Kent Business School to host British Academy of Management Conference

Emily Collins
Business people in a lecture theatre

Kent Business School is delighted to be hosting the 39th edition of the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference from 1-5 September 2025. The five-day event is set to bring up to 1,000 business and management academics to Canterbury  to examine themes of globalisation, connectivity and mobility across borders.

The important annual event is organised by BAM, the leading professional association and community of scholars for the field of management in the UK, and is an opportunity for business and management academics from across the world to gather to present the latest research in their field.

The conference theme, ‘On the Border’, is a nod to the University’s unique position in relation to the economic, geographical, and cultural border of the UK, with borders such as the one at Dover and the rest of the Kent coastline at the forefront of attempts to both prevent and safely facilitate the hazardous crossing of refugees seeking sanctuary and a better life.

As well as the physical crossing of borders, the programme will examine border crossing in its other forms, taking into account the temporal, spatial, geographical, sociological and psychological transitions which impact on business in everyday life. An example of this is how factors such as organisational status, professional standing and personal resources can influence the transition between work and home life, and the implications this has for organisations.

The event will showcase Kent Business School’s world-class research and teaching at a time when the University is working towards becoming a University of Sanctuary for refugees, asylum seekers, and others who are displaced or forced to migrate.

Professor of Management, Patricia Lewis is co-chairing the conference committee alongside fellow Professor of Management, Thanos Papadopoulos. She said of the event: ‘Kent Business School is honoured to be hosting the conference in September 2025 and to have the opportunity to connect with colleagues and institutions from over 50 countries. We look forward to welcoming academic and business colleagues to the University of Kent to join the discussion and to build connections and partnerships for future research endeavours.‘