The winner of the Ten Clarenwater Thesis Award 2022

Who wrote the best thesis on family businesses in the past year? That was revealed today during the presentation of the Ten Clarenwater Thesis Award! Tessa Dijkkamp (UvA and VU, Amsterdam, Netherlands) won the award for the best master's thesis. Unfortunately, in the category of bachelor theses, we could not select a winner this year due to a lack of submissions.

The jury found Tessa Dijkkamp's master's thesis to be original and relevant to practice. From the jury report: 'Tessa has gained insight into the complexity of family relationships within the context of business succession planning. The depth and nuance with which she explores this topic are commendable.' The winner received a prize of €1,500.

What is the Ten Clarenwater Thesis Award?

The Ten Clarenwater Thesis Award is the Dutch prize for outstanding theses on the topic of family businesses. The award is an initiative of the Dutch Centre of Expertise in Family Business at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. With this annual award, the Centre aims to encourage bachelor and master students to conduct excellent research on family businesses. The 7th edition of the award ceremony took place at Windesheim University for Applied Sciences during an inspirational session on identity and communication in family businesses Albertha Wielsma, who recently defended her doctoral thesis on this theme, shared valuable knowledge and insights from her practice-oriented research .The event was a double celebration in collaboration with the Communication Program, which celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary.

About the Jury

This year's jury for the best master's thesis included chairperson Lisanne Bouten (Saxion University of Applied Sciences), Jurgen Geerlings (family business advisor) , and Koen Nijland (Nijland Cycling).

This year, there were 7 submissions from universities in the Netherlands, Germany, and Ireland. The jury assessed them based on the originality of the subject and results, research methodology, readability, societal relevance, and practical implications. The juries were impressed by the quality of the theses. The topics were original, the research was conducted thoroughly, and most had high practical applicability. It was not easy to select a winner.

We sincerely thank the jury for their efforts and congratulate the winner of the Ten Clarenwater Thesis Award 2022!

Read the full jury report.(opens in new tab)

Questions? Contact Karin Rozendal (k.rozendal-de-groot@windesheim.nl, T +31 (0)88 469 8426).