WHU doctoral student Lukas Schnabl presents research project at the American Marketing Association Conference in Nashville, TN.
Read moreThe objective of the center is to contribute to the research of consumer goods in different areas, especially of Marketing, Management Accounting & Control and Purchasing, and to encourage an intensive collaboration with business.
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The team of
the Henkel Center for Consumer Goods.

Assistant Professor Dr.
Anna-Karina Schmitz
Director
VAL A-212
+49 (0)261 6509 763
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Florian Platzek
Research Assistant / Doctoral Candidate Marketing
VAL A-210
+49 (0)261 6509 761
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Lukas Schnabl
Research Assistant / Doctoral Candidate Marketing
VAL A-210
+49 (0)261 6509 762
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Hoang Minh Nguyen
Research Assistant / Doctoral Candidate Purchasing
VAL H-104
+49 (0)261 6509 323
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Hyungwoo Oh
Research Assistant / Doctoral Candidate Leadership
DUS 5.1.36
+49 (0)211 4470 9317
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Peter Liebens
External Doctoral Candidate Marketing
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Niklas Sprungmann
External Doctoral Candidate Marketing
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Dr. Inga Bethmann
Alumna

Dr. Stéphane Timmer
Alumnus

Dr. Leopold Ried
Alumnus

Dr. Carina Weiber
Alumna

Dr. Modan Huang
Alumna
Advisory Board
of the Henkel Center for Consumer Goods
The Henkel Center for Consumer Goods is supported by an Advisory Board, consisting of leading representatives of its donor Henkel AG & Co KGaA, Duesseldorf and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. The Advisory Board regularly meets to present and discuss current and future projects of HCCG. These meetings assure the practical relevance and scientific rigor of the research activities conducted at the Henkel Center for Consumer Goods.

Guy Boone
Corporate Vice President Global Head of Adhesives
for Consumers & Craftsmen
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Bertrand Conquéret
Corporate Senior Vice President Global Purchasing
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Prof. Dr. Martin Fassnacht
Chairman of the HCCG Advisory Board
Chair of Strategy and Marketing
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management

Dr. Dieter Kahling
Corporate Vice President, Head of Group Financial Controlling
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Prof. Dr. Nadine Kammerlander
Institute of Family Business and Mittelstand,
Chair of Family Business
WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management

Prof. Dr. Lutz Kaufmann
Chair of International Business & Supply Chain Management I
WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management

Carsten Knobel
Chief Executive Officer
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Wolfgang König
Executive Vice President
Henkel Consumer Brands
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Professor Dr. Miriam Müthel
Chair of Organizational Behavior
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management

Sylvie Nicol
Executive Vice President
Human Resources and Infrastructure Services
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Michael Nilles
Chief Digital and Information Officer
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
The collaboration with Henkel –
Close and trustful exchange on many levels.
Numerous activities foster the exchange between Henkel managers and students of all programs. WHU students and alumni will find more information about career opportunities and application processes in the intranet.
The involved faculty is in a close exchange and lively dialogue with Henkel. Research and teaching activities are jointly developed and implemented. This fruitful exchange decisively affects the quality of all our activities. We believe that this close interaction and relationship is core for every trustful and successful long-term collaboration between business schools and managerial practice.
In 2015 and 2017 selected students had the great opportunity to meet two top managers of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA for a breakfast on the WHU campus in Vallendar. Kathrin Menges, former CHRO, and Carsten Knobel, CFO, provided valuable insights into current challenges in the consumer goods market in general and at Henkel. In a lively exhcange with the participants, they also talked about their own career paths and personal experiences.
In 2018 Carsten Knobel (CFO) and Katrin Steinbüchel (Corporate Vice President Human Resources) invited MBA students for a business breakfast at Henkel's headquarter in Düsseldorf.


Practical experience is an integral part of the WHU programs. In internships at Henkel of at least three months students get valuable insights into the various sectors of an innovative and international consumer goods company. As a fully integrated team member the interns support the day-to-day business and work on projects.
The internship/thesis program with Henkel offers the opportunity to combine a research project with practical experience. The topics which are mutually assessed by WHU professors and mentors at Henkel will be presented in January.
Every year in early summer, the Henkel Center for Consumer Goods organizes a roundtable for interns, managers and mentors of Henkel, including several WHU alumni, which offers all participants the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange experiences away from the daily office routine.


Read about our students' experiences:
Teaching areas –
Lectures across all academic programs of the WHU.
The lectures of the HCCG do not only feature an introduction to essential theoretical concepts, but also exhibit a strong practice-oriented focus. Students gain valuable insights in the consumer goods industry by guest lectures and real-life case studies. Furthermore, they have the option to combine their thesis with an internship at Henkel.
Field | Lecture | Lecturer |
Controlling | Case Studies in Management Accounting & Control | Marko Reimer |
Controlling | Cost Accounting | Lukas Löhlein |
Controlling | Management Abroad Course shanghai | Lukas Löhlein |
Purchasing | Case Development Course | Lutz Kaufmann |
Purchasing | Nagotiations for Management and Entrepreneurs | Lutz Kaufmann |
Purchasing | Strategic Sourcing | Lutz Kaufmann |
Field | Lecture | Lecturer |
Controlling | Advanced Controlling | Marko Reimer |
Marketing | B2C Price Management | Anna-Karina Schmitz |
Purchasing | Advanced Supply Management | Felix Reimann |
Field | Lecture | Lecturer |
Purchasing | Negotiations for Managers and Entrepreneurs | Lutz Kaufmann |
Purchasing (only Full-time MBA) | Strategic Sourcing | Lutz Kaufmann |
Marketing | Introduction to Marketing | Martin Fassnacht |
Marketing | Omnichannel Business | Martin Fassnacht |
Marketing | Price Management | Martin Fassnacht |
Marketing (only Part-time MBA) | International Module India | Martin Fassnacht |
Field | Lecture | Lecturer |
Purchasing (Doctoral Program) | Qualitative Research Methods | Lutz Kaufmann |
Purchasing (Executive Education) | Nagotiations for Managers and Entrepreneurs | Lutz Kaufmann |
Marketing (EMBA) | Price Management | Martin Fassnacht |
Marketing (Executive Education) | Omnichannel Business | Martin Fassnacht |
Guest lectures:
Case studies:
In order to give our students profound practical insights into consumer goods management, we invite experienced practitioners to our lectures. They give guest lectures, provide real-life cases or discuss current developments in the FMCG and retail industry with our students.
Cross-functional management research –
Within the fast moving consumer goods industry.
The Henkel Center for Consumer Goods (HCCG) concentrates on cross-functional management research within fast moving consumer goods industry.
HCCG`s scientific research projects focus on the following areas of research:
- Strategy and Marketing
- Management Accounting and Control
- Purchasing
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The research projects at the HCCG are conducted by both the faculty and the students. As a partner Henkel supports the center in the joint research activities. The generation, transfer and implementation of academic knowledge as well as the intensive cooperation and practice exchange with Henkel are of main interest.
Based on behavioral theories and state-of-the-art research methods, publications in high-ranked academic and practice-relevant journals are pursued.
Selected publications of the Henkel Center for Consumer Goods:
Timmer, S., Kaufmann, L., 2019: Do Managers‘ Dark Personality Traits help Firms in Coping with Adverse Supply Chain Events? In: Journal of Supply Chain Management, 55 (4), 67-97
The Henkel Center for Consumer Goods –
Interface to corporate practice.
Founder
The Henkel Center for Consumer Goods (HCCG) is founded and supported by Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Duesseldorf. We are in close exchange with our founder and work together in a long-term and trustful collaboration. Our Advisory Board consists of members of Henkel’s top management as well as WHU professors.
Collaborations
The Henkel Center for Consumer Goods (HCCG) maintains close contacts and an active dialogue with the consumer goods and retailing industry. We build a bridge between academia and managerial practice. For us, a close collaboration and exchange with consumer goods and retailing practice is a prerequisite for applied research. We search for solutions and improvements for corporate practice.
We further strive for an intense dialogue with practitioners. There are several options of a collaboration:
- Participating and initiating joint research projects.
- Providing real-life case studies and guest lectures within our lectures at the WHU.
- Developing case studies with your company for practice-oriented teaching.
- Exchanging ideas and latest research, providing customized key notes, participating in panel discussions, training, and advising your company.
We are looking forward to a lively exchange with the consumer goods and retailing industry. If you are interested in collaborating with us, do not hesitate to contact Assistant Professor Dr. Anna-Karina Schmitz.
Get in touch with us –
We look forward to hearing from you.

Jun.-Prof. Dr.
Anna-Karina Schmitz
Director Henkel Center for Consumer Goods
Campus Vallendar
Burgplatz 2
56179 Vallendar
VAL A-212
+49 (0)261 6509 763
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