Below are the ECMLG Biographies of the Conference and Programme Chairs, Key Note Speakers and Mini-Track Chairs.
Conference and Programme Chairs
Stéphanie Buisine is Research Director at CESI, and leads innovation research at LINEACT laboratory. Her career has taken her from technological innovation issues (ex: Human-Computer Interaction) to the methodological and strategic dimensions of innovation (ex: Creativity, Prospective on future needs), up to organizational innovation. Through innovation, her research aims to support self-determination of users, designers and collaborators
After studying engineering and management, Muriel Davies worked 14 years in the textile industry on several plants as supply chain or quality manager. She joined CESI in 2009 as a pedagogical manager, and the LINEACT CESI 8 years ago as researcher. Today she conducts research on culture and organizational innovation with the current socio-environmental challenges as structural framework.
Keynote Speakers
Daniel Ahlers is Managing Partner of the Centre for Coaching (Europe), as well as a Certified Professional Integral CoachÂź, Systemic Team Coach, and experienced facilitator. With over 12 years of coaching experience, drawing on Swiss and South African heritage, he helps executives and leadership teams navigate transformational shifts and enhance stakeholder value. A background in Chemistry and Information Systems and his prior leadership roles in finance and marketing inform his evidence-based, strategically aligned approach. Passionate about developing confident, authentic leaders, he also teaches, mentors, and designs leadership interventions worldwide, driving meaningful impact across diverse organisational contexts.
The Centre for Coaching has been a centre of excellence at the University of Cape Townâs Graduate School of Business since 2001.
Mini-Track Chairs
Dr. Ghayur Ahmad holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Law, as well as a Master of Philosophy/Psychology from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan. He was awarded a scholarship by the University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, where he earned his Masterâs degree in Human Resource Management. Dr. Ahmad pursued his doctoral studies at Preston University, Kohat, completing his coursework before being granted a prestigious scholarship by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to finalize his PhD dissertation at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, USA. With over 18 years of professional and academic experience, Dr. Ahmad has taught and worked in various countries, including the United Kingdom, Pakistan, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. He has held positions at the University of Bedfordshire, UK, as well as esteemed institutions in Pakistan such as the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and Islamia College Peshawar. Dr. Ahmad has successfully managed multi-million-dollar projects in Pakistan and currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the College of Business Administration, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His research focuses on motivation, commitment, and reward systems within organizations, particularly the role of rewards in employee motivation. He has published numerous articles in international journals and is an active participant in national and international conferences and seminars. Additionally, Dr. Ahmad has held significant leadership roles, including serving as the founding General Manager of the Industry Relations Department at NUST and as the Founding Director of the Student Startup Center at Islamia College, Peshawar.
Dr Maryam Shadman-Pajouh joined Teesside University in September 2008 as a part-time Lecturer in International Management whilst pursuing her PhD in Management. In 2013 she was appointed to the full-time position of Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management (HRM). She completed her PhD at Teesside University on âThe Challenges of Importing Knowledge from Other Cultures: A Case Study of an Iranian Hotel Chainâ 2015. Her project studied one of the largest corporations in the tourism sector in Iran, which examined the challenges the corporation faced in the areas of absorptive capacity and knowledge transfer in relation to training and innovation advancement. She studied the corporate from 2005 until 2012, using ethnography and held over 200 in depth interviews with staff and senior management. Her work is considered pioneering in the area of the impact of culture on HRM. She received a BA (Hons) in Accounting from Karaj Azad University in Iran, a Masters in International Business from Hull University and a Masters in Research in Business and Management also from Hull University.