We are excited to announce the DEI4SME Hackathon's I (Finland & Online) International Evaluation Committee. DEI4SME Hackathon I (Finland & Online) is a unique event where enthusiastic participants will get a chance to creating innovative solutions that tackle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) challenges and help taping into the DEI benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  

This event is more than a competition, it is a platform for collaboration, innovation, co-learning, and a meaningful change. Participants will have the opportunity to work with inspirational firms and our outstanding international evaluator team will help us ensure that we select and award the best solutions to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, for SMEs. 

Participants' submissions will be judged by a distinguished international evaluation committee composed of experts in DEI and ESG, international business professionals, and professionals in organizational leadership. With their extensive experience, the committee will ensure a robust and insightful evaluation process, guided by the following criteria:  

• Innovation: Creativity and originality of the proposed solution.  

• Impact: Effectiveness in addressing DEI challenges and fostering meaningful change.  

• Feasibility: Realistic implementation within the SME environment. 

• Regulatory Fit: Alignment with the EU legal frameworks related to DEI.  

• Presentation: Clarity, quality, and persuasiveness of the solution's delivery.  

• Team Collaboration: Evidence of diverse contributions and effective teamwork. 

• Integration of Materials and Insights: Consideration of diverse perspectives, comparative studies, insights from the presentations, Q&A and mentoring sessions, and relevant research.  

 

International Evaluation Committee Members:

Anna Andersone
CEO, StartSchool & Riga TechGirls, Latvia  

Anna is a visionary leader and a driving force within Latvia’s startup ecosystem. As the co-founder of several groundbreaking startups in design and technology—including her latest venture, be-with—Anna exemplifies innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. She also serves as Chair of the Board for Riga TechGirls, Latvia’s first community dedicated to inspiring and empowering women and girls to explore the boundless opportunities of the digital world. Through her work, Anna addresses a crucial DEI challenge, fostering professional empowerment for women and equipping them with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to excel in a tech-driven future. Anna’s passion for bridging the gender gap in technology is matched only by her unwavering commitment to education. With over 20 years of expertise in design, communication, technology, and entrepreneurship, she masterfully blends creativity with tech innovation. Her leadership inspires action, her dedication drives change, and her efforts are shaping a more inclusive tech landscape. As CEO, Anna sets the strategic vision, forges meaningful partnerships, and leads transformative initiatives aimed at positioning Latvia as a global tech hub. Her ability to champion inclusivity, while leveraging her extensive experience in building successful businesses, makes her a powerful advocate for progress and a beacon of inspiration for women in technology around the world. 

 

Dr. Anne Mari Zwerg
Associate Professor of Management at the University of Louisville, USA
Director of the Accelerated MBA and the Professional MBA and the Assistant Director of the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship 

Dr. Anne Marie Zwerg is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Louisville. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Organizational Behavior, International Business, and Diversity Management.  She is the Director of the Accelerated MBA and the Professional MBA and the Assistant Director of the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship. She is the chairperson of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the College of Business and the chairperson of the Diversity Committee for the university-level Curriculum Committee. She contributes to the Louisville business community on the Board of the Louisville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is a Permanent Visiting Professor at the Universidad de la Sabana (Colombia) where she previously directed the Masters in International Management.  She has also been a visiting professor in China, Germany, and Mexico. 

 

 

Chenthuran Jayton
Executive Director of Equity Labs, USA 

Chenthuran Jayton, M.Sc. is 15 year practitioner in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) management and education. With B.Sc. in Political Science and a M.Sc. in Counseling, he started his work in DEI advocacy in education administration at several higher education institutions. Serving in a variety of roles including community director, director of cultural center and spiritual life, and program director, his last few roles involved him serving as the senior DEI official at institutions. His work included inclusive community building, intercultural and cross-cultural education, equitably policy design, and organizational culture assessment. Transitioning out of higher education, Chenthu served as the Executive Director of Equity Labs, a DEIJ consulting and upskilling organizations serving for-profit, non-profit, and governmental agencies of varying sizes and industries. In this role, he led the development of a full DEI upskilling curriculum; a first-of-its-kind DEI dashboard assessing organizational metrics at intrapersonal, interpersonal, epistemic, and institutional levels; and a personnel management strategy centering love as an ethic of practice.  Chenthu is currently pursuing his doctoral education in Business Management, where his research focus is management systems that facilitate DEI advancement within organizations.  

 

 

 

Dr. Cyntia Vilasboas Calixto Casnici
Lecturer in International Business at the University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Vice Chair, Resources, AIB T&E SIG 

Dr. Cyntia Vilasboas Calixto Casnici is a Lecturer in International Business at the University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom. She serves as Vice Chair, Resources* for the Academy of International Business Teaching & Education Shared Interest Group (AIB T&E SIG) and was a Board Member of AIB-LAC (Latin American Chapter), representing non-LAC countries (Rest of the World) from 2021 to 2024. She is an advocate of active learning. Since 2023, she is actively incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into her teaching practices and is conducting various research projects related to learning enabled by AI.  *Resources, i.e., Teaching cases, Video lectures, other teaching and learning materials.

 

 

 

Dr. Lenka Theodoulides
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Economics, Matej Bel University, Slovakia 

Lenka Theodoulides is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics at Matej Bel University in Slovakia. She is an alumnus of MBA programs at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia and Cyprus Institute of Management, Cyprus. Lenka holds a PhD in management and corporate economics. Her research focuses on socioeconomic issues such as leadership as well as diversity-related topics such as intercultural issues, and social innovations. She teaches various topics related to management for undergraduates, management of innovations and international management for master’s degree students, as well as life-long learning programs. Theodoulides is a co-author of the innovative method called Critical Reflection Analysis, which has been implemented in research activities as well as in education practice. Lenka is a certified trainer in leadership, awarded by Achieve Global Corp., US, and conducts training activities on the development of interpersonal skills. She has been active in implementing innovative teaching practices based upon critical thinking and coaching in higher education. Prior to her academic career, Lenka worked in managerial positions at several production and consulting companies in Slovakia and abroad. She has cooperated with Slovak and international companies throughout several projects focusing on developing academia-practice collaborations. 

 

 

MacDonald Oguike
Director, Corporate Training and Workforce Development, University of Calgary Continuing Education, Canada 

MacDonald brings extensive experience in International Human Resources, Business & Education Management, accumulated over 20 years in job functions within the public, private, and non-profit sectors. His work experience includes holding critical roles in different organizational structures, such as start-ups (Senior Leadership and Board level roles), mid-sized (middle-level leader role) and large business organizations (frontline leadership and specialist roles). His vast experience encompasses a range of industries and organizational structures, from simple to complex, including matrix environments. As a HR professional, MacDonald is versatile with a comprehensive understanding of the field. His expertise extends to various areas of HR Business Capability Management, including Strategic HRM Service Delivery Management, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, HR Compliance, Diversity & Inclusion, Risk Management, HR Strategic Workforce Development Management, Employee Experience, Organizational Development, Leadership Coaching, Employee Training, Team Management, HR Technology, and Digital Transformation in HR. MacDonald has a proven track record of leading end-to-end project management of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion projects including program innovation, curriculum design, stakeholder engagement and program management. His current area of specialization is HR digital transformation projects, leveraging traditional and emerging HR Technology platforms and AI-driven tools to streamline processes, enhance data analytics, and improve employee experience. MacDonald’s practical HR experience covers job roles and consulting projects across five continents, immersing himself in various global business cultures, including North America, Europe, South America, Asia and Africa. MacDonald is a serial entrepreneur. In his fulltime job, he is currently the Director of Corporate Training and Workforce Development at the University of Calgary, Continuing Education. Part-time, and through Skillstailor Inc., the HR Technology and Consulting startup company where he is one of the Co-founder, MacDonald continues to work on strategic initiatives and HR Technology Software Development projects spanning multiple countries, boosting businesses with scalable, practical, implementable HR solutions that improve the HR Value chain, service delivery business models and leadership practices that drive business growth and organizational results while facilitating productive relationships at work at an individual level. MacDonald is a Doctoral Degree (PhD) Candidate in Economics and Business Administration with a specific focus on International Human Resource and Organizational Management at the prestigious University of Vaasa, Finland. His qualifications include an M.Sc. in Education Management and a Bachelor of Arts. He also holds certificates in Business Analysis and Project Management. 

 

Dr. Narentheren Kaliappen, 
Associate Professor School of International Studies, University Utara Malaysia (UUM), Malaysia
Vice Chair for DEI, AIB T&E SIG 

Dr. Narentheren Kaliappen is an Associate Professor of International Business (AACSB Accredited) at the School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). He holds a PhD, MBA, and BBA (Hons) from UUM. He is currently the Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Academy of International Business Teaching & Education Shared Interest Group (AIB T&E SIG). He also serves as the Director of the Management and Leadership Case Study Centre at UUM. Dr. Kaliappen was conferred the Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award by the Academy for Global Business Advancement (based in the United States) at the AGBA conference in 2015 for his PhD thesis. Actively involved in SoTL and case study research, he has published numerous articles in WoS- and Scopus-indexed journals, including those by Emerald, Inderscience, and Sage Publications in the field of business management. His works also extend to teaching cases in The Case Centre, UK. He has presented several papers at both local and international conferences. Dr. Kaliappen’s latest books include Match Your Strategies for Brilliant Performance and Strategy Execution for Performance Excellence. Notably, he received the 2016 Emerald Literati Award for Excellence for the paper entitled “Innovation Strategies and Performance: Are They Truly Linked?” In 2022, he was awarded the Certified Content Creator designation by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. In 2023, he served as a panelist and was among the top five nominees for the Academy of International Business (AIB) Innovative Teaching Award. In 2024, he was the runner-up at the national level for the YB Minister of Higher Education’s Special Award: Curriculum Design and Innovative Delivery under the Immersive Learning Experience category (face-to-face). He has been consistently invited to deliver speeches in Vietnam, Singapore, Bahrain, Tunisia, Lebanon, China, UAE, and Poland, as well as to conduct workshops in Malaysia, Thailand, India, and Australia. 

 

Dr. Petr Procházka
Associate Lecturer, Faculty of International Relations, Prague University of Economics and Business, Czech Republic 

Petr Procházka has attained his PhD in 2021 from Prague University of Economics and Business in International Economic Relations where he continues lecturing (courses: ESG reporting in value chains, ESG strategy and transformation, International Business Operations). His research streams include ESG reporting and ESG governance within value chains. He has served 9 years at various positions of supply chain in international moving industry and currently works as ESG Specialist in a Belgian MNE. The topics covered are CSRD submission, sustainability content, but also DEI policy. Besides that, he joined EFRAG for a secondment in Road transformation sector-specific reporting standard and is a Visiting researcher at Rotterdam School of Management. 

 

 

 

Chair of the International Evaluation Committee

Dr. Aušrinė Šilenskytė
Program Manager & Researcher, University of Vaasa, Finland 

Aušrinė Šilenskytė is a Program Manager (Bachelor’s in International Business) and an Ambassador for Internationalization at the School of Management, University of Vaasa, Finland. She also serves as a Governing Board member at the AIB-CIBER Doctoral Academy and leads several international projects, including the DEI4SME (ERASMUS+). Previously she served as a Chair and Vice Chair (Communications) at the Academy of International Business Teaching and Education Shared Interest Group. Šilenskytė holds a PhD in the area of international management, is an alumnus of the prestigious Nord-IB program, and her research centers around strategy implementation, blockchain adoption in international business management, and innovations in business education, particularly related to social sustainability. Aušrinė has received several international awards for her research and as an educator, including recognition for courses of hers such as ‘Diversity Management’ and the award for the development and internationalization of education. As a mentor and in various train-the-trainer seminars, Aušrinė has supported faculty members in adopting digital innovations and ensuring inclusivity in their teaching practices. Before joining academia, Aušrinė worked in managerial positions in Lithuania and Egypt. Throughout her academic career, she has consulted international Finnish firms and engaged in project work aimed at achieving socio-economic sustainability through industry-academia collaborations.