Friday 28 November 2025 10:30 - 15:00

Celebrating 100 Years of Impact in Industrial Engineering & Management and Business Administration

In 2025, we celebrate the 100th birthday of Professor Jan Kreiken – founder of Industrial Engineering & Management (Technische Bedrijfskunde, TBK) and former Rector Magnificus of the former THT (now University of Twente). With his vision and entrepreneurship, Kreiken not only shaped the THT and later the University of Twente but also launched the very first Industrial Engineering program in the Netherlands. Since then, generations of alumni have left a lasting mark on Dutch business and far beyond.

Symposium

Together with alumni, students, and staff, we will honor this legacy – while looking ahead to the future of our discipline and the challenges faced by IEM and Business Administration professionals today.

Under the theme 100 year of Business Leadership, we reflect on the lasting impact of Kreiken’s vision and the evolution of the programs he founded: Industrial Engineering & Management (IEM) and (International) Business Administration (IBA). With more than 9,500 alumni shaping industries worldwide, their influence continues to grow.

Program

10:30 – Welcome & Coffee
11:00 – Main Program (first part)
Opening by Machteld Roos, Vice-President of the UT Executive Board.
A series of talks by alumni from different generations and professors, reflecting on Jan Kreiken’s influence, the evolution of our study and start of our study, current challenges both academic and business related, and opportunities in the field. See speakers below.
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Main Program (second part)
15:00 – Dies Celebration of the University. Please also register for the Dies ceremony.
16:00 – Informal Drinks and Dinner!
We’ll end the day with informal drinks and dinner to talk over the day and make connections between students, academics, alumni and speakers! Where everyone can share their own story of how they overcame their problems in their field.

Alumni who wish to stay overnight can benefit from a special discount at the U-Parkhotel.

Prof. Jan Kreiken – Visionary Strategist

Jan Kreiken was an internationally renowned pioneer and strategist in the field of management and industrial engineering. With his vision and entrepreneurship, he not only initiated the first Industrial Engineering program in the Netherlands in 1968, but as Rector Magnificus he also played a crucial role in shaping the THT, later the University of Twente. Generations of IEM and IBA alumni have since continued his legacy, making lasting contributions to business and society in the Netherlands and beyond.