Starting at the beginning of the year 2023, the HSBA boards are being reorganised in terms of members. Following the change in leadership within the Board of Trustees in autumn 2022, some changes have now also been implemented in the Board of Governors, the HSBA's Supervisory Board, after a good five years of successful development work.
Change in Leadership and New Appointments to the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees Complete the Realignment of HSBA Boards
With effect from January 1, 2023, financial expert Astrid Nissen-Schmidt was unanimously elected by the Board of Governors (BoG) of HSBA as the new Chairperson. Ms Nissen-Schmidt is Managing Director of Freiheit GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft and Vice President of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. She succeeds Dr. Hariolf Wenzler, who is handing over his office as Chair of the Board after five years and stepping down from his positions on the Board of Trustees and BoG.
"For many years now, I have accompanied HSBA as a member of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors. I am absolutely committed to the idea of cooperative study programmes, the relevance of the university for Hamburg as a business location and its role as the business school of Hamburg's economy. Therefore, I am very pleased about the trust placed in me and look forward to accompanying HSBA even more intensively in this new position," explains Astrid Nissen-Schmidt. " A big thank you goes to Dr Hariolf Wenzler and Dr Joh. Christian Jacobs for their great commitment and the excellent work they have done during their term of office."
The Board of Governors was established in December 2017 after the Foundation for Advancing HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration (Stiftung zur Förderung der HSBA) took over the shareholder role from the Chamber of Commerce Hamburg. Dr Hariolf Wenzler served as the first chairman of the BoG for a good five years and will now retire from his other offices at HSBA after passing the baton to Astrid Nissen-Schmidt. Dr Joh. Christian Jacobs, Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees since 2017, is also stepping down from his positions as planned at the beginning of the year. Together with Dr Hariolf Wenzler, he was largely responsible for establishing the two newly founded boards and successfully led HSBA through very challenging times. After a good five years of strategic work, the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees are now well positioned for the future and can concentrate on further anchoring HSBA in Hamburg's business community.
"Ms Nissen-Schmidt represents a strategic perspective in this important function. In combination with her business expertise, she will be able to help the university on its further development path with content-related impulses and clear guidance. With this change we are rounding off a realignment in the committees that will position our HSBA for the future," said Dr Wenzler. "I would like to thank all members for the extremely valuable cooperation and for their trust."
On behalf of the entire university management, HSBA President a. i. Prof Dr Max Johns thanks Dr Jacobs and Dr Wenzler for their dedication and commitment, and Astrid Nissen-Schmidt for her willingness to commit to HSBA and take on responsibility:
"Our warmest thanks go to Dr Hariolf Wenzler and Dr Joh. Christian Jacobs for their extraordinary commitment and ongoing support over the past years. During their time in office, they have made a significant contribution to setting the strategic course for the future of the university and have thus had a decisive influence on HSBA's independent, positive development. HSBA owes them both a great debt of gratitude.
Ms Nissen-Schmidt is a long-standing and highly committed member of the Board of Governors and we warmly congratulate her on this new position. We are very much looking forward to working even more closely with her in the future ."