When it comes to educating future business leaders, the University of Cologne stands out. Handelsblatt conducted a research to find out where DAX board members received their education. They analysed the academic backgrounds of 231 DAX board members from 38 companies. As a result, the University of Cologne shares first place with the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, both of which have 10 alumni on the boards of DAX companies.
What is even more impressive is that 6 out of 10 UoC graduates studied at the WiSo Faculty. Among those are Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG, and Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman and Member of the Executive Board, Finance and IT of Porsche AG. Discover more about their unique academic journeys and experiences at the WiSo Faculty in our previous article on the DAX companies and their board members.
Third place is shared by RWTH Aachen and TU Darmstadt where 6 DAX board members received their education. Following them closely in the rankings are the University of Münster, the University of Hannover, and the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management. To access the complete ranking of the universities where DAX board members graduated, see the Handelsblatt’s article.
Interesting to note that many DAX board members spent time abroad during their studies. The Handelsblatt’s research shows that half of the DAX board members studied and worked abroad before taking up a board position, and only 14 per cent of them gained their academic and professional experience exclusively in Germany.
The alumni of the WiSo Faculty among the DAX board members:
- Oliver Bäte (Allianz)
- Timotheus Höttges (Deutsche Telekom)
- Dr. rer. pol. Achim Kassow (Munich Re)
- Lutz Meschke (Porsche & Porsche SE)
- Dagmar Steinert (Rheinmetall)
- Katja van Doren (RWE)
