Tribute

(1960 – 2018)

Dear EURAM Member,

It is with deep sadness and sorrow that I inform you that Prof. Ruth Alas, Head of Management Department at the Estonian Business School, has passed away on 23 January at the age of 57.

Professor Alas was a Member of EURAM’s Executive Committee from 2010 to 2011 and the Chair of EURAM’s Annual Conference which took place in Tallinn (Estonia) in June 2011.

We are very grateful for her leadership skills and her diligent commitment to host the conference around the theme “Management of Culture in Organisations” attracting over 800 participants at the Estonian Business School in June 2011. For those who were present, you will surely remember the warm hospitality of the Estonian Business School.

Ruth Alas had an outstanding international academic career, publishing more than 20 books and 100 articles. For more information on her life-long achievements, you may refer to her academic bio https://ruthalas.weebly.com/english-overview.html

She leaves behind her husband Priit and their two daughters Teele and Liina.

Please use this online form to express your condolences to the family and record your memories & tributes. Ruth Alas will be sorely missed but never forgotten!

Sibel Yamak, President

Memories

I am sincerely touched by these sad news, and by realizing the loss of a truly great, open-minded, and highly respected person and academic scholar.

I first met Ruth at our PhD workshop in 2012 at University of Zurich. I appreciated the discussions and conversations with Ruth on a an academic and personal level.

I wish her beloved ones, that they can take hope and strength from acknowledging that they could have shared their lives with Ruth.

I will keep Ruth in my best memories!

Sincerely,

Mathias Beck, ETH Zurich, Switzerland , 30 January 2018

Ruth was my dearest friend. We met during IHRM 2005 in Australia and later in a conference in Peru 2006, where we started our friendship, cooperation and traveling together to conferences. She was a wonderful person you could trust, very productive scientist, excellent consultant and teacher, God‘s follower and loyal believer. However, personally for me Ruth was a person I loved to be with, to pray together, to visit different countries, to speak and share about everything and work together as well. Ruth always supported and helped me. It was an honour and happiness to know and to be with her.

My deep compassion for Ruth’s daughters and her husband.

Stay in peace in the Kingdom of God, my dearest friend.

Vilmante Kumpikaite-Valiuniene, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, 31 January 2018

I met Ruth in 2008 on the Organisational Change and Development Workshop held in Bucharest. At the time I was beginning my PhD and since then she became one of the most important people in my professional life. Since then we developed several projects together, including a conference in Portugal. She loved the country so much that we arranged several teaching stays in Porto and Lisbon. Also, I had the honor of having Ruth on board of examiners of my PhD thesis and thanks to her I had the opportunity to visit Estonian Business School for a brief teaching stay.

Although she built an impressive career, she was simple and humble, very easy to talk to. Her kindness, empathy and concern were always present.

But Ruth was more than a brilliant professor. She was a wonderful human being. Never will forget her words in the hardest time of my life, after my 3 year old son passed away. Although separated by physical distance (I'm in Portugal), Ruth was there to support and comfort me and my family.

One of the most wonderful human beings I ever met. Never will forget you Ruth.
My sincerely condolences to the family.

Sincerely,
Pedro Ferreira, University Portucalense, Porto, Portugal, 7 February 2018

Dear Priit, Teele and Liina, friends and colleagues,

I learned with great sadness that Ruth has passed away. I know it was a long struggle and that Ruth was very brave, but we all would have hoped for another kind of outcome. Let me offer my condolences.

I had the great privilege and pleasure to know and work with Ruth. In particular, her work for EURAM and EGOS made us connect. She was also the person I have to thank for my honorary doctorate at Estonian Business School. I remember Ruth as a very talented scholar whose work has inspired many people across the globe, as an institution builder in EURAM and EGOS, as a pioneer in the internationalization of management studies in Estonia, and as a wonderful friend who will be sorely missed.

In honor of Ruth’s memory,

Eero Vaara, 27 February 2018

I met with her in Valencia at the 1st TMT Workshop. After that meeting and discussion with her, she already sent to me three articles published in several journals that managed by me. Her last article in our journal it was last year ago.

May God give you an eternal rest, Rest in Peace Prof. Ruth

Joy Elly Tulung, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado Indonesia, 13 March 2018