Women in Leadership at WHU

Legacy Builders—laying the foundations for others to grow.

Catalysts for change

Women at WHU driving transformation.

To celebrate the women shaping the future of business at WHU and in recognition of International Women’s Day, we invited voices from across our community to reflect on what it means to be a woman in business in 2025. Students. Professors. Program staff. Each shares insights on the challenges they face and the changes they drive—opening doors and creating opportunities for others to thrive.

These are just some of the legacy builders of WHU. People forging paths, lifting others, and leaving the business world better than they found it.

We believe success is not just about leading the way. It is about bringing others with you.

Our Legacy Builders

Dr. Lioba A. Gierke

Leadership Consultant and Lecturer at WHU

Janine Vanessa Heinrich

Managing Director at Zula,
MSc in Entrepreneurship

Dr. Sofia Schlamp

Leadership Researcher

Sabine Noe

Director,
Personalized Sales Unit at WHU

Professor Pisitta Vongswasdi

Asst. Professor of Diversity,
Management Group

In their own words

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Women in start-ups

Research at WHU

Two WHU professors and an alumna, all dedicated to equity and change. Following up on their study into the intersectional identity of female minority founders in start-ups, the group discusses the representation and perception of women in entrepreneurship.

The perception of female leaders

Research at WHU

A WHU professor and researcher, both specializing in leadership, discuss the topic of their study on organizational context factors which help women to obtain and retain leadership positions. The pair look at how women are perceived in these roles and current societal biases.

Safe spaces for all

Programs at WHU

Sabine is a higher education expert and runs a team focused on the WHU MBA programs. As a female leader within the school, she talks about her growth journey, her personal leadership style, and fostering a safe space within a work environment.

Advocating for women

Student clubs at WHU

Creating equal opportunities for all. These two WHU students are members of FEM. – Female Leadership at WHU. As a club that organizes summits and events that unite female leaders, they discuss the initiative and their hopes for women in business.

Women in start-ups

Research at WHU

1/5

Publications

Go deeper into the research from our Legacy Builders.

At WHU, we’re committed to advancing women in leadership through purposeful and actionable research. By highlighting strategies that drive lasting change, we aim to empower individuals and inspire organizations—shaping a stronger, more inclusive future of leadership.

Human Resource Management Journal

Which organisational context factors help women to obtain and retain leadership positions in the 21st century? A systematic review and research agenda for human resource management

Gierke, L. A., Schlamp, S., Gerpott, F. (accepted pre-print)

Journal of Applied Psychology

Beyond the prototype: unpacking the intersectional identity and image work of female minority founders in a startup context

Vongswasdi, P., De Groote, J., Heinrich, J., Ladge, J. (accepted pre-print)

Journal of Family Business Strategy, Vol. 15 (2), 100554

Board diversity in family firms across cultures: a contingency analysis on the effects of gender and tenure diversity on firm performance,

Tao-Schuchard, M., Kammerlander, N. (2024)

Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 138, 103767

Which female makes it to the top? Exploring the gender differences in the role of nuanced personality and psychosocial traits in elite sports career progression

Krause, F., Chan, H. F., Schmidt, S., Schreyer, D., Torgler, B. (2022)

Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 36 (1), pp. 51-74

Same talk, different reaction? Communication, emergent leadership and gender

Schlamp, S., Gerpott, F., Voelpel, S. (2021)

Schmitz, M. (ed.), CSR im Mittelstand, Springer Gabler

Erfolgreiche Frauen führen verantwortungsbewusst?! Nachhaltige Best Practices aus dem Mittelstand

Rankers, C., Kammerlander, N., Keller, K. (2021). In Schmitz, M. (ed.), CSR im Mittelstand, Springer Gabler: Berlin, pp. 75-93.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch

Nachhaltigkeit: Frauen schaffen Zukunft

Rankers, C., Kammerlander, N. (eds.) (2021). Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch: Frankfurt a. M.

Emerging Markets Review

Female directors, board committees, and firm performance: time-series evidence from Turkey

Ararat, M., Yurtoglu, B. (2021). Emerging Markets Review, Vol. 48, 100768

Kammerlander, N. & Rankers, C. (eds.), Nachhaltigkeit : Frauen schaffen Zukunft, Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch, pp. 76-81.

Die Rolle von Familienunternehmen im SDG Kontext

Kammerlander, N. (2021)

Allen, J. A. & Lehmann-Willenbrock, N. & Meinecke, A. L. (Eds.). Managing meetings in organizations

Multilevel antecedents of negativity in team meetings. The role of job attitudes and gender.

Gerpott, F., Chiu, M. M., Lehmann-Willenbrock, N. (2020). In Allen, J. A. & Lehmann-Willenbrock, N. & Meinecke, A. L. (Eds.). Managing meetings in organizations. Research on Managing Groups and teams, Volume 20, 143–161

Der Wirtschaftsführer für junge Juristen 2020/2021, Boorberg, pp. 10-13

Frauen in Führungspositionen von Familienunternehmen

Kammerlander, N. (2020)

Family Forum

Women in African family businesses - a still untapped opportunity.

Kammerlander, N. (2020). In Family Forum, South Africa.

C. Cooper, A.-S. Antoniou & C. Catrell (Eds.): Women, business and leadership: Gender and organizations

The steep way to the top: barriers to female leadership in tall hierarchical organizations

Schlamp, S., Gerpott, F., Voelpel, S. (2019). In C. Cooper, A.-S. Antoniou & C. Catrell (Eds.): Women, business and leadership: Gender and organizations (pp. 315 –329). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management

Affective Diversity and Emotional Intelligence in Cross-Functional Sourcing Teams.

Kaufmann, L., Wagner, C. M. (2017). Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 23 (1): 5-16

Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics

The influence of ability, rank, and gender on risk-taking in contests. Evidence from the ski world cup.

Feess, E., Jost, P. J., and Müller, H. (2015). Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 172, 573–614

European Planning Studies

Women can't jump? An experiment on competitive attitudes and stereotype threat.

Fornahl, D., & Guenther, C. (2010). European Planning Studies, 18(12), 1911-1936.

Human Resource Management Journal

Which organisational context factors help women to obtain and retain leadership positions in the 21st century? A systematic review and research agenda for human resource management

Gierke, L. A., Schlamp, S., Gerpott, F. (accepted pre-print)

Journal of Applied Psychology

Beyond the prototype: unpacking the intersectional identity and image work of female minority founders in a startup context

Vongswasdi, P., De Groote, J., Heinrich, J., Ladge, J. (accepted pre-print)

Journal of Family Business Strategy, Vol. 15 (2), 100554

Board diversity in family firms across cultures: a contingency analysis on the effects of gender and tenure diversity on firm performance,

Tao-Schuchard, M., Kammerlander, N. (2024)

Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 138, 103767

Which female makes it to the top? Exploring the gender differences in the role of nuanced personality and psychosocial traits in elite sports career progression

Krause, F., Chan, H. F., Schmidt, S., Schreyer, D., Torgler, B. (2022)

Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 36 (1), pp. 51-74

Same talk, different reaction? Communication, emergent leadership and gender

Schlamp, S., Gerpott, F., Voelpel, S. (2021)

Schmitz, M. (ed.), CSR im Mittelstand, Springer Gabler

Erfolgreiche Frauen führen verantwortungsbewusst?! Nachhaltige Best Practices aus dem Mittelstand

Rankers, C., Kammerlander, N., Keller, K. (2021). In Schmitz, M. (ed.), CSR im Mittelstand, Springer Gabler: Berlin, pp. 75-93.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch

Nachhaltigkeit: Frauen schaffen Zukunft

Rankers, C., Kammerlander, N. (eds.) (2021). Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch: Frankfurt a. M.

Emerging Markets Review

Female directors, board committees, and firm performance: time-series evidence from Turkey

Ararat, M., Yurtoglu, B. (2021). Emerging Markets Review, Vol. 48, 100768

Kammerlander, N. & Rankers, C. (eds.), Nachhaltigkeit : Frauen schaffen Zukunft, Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch, pp. 76-81.

Die Rolle von Familienunternehmen im SDG Kontext

Kammerlander, N. (2021)

Allen, J. A. & Lehmann-Willenbrock, N. & Meinecke, A. L. (Eds.). Managing meetings in organizations

Multilevel antecedents of negativity in team meetings. The role of job attitudes and gender.

Der Wirtschaftsführer für junge Juristen 2020/2021, Boorberg, pp. 10-13

Frauen in Führungspositionen von Familienunternehmen

Kammerlander, N. (2020)

Family Forum

Women in African family businesses - a still untapped opportunity.

Kammerlander, N. (2020). In Family Forum, South Africa.

C. Cooper, A.-S. Antoniou & C. Catrell (Eds.): Women, business and leadership: Gender and organizations

The steep way to the top: barriers to female leadership in tall hierarchical organizations

Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management

Affective Diversity and Emotional Intelligence in Cross-Functional Sourcing Teams.

Kaufmann, L., Wagner, C. M. (2017). Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 23 (1): 5-16

Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics

The influence of ability, rank, and gender on risk-taking in contests. Evidence from the ski world cup.

Feess, E., Jost, P. J., and Müller, H. (2015). Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 172, 573–614

European Planning Studies

Women can't jump? An experiment on competitive attitudes and stereotype threat.

Fornahl, D., & Guenther, C. (2010). European Planning Studies, 18(12), 1911-1936.

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