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Highlights from GRONEN 2024: Innovations and collaboration in sustainability
The GRONEN 2024 conference, held in May at SKEMA Business School’s Grand Paris campus, brought together over 170 researchers and alumni from diverse backgrounds. This leading event highlighted advancements in management and sustainable development, providing an unprecedented platform for exchange and collaboration.
Organised under the guidance of a group of professors led by Eva Niesten, researcher and director of the SKEMA Centre for Sustainability Studies, the GRONEN conference began with captivating presentations from renowned researchers, covering a range of topics such as new sustainability strategies, the environmental impacts of businesses, and innovations in sustainable management.
The audience first attended a plenary session titled “Promoting Sustainability," featuring many alumni committed to ecological transition, such as Charles Christory (SKEMA 2008, the co-founder of Le Fourgon), Yves Bogaert (SKEMA 1991, a member of the Climate Enterprises Convention), and Benjamin Michaud (SKEMA 2005, international customer director private label & B2B at Bonduelle). This panel was led by professors Carole Daniel and Barbara Ribeiro, who are part of the SKEMA Centre for Sustainability Studies.
An inspiring keynote
The keynote speech of Nancy Bocken, professor of sustainable business and circular economy, truly captivated the audience. In her address, she shared her enthusiasm for the new ideas and valuable encounters facilitated by the GRONEN conference. She explored emerging topics such as "Regenerative Business" and the crucial importance of measuring the impacts of sustainable innovations, emphasising the need for transdisciplinary and action-oriented research methods.
Networking and cross-disciplinary collaborations
Besides the academic sessions, the conference also featured intensive networking sessions and an award ceremony for the best scientific paper, enabling researchers to forge professional relationships and initiate new collaborations while staying informed about the latest research developments in sustainability, particularly in the areas of circular business models.
