Room For Discussion

Many spent more time on one than with their friends or family. You are probably reading this from one. Smartphones have become an irreplaceable part of our daily life. The production however often involves complex supply chains spanning continents, conflict materials, and child and slave labour in the Congo or China. But change is in your hands! Join us for a discussion about ethical and sustainable sourcing of conflict materials and production of smartphones with the CEO of Fairphone, Eva Gouwens. The Amsterdam based phone manufacturer is set to make a difference under the motto “change is in your hands”.

5 years after the closure of the Yugoslavia tribunal, has it achieved its aim? The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague saw some of the world’s worst war criminals during its 20 years in session.Alphons Orie, as a judge at the tribunal, presided over several cases. Among others, he sentenced Ratko Mladić, Bosnian-Serbian general to life for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.How did he experience his time at the court, and does he think there’s a future for international tribunals? Will we see an International Criminal Tribunal for Climate Change?---------------------------------Do you want to hear more interviews and be the first to hear about upcoming guests?Follow us here:Website: http://roomfordiscussion.comFacebook: http://facebook.com/RoomforDiscussionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/roomfordisc...Twitter: http://twitter.com/Room4Discussion

Albert Heijn, Etos, Bol.com: all of these brands are part of Ahold Delhaize's local brands, and this company also has six international brands on the U.S. East Coast that account for the bulk of their sales. This is your chance to get to know the man who manages this international brand on a daily basis. Food retail is a unique industry, characterised by low margins, consumer sensitivity and potential for huge environmental impact. Right now, Mr. Muller finds himself in the nexus of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, climate crisis and general shift to e-commerce. Turns out, food is a tricky business! Listen in on our interview with Frans Muller to find out more about the food retail giant and much more!

Stock exchanges have offered a market for over 600 years. But what influence do politics, technology, and the stock market industry itself have on the price? Does the market, balancing the needs of buyers and sellers, provide a fair foundation? Will Stock Exchanges stand the test of time against Blockchains? Listen in on our interview with the CEO of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange where she talks about these issues and many more!

Dr. Saville is one of the world’s foremost experts on language-learning, education, and technology. He spearheaded the development of digital technology and computer-based learning with Cambridge English in the 2010s and is now a prominent advocate of Education’s future frontier: AI.

Caecilia Wijgers, the last Dutch Ambassador to Afghanistan. In her career, Wijgers held posts all around the world, from Latvia to Burundi, Cuba to Afghanistan, dealing with the challenges of being a diplomat in an increasingly unstable world.

What do Michael Scott, Jeff Bezos, and Kylie Jenner have in common? All three are successful managers, yet none of them have MBAs! So is business school really worth it? And what is Quiet Quitting? The Great Resignation? And how should companies really think about Corporate Social Responsibility? This interview is with Eric Cornuel, the Director General & CEO of EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development). His foundation helps business schools improve and give out official accreditations to those they feel are deserving. And our own Department of Business and Economics holds just such an accreditation!

Room for Discussion Caroline van der Plas op de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Mevrouw van de Plas is actief Twitteraar, oud journalist, stijl icoon, maar bovenal de fractievoorzitter van de tweede partij in ons land, de BoerBurgerBeweging(BBB), tenminste, als we de peilingen mogen geloven. De BBB heeft momenteel 1 zetel in het parlement, maar staat op meerdere peilingen van 15 tot 20 zetels. Met die ene zetel doet mevrouw van de Plas veel, ze was net uitgeroepen door HP de Tijd tot 'ijverigste' Tweede Kamerlid van het parlementaire jaar 2021-2022. Ze resoneert goed, als 'de stem van het volk', met haar klare taal en directe social media strategie.Deze stem en ideologie vind wellicht niet veel weerklank op de stereotype studenten van de UvA. Daarom is het juist belangrijk om de crisises en de toekomst van de politiek te bespreken met iemand die qua stijl en politiek het veld redelijk op de kop zet. Stikstof, energie en een opvangcrisis, hoe lossen we die op? We gaan het met mevrouw van der Plas hebben over de tw

Listen to our interview with the CEO of DeGiro, Muhamad Chahrour. We discuss how the broker is navigating challenging times, how it is dealing with the merger with it's German brother, and he tells us why he thinks the idea of democratizing finance is nonsense.

*Fighting Crime in the Digital Age - with Catherine de Bolle Executive Director Europol *On June 21st, Room for Discussion hosted the executive director of Europol, Catherine de Bolle! Like Judi Dench’s ‘M’, she is a formidable character in fighting international crime. She has worked in law enforcement her entire life, most notably as the General Police Commissioner in Brussels, President of the Coordination Committee for Intelligence and Security in the EU, Member of executive committee at Interpol and she is now starting her second term in her role in Europol.Are you interested in how law enforcement agencies gather information? How police find terrorists? Track human and drug trafficking? Find money launderers and uncover fraud?

Room for Discussion welcomed one of the most important Colombian politicians of the 21st century, Sergio Jaramillo Caro. As the High Commissioner for Peace, he was responsible for the negotiations in Cuba with the insurgent FARC Rebel groups after decades of conflict. He spearheaded demobilization and human rights reform in the Colombian military and administration, and was a key figure in the work that earned President Juan Manual Santos the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. Today, he is a Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace. We will explore the processes of peacebuilding, stabilizing conflict zones, and the story of peace in Colombia.

Room for Discussion was excited to host Eugene Rhuggenaath, the former prime minister of Curaçao. In his term, Rhuggenaath was faced with various challenges which arose from the ‘independence’ of Curaçao from the Netherlands, along with difficulties brought on by the Covid-19 Pandemic. His government was the first to complete the entire term since Curaçao’s ‘independence’ in 2010. Nevertheless, he was faced with major protests which arose during the pandemic ignited by controversies surrounding financial mismanagement and saturated government salaries. We will look back on 4 years in office, explore the relationship between Curaçao and the Netherlands and investigate the major problems Curaçao faces today.

Hoe sexy kunnen wij pensioenenpraat maken? Kom er achter bij ons interview met Harmen van Wijnen, Algemeen Bestuursvoorzitter van Nederlands grootste pensioenfonds ABP. Harmen van Wijnen staat aan het hoofd van een fonds ter waarde van ruim €500 miljard dat misschien wel voor jouw oude dag moet gaan zorgen.Met een pensioenvermogen van meer dan 1,5 biljoen (!) euro heeft Nederland (percentueel) het allergrootste pensioenvermogen ter wereld. Maar de afgelopen jaren lijkt er minder vertrouwen dan ooit te zijn in de pensioenen voor de oude dag. In een vergrijzende wereld, tijden van inflatie en een veranderende arbeidsmarkt is het nog niet zo zeker dat wij net zo veel terug krijgen als onze ouders zullen krijgen. En we horen je denken: een leven lang betalen voor een onzeker pensioen is een slechte deal. Daarom bespreken we hoe onzeker onze pensioenen nou echt zijn en hoe het nieuwe pensioenakkoord onze generatie gaat beïnvloeden.Laat ons je overtuigen dat je pensioen een belangrijk thema is; zelfs voor ons stude

Room for Discussion hosted one of the EU's top diplomats, Roland Kobia! He is a true EU guru; he started working for the European Commission 30 years ago and now works for the EU's diplomatic service, the EEAS. He is now EU Ambassador to Ethiopia, a country currently in the throes of civil war. Mr Kobia previously served as EU Ambassador to Myanmar and EU Special Envoy to Afghanistan, where he was appointed to negotiate with the Taliban.If you are interested in EU foreign policy, peace processes, political mediation, state-building and regional security, you cannot miss this interview

Room for Discussion is elated to welcome Sir Paul Collier - development economist turned knight turned political advisor and commentator. This renowned political economist currently serves as an Economics professor at Oxford and is the director of the International Growth Centre in London. He’s written nine bestselling and award-winning books, with topics ranging from greed to refugees to the environment.In short, Sir Paul Collier knows a lot about a lot, and we look forward to discussing societal tensions and reciprocity with him.What role does reciprocity play in our societies, and how important is it really? Should identical people with canal apartments pay more taxes than people with suburbian villas? Is giving aid an act of charity or repayment of a debt? This and more will be discussed in our interview.

We are truly excited to welcome Luis de Guindos, vice-president of the European Central Bank (ECB) to our stage. This seasoned economist has had an impressive career. De Guindos took office as head of the Spanish and Portuguese department of Lehman Brothers before the fall. He served as Spanish Minister of Economy and Competitiveness, where he became credited with steering Spain to economic recovery after the euro crisis. Since 2018, he takes the prestigious position of vice-president of the ECB, the most important financial institution of Europe.There is no better time to interview this leading economist. The Ukrainian war has increased tensions for the entire continent including the financial sector and the energy uncertainty will increase inflation rates even further. What role does the ECB play and what steps will they take given the rising inflation and potential recession? What impact do the sanctions have on us and on the war? What happens to the interest rate and the economy as a whole? What impact wi

Virologist Marion Koopmans joins Room for Discussion in an unprecedented mystery event. The world renowned infectious disease expert has managed outbreaks of ebola, MERs, and H7N7, but faced her biggest challenge as an advisor to the WHO throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Her outspoken disease activism has made her one of the most famous scientists in Netherlands, and a target of COVID deniers and conspiracy theorists across the world.As the confidential Guest X, she appeared wrapped in intense security measures to discuss the current state of the pandemic, and what we can all learn from 2 years of COVID. ---------------------------------Do you want to see more interviews and be the first to hear about upcoming guests? Follow us here:* Website: http://roomfordiscussion.com* Facebook: http://facebook.com/RoomforDiscussion* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roomfordisc... * Twitter: http://twitter.com/Room4Discussion

More than half of the Dutch population has a Rabobank account. It is the second largest bank in the Netherlands and among the top 30 banks in the world, and we have the honour to discuss the Rabobank, banking and greening in general with their CEO Wiebe Draijer. If you have any questions regarding the role banks play in the Ukraine conflict, the impact of the conflict on the banking sector and on the financial markets, come to our interview. This and more will be discussed.

Room for Discussion’s last big guest has authored two international bestsellers, has gone viral after taking on the wealthy at Davos and has been hailed as the “Dutch Wunderkind of new ideas” by the Guardian.

Bastian Obermayer, one of Europe's most successful investigative journalists who was one of the leading author behind the Panama Papers, on his investigative research, meeting Edward Snowden and speaking truth to power.