
WHU’s faculty members are a diverse team of academic experts, engaged in pioneering and dynamic research, fundamental to our mission of achieving excellence in management education.
Incorporating this cutting-edge research into the curriculum, many of our ever-increasing faculty also teach students at varying degree levels. WHU is at the forefront of innovation in management education, with our faculty of experts generating groundbreaking research and bringing hands-on, practical references to the classroom.
WHU is the only private German university that is a member of the German Research Foundation (DFG). This membership is a testament to our academics’ dedication to their profession. International connections complement our distinguished faculty with top practitioners from around the world, strengthening collaborations and relationships for continued excellence.
A growing faculty for dynamic research and development in education:
Full Professors
Assistant Professors
Adjunct Professors
Apl. Professors
Senior Fellows
Honorary Professors
Dedicated to research –
Providing academic excellence.
At present, 42 professors are conducting high-quality research at WHU. Every member of our faculty is an international expert in their field, serving the academic world through innovative joint research projects:
- Professor Nihat Aktas - Chair of Mergers and Acquisitions
- Professor Christian Andres - Chair of Empirical Corporate Finance
- Professor Holger Ernst - Chair of Technology and Innovation Management
- Professor Dries Faems - Chair of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technological Transformation
- Professor Martin Fassnacht - Chair of Strategy and Marketing
- Professor Ralf Fendel - Chair of Monetary Economics
- Professor Michael Frenkel - Chair of Macroeconomics and International Economics
- Professor Fabiola H. Gerpott - Chair of Leadership
- Professor Martin Glaum - Chair of International Accounting
- Professor Christina Günther - IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
- Professor Christian Hagist - Chair of Economic and Social Policy
- Professor Walter Herzog - Chair of Market Research
- Professor Christoph Hienerth - Chair of Entrepreneurship and Creativity
- Professor Arnd Huchzermeier - Chair of Production Management
- Professor Martin Jacob - adidas Chair of Finance, Accounting and Taxation
- Professor Ove Jensen - Chair of Sales Management and Business-to-Business Marketing
- Professor Lutz Johanning - Chair of Empirical Capital Market Research
- Professor Peter-J. Jost - Chair of Organizational Theory
- Professor Nadine Kammerlander - Chair of Family Business
- Professor Yuval Kalish - Chair of Leadership, Networks, and Organizations
- Professor Ayse Karaevli - Chair of Corporate Management and Change
- Professor Lutz Kaufmann - Chair of Business Negotiations & Procurement I
- Professor Jane Lê - Chair of Strategic Management
- Professor Lukas Löhlein - Institute of Management Accounting and Control
- Professor Michael Massmann - Chair of Econometrics and Statistics
- Professor Miriam Müthel - Chair of Organizational Behavior
- Professor Serden Ozcan - Chair of Innovation and Corporate Transformation
- Professor Felix Reimann - Chair of Business Negotiations & Procurement II
- Professor Marko Reimer - Institute of Management Accounting and Control
- Professor Markus Rudolf - Allianz Endowed Chair of Finance
- Professor Utz Schäffer - Institute of Management Accounting and Control
- Professor Nic Schaub - Chair of Household Finance
- Professor Christian Schlereth - Chair of Digital Marketing
- Professor Sascha L. Schmidt - Center for Sports and Management
- Professor Liji Shen - Chair of Operations Management
- Professor Stefan Spinler - Chair of Logistics Management
- Professor Arne Strauss - Mercator Endowed Chair of Demand Management & Sustainable Transport
- Professor Tillmann Wagner - Chair of Service Psychology
- Professor Carl Marcus Wallenburg - Chair of Logistics and Services Management
- Professor Mei Wang - Chair of Behavioral Finance
- Professor Jürgen Weigand - Institute for Industrial Organization
- Professor B. Burcin Yurtoglu - Chair of Corporate Finance
Young academics with a doctorate are given the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience, conduct their own research, and thus qualify to take up a professorship in the future. Assistant professors work at the school for up to six years and become part of the renowned WHU network:
- Assistant Professor Marjolein Buisman
- Assistant Professor Nicole Gottschalck
- Assistant Professor Julia de Groote
- Assistant Professor Irina Heimbach
- Assistant Professor Lisa Hillmann
- Assistant Professor Priscilla Kraft
- Assistant Professor Jiachun Lu
- Assistant Professor Magdalena Pisa
- Assistant Professor Anna Ressi
- Assistant Professor Rainer Michael Rilke
- Assistant Professor Daniel Schaupp
- Assistant Professor Anna-Karina Schmitz
- Assistant Professor Elena Shvartsman
- Assistant Professor Barbara Stage
- Assistant Professor Simon Straumann
- Assistant Professor Victor van Pelt
- Assistant Professor Pisitta Vongswasdi
Adjunct professors are experts distinguished in research and teaching who are employed full-time at another university. In their work as adjunct professors at WHU, they generally teach in WHU's programs and devote themselves to specific research projects - often in collaboration with other WHU faculty members:
- Adjunct Professor Malte Brettel - Chair of Entrepreneurship and New Business Development
- Adjunct Professor Franz Kellermanns
- Adjunct Professor Peter Witt
Academically qualified persons may be appointed as an „Außerplanmäßige Professorin“ or „Außerplanmäßiger Professor“ if they teach regularly at WHU. This is possible for former assistant professors after a positive evaluation, for people with a post-doctoral degree („Habilitierte“), or for persons who otherwise fulfill the hiring requirements for a professorship. Through different backgrounds, „Außerplanmäßige Professorin“ or „Außerplanmäßiger Professor“ contribute to the variety of faculty profiles, whereby excellent performance in research and teaching as well as a clear contribution to the further development of the school are a prerequisite:
With the title Honorary Professor, WHU honors individuals who have rendered outstanding scientific services in the course of their professional activities or scientific field, and who have thus become significant personalities both for the academic field and for the corporate world.
WHU only honors those individuals who have made a long-term commitment to the future success of the school and thus ensure continued excellence. With their diverse expertise, they contribute to WHU’s high teaching quality.
In the 30 years since the school was founded, this honor has been bestowed upon only 17 individuals to date:
- Honorary Professor Paul Achleitner
- Honorary Professor Horst Albach **
- Honorary Professor David B. Audretsch
- Honorary Professor Andreas Barckow
- Honorary Professor Klaus Brockhoff *
- Honorary Professor Horst G. Carus *
- Honorary Professor Edgar Ernst
- Honorary Professor Karl Kley
- Honorary Professor Hartmut Leser
- Honorary Professor Edgar Löw
- Honorary Professor Peter May
- Honorary Professor Bolko von Oetinger
- Honorary Professor John Onto *
- Honorary Professor Jürgen Ringbeck
- Honorary Professor Dr. rer. pol. em. Klaus Rose **
- Honorary Professor Hanno Sowade
- Honorary Professor Axel Wieandt
* Holds no more lectures.
** Deceased
A Senior Fellow of WHU is an exceptional personality from an economic, political or societal background who has rendered remarkable services to the school:
- Peter Görlich
- Matthias Hartmann
- Jan-Caspar Hoffmann
- Dr. Marco Vietor
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Jaakko Honko (†)
- Professor Dr. h.c. mult. Donald Jacobs (†)
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Peter Mertens
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Dieter Ordelheide (†)
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Paul Riebel (†)
- Dr. h.c. Nikolaus Schweickart
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Pierre Tabatoni (†)
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Carl Zimmerer (†)
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Erich Greipl (†)
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Otto Beisheim (†)
- Dr. h.c. Albrecht Deyhle
- Professor Dr. h.c. Klaus-Michael Kühne
- Dr. h.c. Hans-Joachim Spittler (†)
- Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Reinhard H. Schmidt
Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Klaus Brockhoff
Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Karl-Friedrich Meyer
Academic groups at WHU –
Provoking innovative research.
A unique collaborative approach to research throughout the school strengthens WHU’s contribution to the academic community. Our faculty unite across fields of expertise in Groups to share their knowledge, practices, and innovative ideas, continually advancing the school’s influence in leading business research.

Economics
The Economics Group connects chairs from across WHU to generate collaboration between experts in the field. Comprised of leading academics from both WHU and external institutions, the Group organizes the Research Seminar in Economics, creating the opportunity for economics experts to present their work to the wider community.

Entrepreneurship & Innovation
The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group is part of a prosperous partnership with the Center for Research in Innovation & Technology at Kellogg School of Management. The partnership serves as a platform for innovation and collaboration around the world to share information and transform it in practice.

Finance & Accounting
Bringing together independent chairs around WHU, the Finance and Accounting Group leverages synergies across related fields and coordinates teaching around the school. The Group also maintains the Center for Private Banking and the Financial Accounting & Tax Center, generating resources for financial researchers and decision-makers.

Management
Leadership, management, and behaviour unite under the Management Group at WHU. Understanding an organization’s challenges, structure, and motivations can be the defining factor between successful and frustration. The Management Group supports independent chairs across the school in their continued research into the complexities behind organizational behaviour.

Marketing & Sales
The Marketing and Sales Group maintains an active presence in the scientific community through its publications, business engagement, and outstanding teaching. Bridging the gap between academia and managerial practice, the Group provides executive education courses, organizes seminars for the dissemination of research, and models its teaching to ensure students will thrive in real-world business scenarios.

Supply Chain Management
Recognized for its top position in supply chain management research, WHU was ranked 6th in a global comparison of universities producing empirical supply chain management (SCM) research by the 2019 SCM Journal List. As the highest-ranked supply chain management research institution outside the United States, the Supply Chain Management Group is leading cutting-edge research around the school’s associated chairs.