The QTEM Annual Event took place at the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Amsterdam, bringing together more than 70 participants, including corporate partners, students, alumni and academics. The event opened with welcome remarks from Roel Beetsma, Dean of the University of Amsterdam, and Paul Fornoff, representing the QTEM Student Association (QSA). The day started with a masterclass by Reacfin, “Climate Risk in the Banking Industry,” delivered by François Thirion, Director and Head of Risk Management & Finance at Reacfin, and Mathieu Demarets, Actuarial Engineer at Reacfin.
The masterclass combined a concise introduction to climate risk concepts with a hands-on simulation in which participants, working in teams, acted as risk advisory groups managing a large mortgage portfolio over the long term.
The central conference focused on “Agentic AI: From Capability to Organizational Impact,” moderated by Michelle Sisto, QTEM Dean and Associate Professor at EDHEC Business School. Dr. Inez Zwetsloot (University of Amsterdam, AI4Business Lab) presented how challenge-based learning prepares students to become decision-makers in an AI-driven economy, while Frederik Van Hecke and Barbara Jepma (McKinsey & Company) discussed how organizations can scale AI from experimentation to enterprise value. Maribel Tejada and Nicole Onuta (ING) addressed governance and risk oversight for autonomous AI systems, followed by an open discussion with the audience.
After a coffee break, participants joined parallel sessions: a McKinsey “Crack the Case” workshop for students led by Colomban Basset and Martin Papageorges, and an alumni session hosted by Jelmer van de Mortel (Acorn), together with Ruben Spruit and Sofie Löhr, on scaling climate impact through data-driven agroforestry initiatives supporting smallholder farmers.
The day concluded with a networking reception, followed the next day by a cultural program including a visit to the Van Gogh Museum, a city walk and lunch at the Foodhallen.
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