Since 2004, ESMT has already invested more than €40 million in the historic building. It is now launching a fundraising campaign to finance this modernization, which is estimated to cost about €15 million and will add roughly 2,000 square meters of much needed classroom and event space to the growing business school.  

ESMT has established itself internationally, as demonstrated by its Financial Times’ ranking as one of the top 10 business schools in Europe. At the same time, it is a vibrant contributor to the local academic community. Located directly across from the newly rebuilt Berlin Palace and directly overlooking the Monument to Freedom and Unity, ESMT has transformed the former GDR State Council building into a modern campus for young leaders and entrepreneurs, while still respecting its history. In this final phase, ESMT will bear witness to the continuing significance of German reunification. President Bush played a decisive part in the process of reunifying Germany. The President George H.W. Bush Reunification Suite will provide a space for teaching and a venue for exclusive events. The former meeting room of the State Council meeting chamber, the room in which the socialist government once ruled, will soon become a place for entrepreneurial education.  

A delegation, including Max Angerholzer, CEO of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, and Pierce Bush, grandson of George H.W. Bush and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, will visit ESMT on May 9, 2023, for the ceremonial initiation of the President George H.W. Bush Reunification Suite. A substantial part of the new development will be permanently named after the 41st President of the United States of America. On May 10, 2023, the Bush family will head to Dahlem, where a statue of George H.W. Bush will be unveiled. 

 “The George & Barbara Bush Foundation is thrilled about the creation of the President George H.W. Bush Reunification Suite on the ESMT Berlin campus. President Bush played a pivotal role in the reunification of Germany, and it is only fitting that the 41st President’s contribution will be recognized in the heart of Berlin,” says Max Angerholzer. “As a sign of our enthusiasm, the Bush Foundation has made the first financial contribution towards the creation of this important space, and we hope that many others will now join us.”  

“We are delighted to have the support of the Bush Foundation and the Bush family with this historic project,” says Jörg Rocholl, president of ESMT. “As we continue to grow, we need more space, and the President George H.W. Bush Reunification Suite is a significant step towards filling this need and a constant reminder of the importance of European unity.” 

David Knower, partner and general manager of Cerberus Deutschland and member of the ESMT International Advisory Council, is the creative mind behind the President George H.W. Bush Reunification Suite. He says, “This is an inspiring initiative that will transform the impressive former meeting room of the State Council into a space that celebrates German unity and transatlantic collaboration.”