FEATURED AUTHOR

Niko Roorda

Sr. Consultant Sustainable Development

Niko Roorda works as a senior consultant on sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and change management for universities and companies in several countries. On the basis of more than twenty years' experience in these topics, he received his PhD title at Maastricht University in 2010. For his achievements, Roorda received the Dutch National Award for Innovation and Sustainable Development. He developed the successful assessment tool for sustainability in education, AISHE.

Subjects: Business, Management and Accounting, Education

Biography

Brief characterization:
Internationally recognized expert on Education for Sustainable Development since 1991. Stimulating developer and coach who inspires others with his energy and his enthusiasm. Original, creative and independent thinker, exceptionally broadly educated and experienced, who connects theory and practice, producing original and practical methods and results.

Professional experience:
Senior consultant: for universities, organizations, boards, managers and teams in a range of countries. Themes: sustainable development, education, future focus, vision development, organization development, strategy & policy, CSR.
Coach: of board members, managers, staff members, lecturers, freelancers, graduate students.
Manager: Responsible manager of a university department. Initiator and program manager of various intensive pioneering projects, partly international.
Supervisor: Member of board commission. Member of visitation commission. Chair of examination committee. Auditor and certifier of individuals and institutions. Jury member, e.g. for a British sustainability award for universities.
Developer: A range of management methods, applied in more than twenty countries. A four-year academic program (BSc) ‘sustainable technology’. Two different post-academic programs ‘sustainable entrepreneurship’. The formally recognized certificate ‘Sustainable Higher Education’.
Author: Nine books: Dutch and international academic textbooks; management books; books for a main public. More than forty articles and chapters in scientific and other journals and books.
The book ‘Fundamentals of Sustainable Development’ and its Dutch equivalent ‘Basisboek Duurzame Ontwikkeling’ have been studied by more than 25,000 lecturers and students in higher education worldwide.
Researcher: Practice-based scientific research on sustainable development since 1991. Editor of an international scientific journal, reviewer for three other journals. BSc astronomy (1976), MSc physics and philosophy (1981), PhD sustainable development and organization science (2010).
Lecturer: Three senior level education qualifications. Acted as a lecturer for sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, organization science, quality management, technology, mathematics, physics, informatics, statistics, communication. Developed and taught training courses on four continents.
Acquisitioner: Acquired ca. three million euros (3.4 million US dollars), consisting of project subsidies, program sponsoring and paid orders.
Presenter: Ca. one hundred papers and keynotes for international conferences, universities, and special occasions, e.g. celebrations.

Special recognitions
First prize: ‘The Egg of Columbus – Dutch National Award for Innovation and Sustainable Development’, awarded by the Dutch Ministries of Environmental Management and of Education, 2001
Nomination: ‘Brabant Award for Innovation’ by the Province of North Brabant, 2000
Second prize: ‘Tilburg Modern Industrial City Award for Sustainable Development’, 1995

Education

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Sustainable Development. Education. CSR. Organization development. Change management. Assessment. Quality management. Coaching. Strategy

Personal Interests

Education for sustainable development. Future thinking. Visiting professorship.

Books

Fundamentals of Sustainable Development: Roorda - 1st Edition book cover