Keynote Panel Summary
Mobility in the form of displacement driven by war, civil war, natural disaster and climate change is an increasingly prevalent trend in the contemporary world.
The number of refugees across the world is growing and is currently estimated at over 60 million. While many refugees seek sanctuary in neighbouring countries, increasingly people are travelling further in search of refuge.
A key question for receiving countries, is how can we support the integration of displaced people? Refugee entrepreneurship is often presented as the means by which this integration can take place.
The speakers on this keynote panel have in-depth engagement with and knowledge of the refugee experience. They will consider the challenges and opportunities of refugee entrepreneurship and the role it can play in helping people build new lives.
Chair:
Professor Iain Wilkinson
His research involves him working across a range of fields that include sociological theory, the sociological of health and illness, the sociology of humanitarianism, the sociology of the body and emotions, the sociology of risk and anxiety, the sociology of mass media and the history of sociology. Professor Wilkinson’s work concerns a range of issues relating to problems of social suffering. He explores how individuals are socially disposed to interpret and respond to problems of human suffering. He attends to occasions where encounters with the problem of suffering are involved in changing people’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviours.
He is also currently involved in developing the Kent’s civic mission to promote food justice, tackle food insecurity and become the world’s first Right to Food University.
Keynote Speakers:
Paul Gurney
Paul Gurney is the Founder and CEO of BecomingX, a learning and development company he set up with Bear Grylls which aims to create a world where everyone can realise their potential.
He works with some of the world’s most inspiring and iconic people - Presidents, Olympic Gold Medallists, CEOs, Nobel Peace Prize winners, Oscar winning actors, astronauts etc - to demystify what it takes to succeed and to help people build the confidence and skills to succeed.
Dr Sophie Alkhaled
Sophie Alkhaled is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Lancaster University Management School, UK. She is the Director of the Academy for Gender Equality and Social Justice Research in Organisations, and the Founder and Director of the Gender Equality Observatory at the School.
Sophie’s research focuses on the intersectionality of gender, entrepreneurship, empowerment and poverty alleviation, and their collective impact as a catalyst for social change and sustainable development amongst refugee and marginalised communities, particularly in Middle Eastern contexts.
She has published her work in leading journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Organization Studies and Gender, Work and Organization. She serves as Associate Editor at Gender, Work and Organization, and is a member of the Editorial Review Board for Organization Studies.
