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Amsterdam Business School Amsterdam Business School

ABS hosts conference on 'Sustainability in Context'

15 June 2022

The Amsterdam Business School (ABS) hosted the 10th edition of the GRONEN 2022 Research Conference from 31 May to 2 June. GRONEN stands for the Group of Research on Organizations and the Natural Environment. This is an open international network of engaged scholars focused on innovative thinking to contribute to societal progress in a world of rapid, complex and non-linear environmental change.

Sustainable prosperity is one the University of Amsterdam’s strategic priority areas. In this context, the GRONEN conference theme ‘Sustainability in Context’ gave 120 participants the opportunity to present and discuss cutting edge research on sustainability-related topics. There was also a doctoral consortium prior to the conference. This event allowed more than 25 students to engage with leading scholars and receive feedback on their research.

Local and international participants

The conference, held in the Netherlands for the first time, featured a wide variety of formats for presenting research and discussions. Participants took part in regular paper sessions, short paper development sessions, special issue sessions, social events, innovative professional development sessions, and interactive plenary discussions and keynotes. Aside from leading scholars, keynote speakers included prominent figures active in the field of sustainability. Tatiana Glad (Executive Director of Impact Hub Global, co-founder of Impact Hub Amsterdam and Waterlution), and Eva Gouwens (CEO of Fairphone) were both keynote panelists during a panel discussion.

Organising an inclusive conference

‘The conference was a great opportunity to meet like-minded academics who care deeply about sustainability. Hosting the 10th GRONEN conference on our faculty’s 100-year anniversary was important for us, and we appreciated the very positive feedback from participants who thoroughly enjoyed the programme, informal discussions, and social events. Together we zoomed in on sustainability in context, and zoomed out to examine how we can help advance sustainability goals in our roles as researchers and educators’ said Panikos Georgallis, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Conference Organising Committee Chair.

The event was made possible thanks to financial support from the ABS Strategy & International Business Section and the UvA’s A Sustainable Future (ASF platform). It was organized by a team of ABS professors: Panikos Georgallis, Arno Kourula, Siri Boe-Lillegraven, Pushpika Vishwanathan, Willemijn van Dolen, and Ans Kolk. The organisers ensured an inclusive conference to accommodate those who could not travel. Two plenary sessions and the entire Doctoral Consortium were offered in hybrid format and free of charge to online participants. In line with its theme, the GRONEN conference was also a carbon neutral event.