Who Drives International Business? Diverse Actors, Ownership, and Strategies in a Shifting World. The 53rd AIB-UKI Annual Conference

When: Thursday, April 29, 2027 - Saturday, May 1, 2027, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Where: Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Campus

Who is actually conducting international business today? Reaching beyond the classic multinational enterprise, this theme embraces the diverse ecosystem now driving the global economy: family firms, micro multinationals, international entrepreneurs, state-owned enterprises, and emerging market firms. It offers a natural home for every IB subdiscipline.

53rd AIB-UKI Annual Conference

The theme is deliberately framed as an inclusive umbrella. It moves the conversation on from traditional ownership structures towards a broader question about the range of actors involved in cross border activity. While IB research has focused heavily on the classic multinational enterprise, the modern global economy is driven by a far wider set of organisations. By asking who drives international business, the conference welcomes scholars working not only on corporate governance, but also on family owned enterprises, micro multinationals, international entrepreneurs, state-owned enterprises and emerging market firms.

Conference tracks

Submissions are invited across 11 tracks, full details can be found on the AIB-UKI website. Each track is co-chaired by two academics, and track co-chairs will issue their own track level calls in due course. Every track is framed around the conference question of who drives international business, so that the theme runs through the programme rather than sitting above it.

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Key Dates 

Submission system opens: 1 December 2026
Paper submission deadline: 20 January 2027
Doctoral Colloquium deadline: 15 February 2027
Early bird registration deadline: 12 March 2027
Final registration deadline: 4 April 2027
Doctoral Colloquium, Welcome Reception, Paper Development Workshops, and Research Method Workshops: 29 April 2027

Keynote Panel

Prof Ulf Andersson (Mälardalen University, Sweden - BI Norwegian Business School, Norway)
Dr Phil Clare (Chief Executive Officer, Queen Mary Innovation, UK)  
Prof Alfredo De Massis (University of Pescara, Italy – Lancaster University Management School, UK)
Prof Kevin Ibeh (Birkbeck, University of London, UK)
Prof Tanja Leppäaho (LUT University, Finland)
Prof Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki (University of Vienna, Austria)