Speakers Bios & Abstracts

Platzhalter Speakers
Bernd Venohr
DE

Consultant, entrepreneur, and expert on German Mittelstand

Biography

Bernd Venohr is considered to be one of the foremost experts on the success model of the German Mittelstand companies. He currently works with owners and top managers of mid-sized companies on strategic and organisational issues. Main topics include developing and implementing growth strategies (focus on innovative business models), organisational design (including succession) and M+A.  He is an Adjunct Professor at the Berlin School of Economics and Law and the editor of the "Lexikon der deutschen Weltmarktführer"/" Encyclopedia of German World-market leaders" (second edition to published in January 2015).  He is currently working on a book analysing the management practices of the Mittelstand companies which will be published in 2015 in English.
 
Between 2006 and 2008 he was a tenured Professor of Strategic Management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Before taking up this academic position, he spend about 20 years in industry as Managing Director at Accenture and Senior Partner and Member of the worldwide Board of Directors at Bain & Company.
 
Bernd Venohr studied Business Administration at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, where he also took his Ph.D. degree. In addition, he holds an MBA from Northwestern University, Chicago

Abstract

German Mittelstand Champions – Living Laboratories for Management Innovation?

In this session we will take a closer look at the management practices of Germany’s privately-held small and medium size («Mittelstand») companies with a particular focus on the sub-group of Mittelstand companies  with global niche leadership positions (“Mittelstand Champions”/ sometimes also called ”Hidden Champions”).  
It will be argued that their worldwide market success is not only the result of superior products and services, but also based on unique and in many ways innovative management practices. CEO’s,  from two Mittelstand Champions, Rainer Hundsdörfer (ebm-papst Group) and Martin Schomaker (R.Stahl AG), will give in depths-insights into these management practices. The session is facilitated by Prof. Bernd Venohr, one of the leading experts in this field.