Cygna at AIB Manchester

Celebrates our network's large presence at the 2026 AIB meeting in Manchester

Shea Fan - (updated Wed 22 Jul 2026 15:20)

[Post co-authored by Shea Fan and Ciara O'Higgins, both contributed equally]

The Academy of International Business Annual (AIB) Meeting 2026 in Manchester was well attended by CYGNA members, with 23 members joining the conference. AIB was a “big one” this year, with over 1,300 participants, and especially meaningful for us because long-standing, senior CYGNA member Axèle Giroud was part of the organising team. Our warm congratulations go to the teams from both Alliance Manchester Business School and Manchester Metropolitan University Business School for for bringing such a vibrant conference to life.

Conferences on this scale can be difficult to navigate and a bit overwhelming, even for the extroverts among us. But once again, we set up a WhatsApp group so we could find one another easily throughout the week, as well as meet up to go together to the different social events. And for a number of us, the conference started with local host and CYGNA member Natalie Wilmot (in a lovely green suit in the image below) at reception, nothing makes arrival easier than a familiar and friendly face.

Although a number of CYGNA sisters were already at the pre-conference events at Manchester Metropolitan University, or “ManMet” as the locals call it, for many of us Tuesday’s presidential reception at the University of Manchester was the first opportunity to meet and catch up. We only managed to get six of us in the picture, but we met many other swans at the reception and it was a very nice start of the official conference.

In addition to many informal events throughout the week, our swans participated in a very wide range of masterclasses, panel and paper sessions. 

Masterclasses

  • Tine Koehler: Advanced Qualitative Techniques for Theorizing
  • Fiona Moore: Ethnography in International Business

Panels

  • Rany Salvoldi, Carole Couper, and Ciara O’Higgins: Phenomenon Based Research in IB: What, Why and How [picture below]

  • Mila Lazarova, Maike Andresen, and Shea Fan: Panel on global careers [picture below left]
  • Cordula Barzantny: Generative AI in International Business Research and Teaching: Practical Use Cases, Opportunities, and Boundaries [picture below right]

  • Axèle Giroud: Public Goods Contributions of MNEs
  • Tine Koehler: A Methodological Compass for Future IB Research
  • Ling Eleanor Zhang: Cross Cultural Classrooms in a Geopolitical World: Emerging Challenges and New Pathways [picture below]

  • And finally, Natalie Wilmot & Claudine Gaibrois braved the last parallel session of the conference with a really inspiring panel on language and migration [see below].

Papers presented

  • Yingqi Wei: Female Leadership Underrepresentation in Higher Education Institutions
  • Tamiko Kasahara: The Paradox of Clarity: Strategic Ambiguity and Dual Identification in Global Talent Management
  • Sachiko Yamao: Gender and Firm Ownership as Boundary Conditions in Japan [see middle picture below]
  • Dorota Piaskowska: Host Country Nationals at the Strategic Apex

  • Ciara O'Higgins: Internal Tensions Between Functions in the Internationalisation Process

  • Margaret Fletcher: How Do Firms Learn to Build and Leverage Responsiveness During Re Internationalization
  • Helene Tenzer and Hyun Jung Lee presented papers related to language, multilingualism, and communication in MNC in the same session [see left and right picture below]
  • Ute Stephan presented several papers relating to research on social entrepreneurship from an institutional solidarity perspective

Books launched at the conference

Several of our swans had just published new books or have a book forthcoming in September 2026. Here is a list with CYGNA authors/editors in bold.

  • Barzantny, C., Sackmann, S.A. (Eds) (2026) International Business in a Turbulent Era Dilemmas, Paradoxes, and Opportunities in Times of Uncertainty and Crisis, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. More information....

  • Farndale, E., Lazarova, M., Parry, E. (2026) Essentials of International Human Resource Management [3rd edition], Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. More information....
  • Moore, F. (2026) Management Lessons from The Lord of the Rings. Organization Theory, Leadership and Sustainability on Middle-Earth, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. More information....
  • Šilenskytė, A., Fletcher, M., Butkevičienė, J., Jayton, C. (Eds) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Small and Medium Enterprises Concepts, Cases, and Managerial Perspectives. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. More information.... (see CYGNA members Ausrine and Margaret below)
  • Wilmot, N.V. and Gaibrois, C. (eds.) (2026) The Routledge Companion to Cross-Cultural Management, [second edition]. Oxon: Routledge. More information....

Other activities

Anne-Wil Harzing, Julie Davies, Susan Schwarz, Salma Raheem and Oluwaseun Olabode cheered us on, volunteered, chaired sessions, supported their PhD students (see Susan with her student below), observed, and were among the coolest conference participants. A special mention goes to Axèle Giroud, who co organised the conference and contributed to a paper development workshop, panels, presentations, and chairing sessions. With five official activities, she was our busiest Manchester bee of the year. 

Women in AIB (WAIB)

CYGNA membership covers well over a dozen fields beyond IB, but those of us who are members of AIB are also proud WAIB members. So we were delighted to participate in the many WAIB events of this year’s conference, from panels [see below] to speed-mentoring and socials, so thoughtfully organised by Noemi Sinkovics and the WAIB team.

CYGNA dinner

The highlight of the conference was Wednesday night’s CYGNA dinner, where the most repeated comment went along the lines of

"how nice to have this small oasis where I can come and relax and be myself for a while amidst the busy schedule of the week."

This comment captured the spirit of the evening beautifully.

Thanks to everyone for making it such a great conference. It was wonderful to share AIB 2026 with so many CYGNA sisters, and we look forward to seeing everyone again at the next one!

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Copyright © 2026 Shea Fan. All rights reserved. Page last modified on Wed 22 Jul 2026 15:20

Shea X. Fan’s research focuses on how identity influences people’s perceptions in daily interactions. Specifically, she investigates this phenomenon in the context of culturally or ethnically diverse work environment. She aims to identify new psychological theories and mechanisms to test empirically how identity works and also strives to develop identity theory through qualitative research methods. Her research has been published in Human Resource Management, Journal of World Business, Applied Psychology: An International Review, the International Journal of Human Resource Management and the Conversation.

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