VIVA, a Dutch weekly magazine for women, selects 400 inspiring women in four categories each year: creative minds, bright minds, power women, and world improvers. All VIVA400 nominees have made a difference in their field; their mindset is focused on sustainability and innovation to solve issues that affect land, climate and the future. Lecturer Li An Phoa from RSM’s Department of Business-Society Management won the award in the category ‘world improvers’.
Phoa works on innovating educational systems. “The jury recognised that it’s lifework what I do: doing what makes my heart sing and daring to do bold things, like canoeing rivers as protest against mega hydro dams, walking in wilderness areas and living without a home for ten years,” she said.
Li An Phoa
Li An Phoa teaches the master elective Companies in Ecologies at RSM. She will also teach the core module Sustainability Grand Challenges in RSM’s MSc in Global Business and Sustainability programme in 2016.
Phoa is an ecologist, philosopher and manager, and provides RSM students experiential learning opportunities. In addition, Phoa shares her progressive views on ecology and economy with her own nomadic school, Spring College. She has standing connections with former Dutch politician Frits Bolkestein; and environmental activist, author and attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Li An Phoa is working on her first book to share her experiences.