ASF-George Molenkamp thesis award
The award is in honour of Dr George Molenkamp, a pioneer in business sustainability. Dr Molenkamp was a former Partner and Chairman of KPMG Sustainability Services and he was instrumental in developing the field of environmental and sustainability management and auditing. He also served as a professor at the University of Amsterdam, one of the many positions of responsibility he held in society and business. The ASF-George Molenkamp Thesis Award Thesis award includes a €1,500 prize sponsored by KPMG and the A Sustainable Future initiative at UvA Economics & Business.
Anna Vernooij: Winner of the ASF-George Molenkamp Thesis Award 2025
Business Administration student Anna Vernooij (Digital Marketing track) was awarded the George Molenkamp thesis award 2025. Her research on how subtle differences in language in app notifications can encourage more sustainable consumer choices was unanimously selected as the winning entry by the jury.
Her thesis Unpacking Environmental Concern in Digital Green Nudging: Insights from a Large-Scale Field Study on a Sustainability Oriented App, examines how digital communication can influence sustainable behaviour. The award was presented on Friday, 6 February 2026 during a ceremony at the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam. Vernooij received €1,500; her supervisor, Dr Dale Rickert, received €500. The prize, organised by ASF award coordinator Almasa Sarabi (Assistant Professor Human Resource Management), is awarded annually by KPMG and UvA Economics and Business for the best master’s thesis in sustainability.
The power of language
In collaboration with an international sustainability app, Vernooij tested how different formulations in app messages and push notifications affect user behaviour. By emphasising positive environmental effects and highlighting the choices of other users, she found that small adjustments in wording led to more click-throughs and measurable sustainable actions.
In a supplementary study, she explored differences between user groups. Those who already valued sustainability responded more strongly to messages showing the environmental impact of their actions. ‘I wanted to understand how to honestly and subtly encourage people to make more sustainable choices online. My background in psychology and my interest in sustainability converged perfectly in this research. I’m therefore proud of this recognition,’ says Vernooij.
Scientifically robust and practically relevant
‘What’s special about this research is that it’s based on the real behavior of nearly half a million app users,’ says Jerwin Tholen, partner in sustainability at KPMG, who presented the award on behalf of the jury. ‘Anna shows how even small differences in word choice can influence people’s actions. This makes the insights not only scientifically sound but, above all, practically applicable for organisations that want to use digital communication to encourage sustainable choices.’
The jury consisted of Wendelien van Eerde, Neris Güven, Arno Kourula (all from the Amsterdam Business School) and Jerwin Tholen.
A longstanding tradition
The prize has been awarded since 2017 and is named after Dr George Molenkamp, founder of KPMG’s sustainability practice and former professor of Environmental Management at the University of Amsterdam. Since 2025, the award has been linked to A Sustainable Future (ASF). This is an UvA Economics & Business research platform focused on sustainability themes aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Prior winners of the George Molenkamp Sustainability Thesis Award
Winner 2024
Merel Bonewit: Optimizing Stroke Care Accessibility for At-Risk Populations (supervisor Prof. Dick den Hertog)Finalists 2024
Ngoc Ha Tran: Extreme Weather Events and Stock Returns in The Netherlands (supervisor Yasmine van der Straten)
Britt Volkers: The Impact of the Environmental Performance of Countries on the Likelihood of CHQ Relocations in Europe (supervisor Dr Jan Schmitt)Winner 2023
Tessa Kraak: Green and Digital Attention as Mediators between Top Management Team Characteristics and Firm Performance: A Moderated Mediation Framework (supervisor Dr Taghi Ramezan Zadeh).Finalists 2023
Domenico Mannino: Impact Investors’ Decision-making Across Different Stages of Investment: An Explorative Investigation on Early-stage and Late-stage Impact Investors’ Pre-selection Investment Criteria (supervisor Ciro Esposito).Winner 2022
Natalya Camilla Apopo: The covert role of accounting professionals in a jurisdictional expansion project (supervisor Prof. Brendan O’Dwyer).Finalists 2022
Rick van Galen: Sexual Orientation Diversity as a Corporate Financial and Social Credibility Booster: How Anti-Discrimination Policy Changes Towards Sexual Orientation within the United States Influences Firm Performance and CSR Quality (supervisor Dr Vittoria Scalera).Marija Sinicaite: Corporate Culture and Green Innovation: An Empirical Study of Medical Technology Firms (supervisor Ciro Esposito).
Winner 2021
Willem Grefkens: Beauty and the Battered: How Aesthetic Appeal Influences Pro-Environmental Behaviour (supervisor: Dr Carina Thuerridl).Finalists 2021
Laura Ghitoi: Refashioning the Fashion Industry: The Growing Digital Aftermarket and the Circularity within the Resale Revolution (supervisor: Dr Aldo do Carmo)Mana Reed Stutchbury: Racial Diversity in Brand Communications – The Effect of Racial Diversity on Intention To Engage And Engagement Valence on Social Media: The Role of Self-Referencing (supervisor: Dr Sadaf Mokarram Dorri)
Winner 2020
Giulia Casamatti: The Impact of Green Sustainability Strategies and Women Management Role on Corporate Financial Performance: the Italian Wine Industry (2019) (supervisor: Dr Federica Nieri).Finalists 2020
Kathelin Doornhof: The Effects of Family Ownership on CSR Adoption: The Moderating Role of CSIR Involvement and Internationalization (supervisor: Dr Federica Nieri)Josefin Pellinger: Living Online: What’s the Price We’re Willing to Pay? (supervisor: Dr Andrea Weihrauch).
Winner 2019
Willem Davies: Legitimacy management within the international business environment: do EM-MNEs adopt a dual strategy as they try to overcome their liability of origin? (supervisor: Dr Federica Nieri).Finalists 2019
Bart Verkaaik: The transition of financial audit professionals into sustainability audit professionals: The case of sustainability assurance in a Big 4 firm (supervisor: Prof. Brendan O’Dwyer).Tessa Werter: Does a firm’s corporate governance structure affect their corporate goodness? (supervisor: Dr Ilir Haxhi).
Winner 2018
Maren Heumann: Organisational justice as a mediator of the relationship between stakeholder culture and organisational citizenship behaviour (supervisor: Dr Flore Bridoux).Finalists 2018
Aviv de Poel: Corporate political activity through social responsibility (supervisor: Dr Ilir Haxhi).Christian August Stang: Examining the income-SWB satiation point, and the potential moderating effect of income inequality (supervisor: Dr Richard Ronay).
Winner 2017
Suzan van Eijden: The roles of governments and NGOs in the resolution of conflicts between indigenous communities and MNEs (supervisor: Dr Ilir Haxhi).Finalists 2017
Robin Britt Danielle Bouma: The influence of core-stigma on corporate social responsibility reporting (supervisor: Dr Hesam Fasaei).Cathelijn Lotte Raaijmakers: Internal and external environmental influences of sustainable international new venture internationalisation (supervisor: Dr Johan Lindeque).
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Selection process and award committee
In terms of the selection process, thesis supervisors nominate candidates which are judged for their contributions to sustainability, overall quality, practical relevance, and level of ambition. Prior award committee members have included Christof Bischofberger (Faculty Student Council, FEB/UvA), Sofiya Koba (Faculty Student Council, FEB/UvA), Berke Cavusoglu (Faculty Student Council, FEB/UvA), Arjan de Draaijer (Managing Partner, KPMG Sustainability), Bernd Hendriksen (Lecturer, Amsterdam Business School and sustainability entrepreneur), Arno Kourula (Professor of Business & Sustainability, Amsterdam Business School), Renad Mangoud (Central Student Council FEB Delegate & Treasurer), Jolande Sap (Supervisory Board, KPMG), and Melissa Wijngaarden (Faculty Student Council, FEB/UvA).
Further information
For more information about the theses or the award, please contact Arno Kourula: A.E.Kourula@uva.nl.