Our former Dean Prof. Dr Udo Koppelmann passed away on 13 January 2023. With him, we have lost a colleague and person who was closely associated with the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne for many decades. His death leaves us in deep mourning.
Udo Koppelmann studied business administration at the University of Cologne, graduating as Diplom-Kaufmann. He received his doctorate here in 1965 and completed his habilitation in 1970. From 1972 until his retirement, he was a full professor and director of the Department of Business Administration, Procurement and Product Policy at the University of Cologne. In this position, as well as Dean of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences and member of the Senate of the University of Cologne, he contributed significantly to the reputation of the faculty and university.
In research and teaching, he devoted himself in particular to topics in the field of product- and procurement marketing (e.g. procurement management, purchasing and logistics, product policy, product design and creation), but always had an eye for the entire breadth marketing as well as for related disciplines such as design development and for the entire field of business administration. He stood for a networked, holistic approach with the goal of theory-guided decision support with a well-founded application reference. In this sense, the seminar for procurement and product policy he led, was characterised by a connection between the marketing perspectives of the functional areas "procurement" and "sales" that was probably unique at German universities.
Professor Koppelmann's teaching and research activities were also characterised by a close connection to practice. He was President of the Marketing Club Cologne-Bonn e.V., a member of the Executive Committee of the German Design Council, Head of the Purchasing and Logistics Working Group of the Schmalenbach Society, Chairman of the Board of the West German Academy for Communication - to name just a few of the functions he fulfilled with great passion in the sense of the transfer between science and practice.
We remember Udo Koppelmann as a very committed, generous and loyal colleague and person and look back on his work with deep appreciation and respect. Our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences go to his family.
Prof. dres. Hernán Bruno, Marc Fischer, Lothar Müller-Hagedorn, Werner Reinartz, Franziska Völckner and the whole Faculty
