Looking back at a special Dies Natalis: honorary doctorate Holger Fleischer and dies speech by Claartje Bulten

On Thursday 21 October 2021 Radboud University celebrated its 98th Dies Natalis; a special edition for the law faculty. This year, Professor of Company Law Claartje Bulten had the great honor of delivering the Dies Speech. She also acted as honorary promoter of law professor and economist Holger Fleischer; he received an honorary doctorate for his achievements in the field of business law.

Claartje Bulten, Holger Fleischer and rector magnificus Han van Krieken

Honorary Doctorate Holger Fleischer

Claartje Bulten presented the laudatio to Professor Holger Fleischer, who received the honorary doctorate for his cross-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional work in the field of business law. Bulten on Fleischer: "Professor Holger Fleischer has mastered the dynamics of and in corporate law like no other. He is one of the leading lawyers in this area of law in Germany and Europe. His academic research is groundbreaking. Fleischer examines corporate law in constant interaction with developments in the economy, society and technology." Honorary Doctor Holger Fleischer himself delivered a short speech on the contextualization of corporate law. Using three examples, he illustrated the importance of bringing to light the historical, economic, political and social driving forces behind the development of company law: "I am convinced that contextualization is important for providing a richer and more nuanced picture of company law."

Claartje Bulten's Dies speech

In her Dies Speech entitled 'Diversity or dystopia?' Bulten discussed, among other things, the Act on 'Diversity in Top Functions'. This law, which aims to bring gender equality to the top of the business community, will come into effect on 1 January 2022. However, it is questionable whether the law will succeed in its mission. Bulten places some critical notes in this regard. Moreover, diversity has a broader connotation than just gender. "It encompasses every form in which people can differ from each other, whether visibly or invisibly. It's about recognizing the complexity," says Bulten in her Diesrede. In the book 'Diversity, a multidisciplinary field exploration' Bulten previously compiled the diverse views of Nijmegen researchers from different disciplines regarding this topic. The book was published in early 2020 in the Series of the Van der Heijden Institute.

Recordings of the celebration can be viewed on the web page of the Dies Natalis. It is also possible to read back the texts of among others Claartje Bulten and Holger Fleischer.