David Ballantyne (center) with Christian Grönroos and Evert Gummesson, at his doctoral defense in 2004 at Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland.

Guest article by Christian Grönroos, Kristina Heinonen, and Helena Renström.

David Ballantyne passed away on 29 September 2024, at the age of 83. Born on 26 November 1940 in Melbourne, David will be remembered as an exceptional supporter and facilitator of service research, a field he cared for so deeply. Twice, he initiated international workshop series on emerging new topics, showcasing his forward-thinking vision and commitment to advancing knowledge. David’s contributions and dedication leave a lasting legacy. 

In the 1980s, relationship marketing began to emerge as a distinct subfield within marketing. In 1993, a small group of relationship marketing scholars from Europe and the US received unexpected phone calls from Australia. On the other end of the line was David Ballantyne extending a warm invitation to join an upcoming colloquium on relationship marketing that he was arranging in Melbourne – all expenses covered. The following year, a group of around 20 scholars from Australia and abroad gathered in Melbourne to discuss key issues and the future of the emerging field of relationship marketing. This was the beginning of a series of annual scholarly meetings on relationship marketing, known as the International Colloquium on Relationship Marketing (ICRM). What began as David Ballantyne’s visionary initiative grew into a lasting tradition, uniting scholars from around the world to advance relationship marketing research. Without a formal board or officials, the colloquium thrived for decades, with hosting responsibilities voluntarily assumed by a new institution each year.

In 2006, just two years after service as a logic gained international attention, David launched another pioneering effort, inviting a select group of scholars to New Zealand for a focused meeting on this emerging perspective. Between 2006 and 2011, three such meetings, known as the Otago Forum, were held at Otago University in Dunedin. Over time, as the focus on service gained greater attention in established service marketing conferences, the need for a separate forum diminished, and the Otago Forum naturally concluded. David’s initiative once again showcased his remarkable ability to catalyze scholarly dialogue around transformative new ideas.

In the 1990s, David transitioned from the banking sector to academia, where he applied his experience enhancing customer service. Recognizing the value of frontline employees’ insights, he developed a four-stage process to transform their tacit knowledge into explicit insights, helping management improve service. When at Monash University in Melbourne, David published articles based on his banking experience, arguing that this knowledge transformation process not only enhanced customer service but also fostered a more service-oriented culture within organizations. He highlighted the need for marketing to collaborate closely with operations and human resources. David presented these ideas at various conferences, catching the attention of us at CERS Centre for Relationship Marketing and Service Management at Hanken School of Economics in Finland. Recognizing the alignment with our research, we invited him to join CERS and expand his work into a doctoral dissertation. David had not been able to pursue a doctoral program at Monash, but he accepted the offer and joined Hanken’s doctoral program. In 2004, he successfully defended his thesis, A Relationship Mediated Theory of Internal Marketing. After earning his doctorate, David moved to New Zealand to take up a position at Otago University. 

David had strong ties to the Nordic scholarly community. In the 2000s, he visited Hanken and Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics in Sweden on several occasions as a guest professor, delivering lectures, seminars, and speaking in executive programs. David and his wife, Jackie, became cherished friends to both us and our institutions. His exceptional contributions to the field were acknowledged by CERS at Hanken, where he was honored as a CERS International Fellow. He also received the prestigious Evert Gummesson Outstanding Research Award in recognition of his dedication to advancing service research.

Through his work and enduring friendships, David’s legacy has shaped and inspired the field of service marketing for over three decades. He was more than just a scholar; he was an inspiration and a role model to everyone who had the privilege of working with him. His dedication, intellectual curiosity, and collaborative spirit left a profound and lasting impact, and he will be greatly missed.

Christian Grönroos                 Kristina Heinonen                   Helena Renström

David’s dissertation can be found here:
Ballantyne, D. (2004), A Relationship Mediated Theory of Internal Marketing, Economics and Society Nr. 123, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, http://hdl.handle.net/10227/95

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