Distinguished Alumni Awards

Translating the science of human behaviour for everyone

OneMBA, 2011

Ali has reached beyond the ‘normal’ ways of disseminating business knowledge. He makes a very wide impact in a very accessible way – on social media and TV. He is extremely innovative in his endeavour to become a top influencer on TikTok and Instagram with insightful and entertaining content from his domain expertise, in addition to writing academic papers and teaching.

After his MBA, Ali earned his PhD in behavioural science. RSM helped him realise there was more to work than just great strategy sessions and operational procedures, so he reinvented his career path in his late 30s. He set up a consultancy in applied behavioural science and technology, and became a professor in organisational behaviour at a business school. Seeing the world through different lenses, Ali understood that we as humans don’t always make the best decisions for ourselves or for others, even when our intentions are good. My behavioural training helped me to understand how you can positively influence behaviour. During the pandemic, Ali played a pivotal role on Al-Jazeera English Live News Broadcast talking about the various behavioural phenomena we saw happening in the world, while helping others to deal with daily stressors and working from home more effectively.

He has also worked with the World Bank to build psychological safety within the organisation which affects the lives of millions across the globe through improved employee performance. And finally, Ali amassed an impressive following on social media by being able to translate the science of human behaviour in an easy and engaging way online to a diverse audience across the world.

Driving the economy towards meaningful environmental and social change 

FTMBA, 2022

Georgios has combined two pivotal aspects of his life: consulting and sustainability. In his role as an environmental, social and governance (ESG) consultant, he successfully supports asset managers and private companies in their journey towards a more sustainable and impactful business model. Georgios believes genuine change will emerge when the responsibility for environmental and social sustainability becomes ingrained in the way businesses conduct their affairs.

He has been promoting positive change since his career began: engaging with NGOs, volunteering, and acts of philanthropy. Before coming to RSM, Georgios wanted to switch from traditional management accounting to act on his strong ethical personality and drive to find personal fulfilment through new values and career paths. “RSM equipped me with comprehensive knowledge of the goals we must collectively strive for to address holistic environmental and social challenges. This exposure to the environmental and social footprint of our times solidified my belief in these causes and significantly influenced not only my thinking but also my career trajectory.”

During his studies at RSM he won awards in competitions for international impact investing. He also established strong connections between his work and RSM, as he firmly believes that “the foundation of positive change lies in education, as it acts as a catalyst for transformative shifts.” This is why he considers it his duty to share his knowledge and work experience with new RSM candidates. “I encourage fellow RSM alumni to incorporate these values and principles into their day-to-day work, making a positive impact on the world through their professional endeavours.” 

Transforming organisations and business schools for sustainability

IBA, 2007 & MSc Global Business & Stakeholder Management, 2008 

Since leaving a promising career in the oil industry in 2007, Guénola Nonet has made good her commitment to leaving a positive professional legacy. She now works at a high level in strategic transformations – she’s truly influencing how organisations transform themselves for sustainability. The prospect of finding a job in sustainable development was uncertain during the financial crisis but she says she could no longer ignore environmental science so she pursued her goal to have a professional positive legacy.

Together with professionals, students and researchers, Guénola innovates locally and globally to create regenerative economies, societies and healthy living systems. She supports local industry’s moves towards sustainability, contributes to others’ professional development with online courses, researches social innovation and regenerative leadership, and conducts retreats. “We need mindful and rested leaders to help us make sound decisions, to deal with complexity successfully and co-design a regenerative world,” Guénola says. 

She says her RSM master programme was a turning point in her life. It taught her to think outside of the box, reconnect with the Earth’s living systems, and the role that business schools can play towards positive change in the world.

Here are some examples of her roles in strategic transformation towards sustainability: board member of Sweden Region Jönköping Sustainability Board, former chair of United Nations Global Compact PRME Scandinavia, former chair of Jönköping University Sustainability Network, UNGC PRME member, United Nations SDSN, WBO GBSN member, and Sweden Erasmus + Nature manager. 

Making money good to fight global crime 

FTMBA 2010

Lucinity founder Guðmundur Kristjánsson uses his business skills to make an impact by countering money laundering and related malpractice. To do this, his organisation combines the power of storytelling and generative AI to transform financial crime investigations. Nominator and fellow RSM MBA alumnus Ramesh Chidambaram, who lives in Singapore, commented: “I live in a part of the world where the majority of crimes – from trafficking to terrorism – is supported by laundered funds. Lucinity is a noble venture.” 

Guðmundur’s company strives to create a safer, more secure financial ecosystem. It has successfully raised more than US$25 million and is now at a Series B funding round. Its customers include Goldman Sachs, Pleo, and Currencycloud. Licinity’s mission is to ‘make money good’ and shine a light on the dark corners of finance by promoting transparency in financial compliance. It provides actionable insights for anti-money laundering investigations by merging augmented intelligence, generative AI, and compelling machine-learning narratives.  

His experience in senior product management roles at NICE Systems, CyberTech, and Citigroup equipped Guðmundur with valuable insights into the challenges and possibilities within the financial compliance domain. His entrepreneurial journey started at RSM, where he built up a solid foundation that propelled him to find a cause that mattered to him. Guðmundur encourages other RSM alumni to do the same: “Chase this cause with all your might. In an interconnected world, every action can lead to significant change.”  

Innovating with AI towards a healthier and happier workforce 

IBA, 2018

Ines has been a female breakthrough in the AI technology space where not many women are present. She founded her own AI start-up in Paris at age 24, from where she’s driving change through revolutionary technology and building a strong community. Her company Seedext’s goal is to leverage AI to enhance people’s productivity at work, by using a virtual assistant that summarises meetings and conversations in one click. She has secured support from multinationals such as Google, SAP and Salesforce.

Another positive effect of her business is using AI to help people achieve a better work-life balance, and also to be more inclusive in the workplace because people with disabilities and language barriers can be completely included and take part in discussions. Ines’ AI assistant also streamlines tasks, freeing up time for people to focus on what they love in their jobs and connect with others. By promoting a more compassionate and human-centric work culture, she aims to inspire a movement toward a healthier and happier workforce worldwide.

Her time at RSM has been life-changing towards her purpose and her entrepreneurial journey. She started a project at Enactus when she was 18, where she learned valuable business skills by empowering refugee women through a catering business. “The power of entrepreneurship and innovation can be harnessed to address pressing social issues and create solutions that bring about lasting change,” Ines says. “I encourage everyone to embrace their unique passions and channel their energy into causes that align with their values.” 

Accelerating sustainable energy supplies for people’s homes

IBA, 2015

Jan-Philipp is taking on the grand challenge of sustainable energy supply and is changing the way people consume and interact with energy in their everyday life. He founded his own digital heating company Ökoloco six years ago, which has since grown to employ more than 70 people and has installs more than 1,000 heating systems in residences per year.

Every heating system that Ökoloco installs reduces CO₂ emissions. This serves a major demand for the energy transition in Germany as oil and gas heating systems start to fade out and people look to heating companies for solutions. Jan-Philipp’s company has developed a software solution to make it as easy and fast as possible for customers to change their heating system. Its standardised processes enable the company to scale its operations across regions. Jan-Philipp’s goal is for Ökoloco to become the leading heat pump installation company in Germany. 

Another goal for Jan-Philipp is to become the most attractive employer in the technology space. He already offers specialised training for young apprentices and encourages young people to become installers. He says it’s essential to motivate more people to work in the industry to accelerate the energy transition.

This focus on people and sustainability started at RSM, where Jan-Philipp was a tutor for the Strategic Business Plan course and a mentor for the first-year students. He also completed the Erasmus Honours Programme "Grand Challenges" which inspired him to start his own future-proof business. 

Touching the lives of others through authentic leadership 

Part-time MBA, 1998

Margriet Vonno is selfless, hardworking and always ready to help and provide impact in various conferences, workshops or masterclasses organised by RSM. She has led an impactful masterclass on international negotiations for second-year IBA students, and her moving presentation at the 2022 RSM Leadership Summit received a standing ovation.

Until last year, Margriet was the ambassador of the Netherlands to Singapore and Brunei, where she connected strategy, politics, business and people. Now, as an inspector for the Dutch department of Foreign Affairs, she helps improve the work of ambassadors and embassies. She is also an (advisory) board member of several associations and organisations.

Her leadership positively affected many lives and gave various people the chance to develop themselves in their lives and careers. Margriet continued to be a role model when she battled breast cancer and kept up with her work as an ambassador. Opening her heart and sharing her story helps her to be, in her own words, “a human being and a professional at the same time and show both sides of the coin, while keeping my sense of humour.”

Margriet listens to people, and shares her organisation’s best practices with others. No matter what their role, she always sees the human factor. “At RSM, I learned to work with diverse students, which gave me new insights in group processes.” The MBA experience also encouraged her to speak up to superiors: “I try to do this in a respectful way – but nevertheless I don’t follow the leaders and the rules anymore without critical thinking from my side.”

Switching gears to become a fintech entrepreneur

FTMBA, 2017

Michael is a tenacious entrepreneur building a fintech startup in London, UK. He launched his company, Strabo, with the intention of helping himself manage his personal finances as an expat. He soon realised there was a significant need for such a service, particularly in London, where numerous working professionals come from various parts of the world.

Strabo is a cloud-based platform that helps people link multiple accounts from around the world in one dashboard. The application was launched in 2021, and since then, his team has successfully raised over £1 million in funding and gained early traction with its beta application. The company is on the right track to assist millions of expats across the UK and EU in managing their personal finances more effectively.

Michael says the RSM MBA enabled him to transition into something completely new – a new country and an entirely different industry. He had worked in the automotive photography business and had managerial roles at Amazon before starting his own business. His experience at RSM forced him to grow personally and professionally. “Enduring and overcoming these challenges instilled a sense of calm and confidence, preparing me to face tough times with resilience,” he explains.

In his journey, Michael discovered that feeling confused or lost in life often stems from living inauthentically. “Once I truly understood my genuine preferences, independent of others' opinions, I found greater alignment between my true self and the work I engage in. It all began with the commitment to cultivate authenticity in myself.” 

Helping the next generation succeed through entrepreneurial endeavours 

IBA, 2013

As a female immigrant tech entrepreneur, Micky is a trailblazer whose visionary leadership has transformed Minite.works into a resounding success. Micky empowers students to enhance their job prospects and gain valuable real-world experience on Minite, which has over 13,000 students on the platform and thousands of study-related freelance jobs created through the platform.  

Micky made the bold decision to leave her corporate career behind, to chase purpose and impact instead. She founded Minite with her sister, and created the platform from scratch as a self-taught techie. She sets the next generation up for success by focusing on helping students shape their futures. Minite’s mission is to enable students to build strong CVs, make better career decisions and land great opportunities. The platform is committed to providing equal opportunities for every student, ensuring a bias-free environment where students apply to jobs and gigs without including irrelevant factors such as ethnicity, race, and gender. This way, Minite fosters a fair and inclusive environment in its endeavour to level the playing field and create a more equitable world. 

Her dedication to student success extends beyond the platform. Micky generously gives back by providing free personal and professional development workshops to students, continuously delivering inspiring guest lectures at RSM, and mentoring young students. She also speaks at IBA Open Days and established the Minite office on the EUR campus. She has become a role model for young students, paving the way for a more diverse entrepreneurial landscape.