The chair focuses on the innovations and startups based on cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, new materials, and biotechnology. The goal of the chair is to gain and apply scientific knowledge to solve challenges in the field of business and society through the transfer and scaled application of the latest technologies. 

Dr. Joachim Faber has been a member of the ESMT Supervisory Board since 2006 and has played a central role in the successful development of the international business school. “We need to unleash the potential of new technologies to meet the future challenges of business,” emphasizes Dr. Faber. “To do this, we need research-based insights and strong expertise in deep tech. The new chair in business and technology will contribute to this.” 

The Joachim Faber Chair in Business and Technology is an integral part of the newly established Institute for Deep Tech Innovation (DEEP) at ESMT. The focus of the chair is aligned with the vision of the institute, which fosters and promotes innovation and startups based on cutting-edge technologies. This includes, among others, the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Berlin, an internationally recognized accelerator for science and technology-based early-stage start-ups. Francis de Véricourt is joining as academic director of DEEP. Together with Thorsten Lambertus, managing director of the institute, he will establish the life science and health vertical. 

Francis de Véricourt was the first associate dean of research at ESMT and held faculty positions at Duke University and INSEAD, where he also was the Paul Dubrule Chaired professor in Sustainable Development. He received a PhD degree from Université Paris VI, France and was a post-doctoral researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His general research interest is in the area of decision science, analytics, and operations. He is the author of numerous academic articles in prominent management, analytics, and economics journals such as Management Science, Operations Research, American Economics Review, and others.  

“Thanks to his outstanding research achievements in the field of artificial intelligence and decision making, Francis de Véricourt is an excellent appointment for the chair,” says Jörg Rocholl, President of ESMT. “I am very pleased that Dr. Joachim Faber is helping us to strengthen and further expand the promotion of innovation and cutting-edge technologies at ESMT.” 

The formal inauguration of the new chair will take place in early 2023.