (USA)
- Duke University (USA).