After more than seven years of service to HSBA, Alexander Birken, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group since March 2025, is stepping down from his positions on the HSBA Board of Trustees and Board of Governors. He was given a formal farewell by the university management and other board members at the beginning of June.
HSBA Boards: Long-standing Friend and Supporter Alexander Birken Steps Down from his Positions
Prof. Dr. Tim Goydke, President of HSBA: "Alexander Birken has played a key role in shaping the further development of the university as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and member of the Supervisory Board since its separation from the Chamber of Commerce. He has always driven forward the development of our university and its students with great commitment: as a valuable source of ideas who always kept his eyes on the future, and as a great fan of dual study programmes. We are extremely grateful to Alexander Birken and wish him all the best for the future. As a representative of one of our closest and longest-standing partner companies, as a friend and supporter, we hope that he will remain closely connected to us in the future."
The Otto Group and Alexander Birken have been committed to the former Business Academy and the HSBA for decades. Alexander Birken has a unique connection to the HSBA: he is an alumnus of the Business Academy, the predecessor institution of the HSBA, represents one of the founding companies of the HSBA, was a member of the most important advisory boards and is the proud father of an HSBA alumna. He took up the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees in October 2018 after the Foundation for the Promotion of the HSBA took over the role of shareholder from the Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, he handed over the chairmanship to Silke Grimm and was appointed to the Board of Governors, the university's supervisory board.
‘The transfer of practical experience in the company and knowledge at the university has always been a great combination for me,’ says Alexander Birken. ‘I have always been fully committed to HSBA and its students and will continue to follow its future development with great interest.’
