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.
Marketing is evolving rapidly. AI is reshaping creativity. Susta inability expectations are rising. Performance pressure is intensifyi ng.
In this environment, how do we lead responsibly, without lo sing sight of the people behind the data?
Join us on campus as alumni, faculty, and practitioners come together to explore what it m eans to put humans first in today’s marketing practice. Because mar keting doesn’t just move markets — it shapes behaviour, experienc es, and impact.
Step back from the day-to-day and reflect on a central question: what changes when we consciously place human dignit y, lived experience, and long-term responsibility at the centre of ou r decisions?
Keynote: Radical Humanity: Putting the Hu
man Back at the Centre of Business by Dr. Lalin Anik
Acro
ss sustainability, accessibility, talent, AI, and brand leadership, a
shared thread keeps emerging: purpose becomes real through the every
day choices we make about who we design for, how we listen, and which
trade-offs we are willing to hold.
In this keynote, Dr. Lalin Anik will introduce her lens of Radical Humanity, an a pproach that places dignity, lived experience, and long-term impact a t the heart of marketing leadership.
Through relatable st ories and contemporary marketing realities, Dr. Anik will invite you to reflect on the tensions you recognise from your own organisation a nd consider how to keep humanity central in high-performance environm ents.
Alumni Panel: Purpose under Pressure, moder
ated by Prof. Peeter Verlegh
Following the keynote, Prof.
Peeter Verlegh will lead a conversation with MSc Marketing alumni wo
rking at the intersection of commercial performance and broader impac
t.
Together, they will discuss:
- How purpose translates
into real organisational decisions
- The tension between short-ter
m results and long-term value
- What “putting humans first” lo
oks like under commercial pressure
- Honest reflections on career
paths and leadership trade-offs
Dr. Aylin Aydinli, Programme Di rector of VU's MSc in Marketing, will also join the panel to bring th e educational lens: how do we prepare the next generation of marketer s to lead in an increasingly complex landscape?
After the programme, there will be ample opportunity to reconnect with former classmates, meet alumni from other cohorts, and continue the conversation with f aculty over drinks and a light buffet.
For this event , we kindly request a small participation fee of €12.50.
< /body> DESCRIPTION: Marketing is evolving rapidly. AI is reshaping creativity . Sustainability expectations are rising. Performance pressure is int ensifying. In this environment, how do we lead responsibly, without l osing sight of the people behind the data? Join us on campus as alumn i, faculty, and practitioners come together to explore what it means to put humans first in today’s marketing practice. Because marketin g doesn’t just move markets — it shapes behaviour, experiences, a nd impact. Step back from the day-to-day and reflect on a central que stion: what changes when we consciously place human dignity, lived ex perience, and long-term responsibility at the centre of our decisions ?