Event Details

Join Lancaster University Management School for a special event celebrating the career and contribution of Distinguished Professor David L Collinson, one of the leading scholars in the fields of leadership and organisation studies.

Celebrating the work and contribution of Distinguished Professor David L Collinson

Bringing together leading scholars from across the field, this special event provides an opportunity to recognise David’s extensive contribution to research and the wider academic community.

So, what is a Festschrift? A Festschrift is a celebration of an academic’s work and contribution, bringing together colleagues and fellow scholars to reflect on their influence and legacy.

David joined Lancaster University in 2002 as Professor in the then Department of Management Learning and Leadership. He subsequently served as Head of Department from 2003–2006 and again from 2012–2015, before being promoted to Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organisation in 2015.

David has also made a significant contribution to the wider development of leadership studies. He is a founding co-editor of the journal Leadership, launched in 2005, and a founding co-organiser of the annual International Studying Leadership Conference (ISLC). In 2025, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Leadership Association

His research has contributed to critical leadership studies, organisation and management theory and practice, and gender and organisational analysis, with particular insights into topics including humour, masculinities, identities, resistance, followership, dialectics and survival strategies in organisations.

The event brings together an exceptional panel of international scholars whose work connects with David’s research and contribution to the field. The afternoon will conclude with Professor David Collinson in conversation with Dr. Dermot O’Reilly, providing an opportunity to hear David reflect on his career, research and experiences in leadership and organisation studies.

Programme

12.45pm – Welcome and introductions

Including comments from Dr. Martin Quinn, Head of the Department of Organisation, Work and Technology, Lancaster University Management School.

1.00–3.00pm – Panel presentations and discussion

Featuring:

• Joanne B Ciulla, Professor of Leadership Ethics, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick
• Gail Fairhurst, Distinguished Research Professor Emerita, University of Cincinnati
• Keith Grint, Emeritus Professor, Warwick Business School
• Jeff Hearn, Professor of Sociology, University of Huddersfield; Senior Professor, Human Geography, Örebro University; Professor Emeritus, Management and Organisation, Hanken School of Economics; Extraordinary Professor, Women's and Gender Studies, University of the Western Cape
• Owain Smolović Jones, Professor in Organisational Studies, Durham University

3.00–3.30pm – Break

3.30–5.00pm – Professor David Collinson in conversation with Dr. Dermot O’Reilly

An opportunity to hear David reflect on his career, research and contribution to the study of leadership and organisations.

Who should attend?

This event will be of particular interest to academics, researchers, doctoral students and professionals with an interest in leadership, organisational studies, management and related fields.

Please note this event will be held online and in-person. There are a limited number of in-person places available.