We warmly invite MSc Ma rketing alumni to return to VU Amsterdam for an evening of meaningful discussions and reconnection with industry peers and faculty.
Please note that online registration has closed. If you would still like to join, please send an email to alumni.sbe@vu.nl and we will be happy to help!
Marketing is evolving rapidly. AI is reshaping creativity. Sustainab ility expectations are rising. Performance pressure is intensifying.< /p>
In this environment, how do we lead responsibly, without losing sight of the people behind the data?
Join us on campus as alum ni, faculty, and practitioners come together to explore what it means to put humans first in today’s marketing practice. Because marketi ng doesn’t just move markets — it shapes behaviour, experiences, and impact.
Step back from the day-to-day and reflect on a cent ral question: what changes when we consciously place human dignity, l ived experience, and long-term responsibility at the centre of our de cisions?
Keynote: Social Capital: An Augmented Reality
?
Organizations increasingly operate in environments shap
ed by AI, data, automation, and continuous performance pressure. Yet
at the heart of organizations remain people.
In this talk, prof essor Mirella Kleijnen reflects on the role of social capital in an i ncreasingly “augmented” world. Drawing on her experiences as Dean , researcher, and educator, she explores how trust, relationships, an d human connection shape organizations, learning communities, and cus tomer experiences — and why these become even more important, rathe r than less, in times of technological acceleration and growing compl exity.
Combining personal reflections with insights from customer experience management and leadership, the talk invites alumn i to reflect on what it means to keep people truly at the centre of t he systems and organizations we build.
Alumni Panel: Pu
rpose under Pressure, moderated by Prof. Peeter Verlegh
F
ollowing the keynote, Prof. Peeter Verlegh will lead a conversation w
ith MSc Marketing alumni working at the intersection of commercial pe
rformance and broader impact.
Together, they will discuss:
< p>- How purpose translates into real organisational decisionsMeli ssa de Kant (The Nice Company) and Dionne van Dijk (DEPT) bring compl ementary perspectives shaped by different organisational contexts and roles. Spanning brand building and global social media strategy, the ir experiences offer insight into how purpose is interpreted, challen ged, and acted upon in practice.
Dr. Aylin Aydinli, Programme D irector of VU's MSc in Marketing, will also join the panel to bring t he educational lens: how do we prepare the next generation of markete rs to lead in an increasingly complex landscape?
Current MSc Marketing student Anna rounds out the panel, sharing what the gen eration set to shape the next decade of marketing expects from their careers, the companies they join, and the leaders they look to.
After the programme, there will be ample opportunity to reconnect with former c lassmates, meet alumni from other cohorts, and continue the conversat ion with faculty over drinks and a light buffet.
For this event, we kindly request a small participation fee of €12.50.< /em>
Please register before 20 May!
DESCRIPTION: Please note that online registration has closed. If you would still like to join, please send an email to alumni.sbe@ vu.nl and we will be happy to help! Marketing is evolving rapidly. AI is reshaping creativity. Sustaina bility expectations are rising. Performance pressure is intensifying. In this environment, how do we lead responsibly, without losing sigh t of the people behind the data? Join us on campus as alumni, faculty , and practitioners come together to explore what it means to put hum ans first in today’s marketing practice. Because marketing doesn’ t just move markets — it shapes behaviour, experiences, and impact. Step back from the day-to-day and reflect on a central question: wha t changes when we consciously place human dignity, lived experience, and long-term responsibility at the centre of our decisions?