Conference Organisers:

Past Conferences - EDI 2014 Munich

Invited Keynote Speakers

EDI 2014 Munich

Patrizia Zanoni is Professor of Organization Studies at Hasselt University, Belgium. Drawing from various bodies of critical theory, she investigates the discursive construction of socio-demographic identities in workplaces, the role such identities play in the capital-labour relation, and organizational practices fostering equality at work. Her scholarly work has been widely published internationally. Since 2009, she leads SEIN - Identity, Diversity & Inequality Research, a team researching diversity in the work sphere. She is one of the co-founders of EqualDiv@Work, a transnational regional network of scholars of diversity.

 Bill Hughes is professor of Sociology in the Glasgow School for Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University.His research interests include disability and impairment, social theory and the body He is co-author (with several colleagues at Glasgow Caledonian University) of The Body, Culture and Society: An Introduction (Open University Press 2000) and is co-editor – with Dan Goodley and Lennard Davis of Disability and Social Theory (2012). He has published in the journalsSociology and Body and Society and is a regular contributor to and a member of the Editorial Board of Disability & Society. He is also Editor in Chief of the Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. Bill is currently working on a book with the provisional title: Invalidation: A Social and Historical Ontology for Disability.

Sonja Dudek has been working at the Berlin State Office for Equal Treatment and against Discrimination since 2009. Her main professional focus is the development and implementation of diversity and antiracist strategies within the administration. Ms Dudek has managed several diversity projects with the goal of increasing the “diversity competence” of Berlin’s administration.

From 2007 to 2009, Sonja Dudek worked at the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency where, among other projects, she supervised research in the field of anti-discrimination. She earned her PhD from the University of Bielefeld with a thesis on diversity within the Berlin police force.

Dr. Eva Voss studied political science, history and gender studies at the universities of Freiburg and Brest and is now Diversity & Inclusiveness Manager for Germany, Switzerland and Austria at EY. Previously, she held positions as Director of Diversity Management at Bertelsmann corporation as well as Head of the Gender and Diversity Unit at the University of Freiburg. Her current responsibilities include in-house consulting, strategic conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of various HR measures with respect to diversity issues. She is author of several diversity-related articles and books, among others: Diversity in University: The Implementation of new gender policies at universities (German only).

Heather Wishik is President, Heather Wishik Consulting, LLC, a global organization development and diversity consultancy based in Vermont, USA. She is also a Batten Fellow at the Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia where she has co-authored global leadership teaching cases. From 2008 -2011 she was Global Diversity and Inclusion Director for the TJX Companies, owner of TKMaxx stores in Germany and the UK and other retail brands in the US and Canada. Her clients include government, academic, NGO and corporate entities. She is the co-author of three chapters in Professor Davidson’s 2011 Berrett-Koehler book “The End of Diversity as We Know It: Why Diversity Efforts Fail and How Leveraging Difference Can Succeed.” Wishik holds a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law and an Honours degree in industrial and organizational psychology from the University of South Africa. 

Martin Davidson is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business. His research, teaching, and consulting helps leaders use diversity strategically to generate superior business performance in global organizations. His book,“The End of Diversity as We Know It: Why Diversity Efforts Fail and How Leveraging Difference Can Succeed,” part of which he co-authored with Heather Wishik, introduces a research-driven paradigm for leaders in search of more innovative outcomes from the diversity (and diversity initiatives) in their organizations. His research also appears in Harvard Business Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, and International Journal of Conflict Management among other journals and books. He teaches leadership in Darden’s Executive Education and MBA programs, and consults with a host of corporations, government agencies, and NGOs in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He earned his A.B. from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from Stanford University. He blogs and can be reached at www.leveragingdifference.com.

Guangya Su joined Siemens in 2008 and started his professional life with Siemens internal top Management Consulting department SMC. He has diverse functional knowledge thanks to his projects across industrial businesses and corporate strategies.

Later, he transferred to the global diversity office with responsibility for KPIs & reporting, while leading selected projects. Since 2014, he is also the key account manager to support local programs in South America, Middle East, North and South Asia. In the Siemens diversity management context, Guangya supports global and local functions by providing consulting service, best practices, event presentations as well as trainings. He created and manages the Siemens Global Diversity Scorecard, established diversity groups such as generation networks, leads diversity consulting projects, as well as helps phrase the Siemens diversity strategy. More about Siemens and Diversity@Siemens can be found in internet and social media platforms.