Johanna Kujala Elected as the Chair of the IABS 2028 Conference and Future President of the Association

The International Association for Business and Society (IABS) is an academic association that promotes research and teaching on business–society relations. Founded in 1990, the association brings together scholars and practitioners from around the world. Its main event is the Annual Conference, held each year and typically attended by 200–300 researchers from different countries. The conference has been organized annually since 1990, and it was previously held in Tampere in 2008.

Johanna Kujala, Vice Dean for Research at the Faculty of Management and Business and Professor of Management and Organisation, was appointed as the chair of the IABS 2028 conference at the association’s annual meeting held on 5 June 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

- It is wonderful to bring the IABS community back to Tampere after twenty years,” Johanna says with delight.

- I was responsible for the local arrangements of the conference in 2008. Being entrusted now with responsibility for the entire conference is, of course, a great sign of confidence both in me and in the work of the RESPMAN research group that I lead. My group has more than ten years of experience in organizing the annual Responsible Business Research Conference. We have also organized several other international conferences in Tampere, and we are confident that we will receive excellent support for the arrangements from the university’s congress office as well.

- The conference venue is still officially a secret, but I have hinted that it will most likely take place somewhere where we can also invite participants to experience a Finnish sauna.

Many long-time IABS scholars still remember the 2008 Tampere conference and especially praise the warm atmosphere of its sauna evening. Finnish sauna culture does, however, raise questions, and it is useful to explain to international guests in advance that a sauna evening is not only about going to the sauna, but also includes dining and socializing together. Sauna bathing is not compulsory either—it can be skipped in favour of conversation and spending time together.

- We nevertheless encourage everyone to pack a swimsuit, so that anyone who wishes can take part in sauna bathing and swimming in beautiful summer Finland, Johanna notes.

At the annual meeting of the IABS 2026 conference, Johanna was also elected to the association’s five-year leadership track. This means that she will become the President of IABS in 2030 and, in that role, will be responsible for the association’s overall activities and development. IABS is especially known for providing space for new and still-developing research and for supporting dialogue between early-career researchers and established experts in the field. Today, IABS has more than 300 members from over one hundred universities and more than twenty countries. IABS also publishes the academic journal Business & Society, the leading peer-reviewed outlet for research in the field of social issues in management.

- I am pleased to be able to contribute to the work of IABS. I see this as a wonderful opportunity for international impact in an academic community that is very important to me. I want to invest in supporting the work of early-career scholars and in strengthening the association’s international visibility, as the centre of gravity in this field is shifting from the United States to Europe and other parts of the world.