Kim Poldner appointed interim Scientific Director
3 December 2024
Effective January 1, 2025, Kim Poldner has been appointed interim Scientific Director of the Center for Economic Transformation (CET). With 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and researcher in the field of sustainable business, she brings a broad expertise.
Kim Poldner appointed interim Scientific Director
Effective January 1, 2025, Kim Poldner has been appointed interim Scientific Director of the Center for Economic Transformation (CET). With 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and researcher in the field of sustainable business, she brings a broad expertise.
Poldner is currently lecturer in Circular Business at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and associate professor at the University of Groningen. From January, she will take over as CET director from Ingrid Wakkee in addition to her chair in Groningen.
Connection to CET
Her academic background, combined with an entrepreneurial perspective, aligns well with the issues currently facing the Center for Economic Transformation. Poldner is well acquainted with the faculty, including from her role as a committee member on the external evaluation of the Business and Economics Knowledge Center in November 2021 and the internal evaluation in April 2024.
Regenerative leadership
Even then, Poldner was impressed with how CET is targeting the forerunners in the circular economy with regenerative business practices. “The circular economy is mainly concerned with material flows, business models and technological innovation, but more is needed for economic transformation,” she explained. For this reason, for several years Poldner has been actively engaged in regenerative leadership in which not only the Sustainable Development Goals, but also the Inner Development Goals play a major role. “My research agenda thus fits seamlessly with the CET ambitions, and it is a great honor to be able to strengthen the team in that vision.”
Background in sustainable business
Poldner studeerde in de jaren ‘90 aan AMFI, wat toen nog geen onderdeel van de HvA was. Ze realiseerde zich al snel dat ze niet het talent had om modeontwerper te worden, dus vervolgde haar studie organisatie antropologie aan de VU en promoveerde ze op duurzaam ondernemen in de mode aan de universiteit van St. Gallen in Zwitserland. Haar kracht ligt in het verbinden van onderzoek, onderwijs en maatschappelijke impact, vooral op het snijvlak van duurzaam ondernemen, toekomstgericht leiderschap en de creatieve industrie. “CET is een HvA breed Centre of Expertise dus ik kijk uit naar de samenwerking met verschillende faculteiten – we hebben tenslotte zeker niet alleen de economen nodig voor deze transitie“.