EBS Associate Professor Mari Kooskora re-elected to ISBEE Executive Committee

Estonian Business School Associate Professor Mari Kooskora has been re-elected to the Executive Committee of the International Society for Business, Economics, and Ethics (ISBEE) for 2026–2030. It will be her second consecutive term on the committee.

One of the things Mari values most about ISBEE is how it brings different national and disciplinary traditions into conversation, because, as she points out, “An approach that makes sense in one context may need to be questioned or adapted in another.” The new committee includes colleagues connected with Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. She believes the committee’s diversity will shape the questions it asks and make more room for perspectives that have too often been underrepresented in business ethics scholarship.

During her first term, Mari took part in committee meetings and discussions about ISBEE’s activities and future direction. Among other things, she contributed the Estonia report to the Global Survey of Business Ethics (GSBE) and has worked on a comparative synthesis of the European findings. At the 2022 World Congress in Bilbao, she presented on how business ethics teaching has evolved in Estonia. Moreover, her work on learning across European contexts was presented at this year’s Congress in Cameroon; a related article is in preparation.

At EBS, Mari has helped build the school’s capacity in business ethics as founder and director of its Centre for Business Ethics. “EBS has a strong opportunity to contribute to international business ethics scholarship through our research on responsible leadership, sustainability, trust and the ethical use of AI. ISBEE allows us to bring evidence and experience from Estonia into a wider conversation, while learning from colleagues working in very different settings. For me, this is also part of EBS’s ambition to connect rigorous research with the decisions facing organisations and society.”

That connection between research and practical decisions is also present in a new project Mari is leading, funded by the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. The project examines how leadership in local government can strengthen equal opportunities, public trust and inclusive decision-making, including through the responsible use of AI. The research team will combine survey data, case studies and international comparisons to develop findings and practical tools for policymakers and local-government leaders.

For EBS researchers, closer engagement with ISBEE could open opportunities for joint research and publications, comparative studies, conference panels and exchanges involving doctoral and early-career researchers as well as senior scholars. For one, the Global Survey of Business Ethics shows how researchers in different countries can build a shared body of knowledge while taking local contexts seriously. “I also see potential connections with THRIVE, the community I am developing around trustworthy organisations,” she shares. According to her, “a dream that has taken shape.”

Looking ahead to her new term, Mari says: “I would like to help sustain those research exchanges between congresses and create more opportunities for younger scholars to participate. I am especially interested in making the practical relevance and impact of business ethics research more visible. The next World Congress, planned for Vietnam in 2030, gives us a valuable shared goal.”