Sylvia van de Bunt

Sylvia van de Bunt serves as UNESCO chairholder 'Cross-Cultural Sustainability' and co-director of the research centre SERVUS at the Department of Management and Organization of the School of Business and Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She also holds the position of Visiting Professor at University of Suffolk, UK. Her academic roles include Program Director of Executive Education in Servant-Leadership at VU Business School and coordinator of VU executive courses in Organizational Behavior & Accountancy and Executive Coaching.

Dr. van de Bunt completed her MSc at Groningen University, her PhD 'Academic Pilgrims' at Tilburg University, and postgraduate courses at INSEAD and EFMD. With over four decades of experience, she has served on supervisory boards including Compu'Train and Kennisnet, and currently serves as President of NGVO, the Dutch Speaking Society for Comparative Education.

Her research spans cross-cultural management, servant leadership, and mentoring across cultural boundaries. She has published extensively in top academic venues including Springer, Routledge, and Palgrave Macmillan, with notable publications focusing on cross-cultural business practices in the Arab world, China, and pharmaceutical industry leadership. Her work demonstrates consistent focus on cultural intelligence, ethical leadership, and sustainable business practices across diverse global contexts.

Among her notable recognitions are the Royal decoration as Officer of Orange-Nassau (2022), nomination for the European Mentoring Award (2020), and being listed among the 600 most influential Dutch business persons by Quote magazine. She has also received significant grant funding including from the Cloverleaf Foundation, Oranjefonds, and VUVereniging for her 'We Shall Overcome' project documenting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s connection to VU Amsterdam.

Dr. van de Bunt has coordinated the community program 'Mentoring in cross-cultural communities' where executives, mentors, and local communities share knowledge with VU researchers. She also leads the SERVUS platform of mentoring communities for the Amsterdam region and has organized numerous workshops including the 'Lecture Series - We Shall Overcome' addressing social justice issues.