What do you like most about your job?

The high degree of independence we have in our work, always learning new things and doing in-depth research on interesting topics. I also enjoy teaching motivated students, and it’s satisfying to hear students say that they learned a lot during a session or a class.

Which project from the past year are you most proud of?

The book Strategic Management: From Confrontation to Transformation was released worldwide early this year by SAGE. This is a comprehensive strategic management textbook that I wrote together with Henk Volberda and other co-authors outside of the UvA. It’s suitable for use in BSc, MSc and MBA modules. What makes this book unique is the combination of its handy ‘confront-sense-choose-transform’ structure, the large number of cases, including a relatively large number from outside the US, and the fact that in addition to the classic strategy subjects, we also focus on hot topics. For example, we look at purpose, ecosystems, platforms, and business model innovation. The first reactions from users are very positive.

What might your colleagues not know about you?

That I speak fluent Spanish. This is in part due to living in Chili for a while during my studies. And that in the past I actively practiced taekwondo and various other budo sports, such as jiu jitsu, judo, and karate. I want to start doing this again if possible, but for the timebeing I’ve switched to fitness training because it’s easier to fit into my schedule.