Ann-Kristin Achleitner

Ann-Kristin Achleitner is distinguished affiliate professor at ESMT Berlin as well as at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) where she has been a scientific co-director of the Center for Entrepreneurial and Financial Studies since 2003. Between 2001 and 2020, Ann-Kristin held the chair of entrepreneurial finance at TUM following her tenure as chaired professor for banking and finance at the European Business School (EBS), International University Schloss Reichartshausen since 1995. Prior to that she worked at McKinsey & Company. Ann-Kristin was awarded an honorary doctorate from Leuphana University as well as an honorary senatorship of her alma mater, the University of St. Gallen (HSG), where she earned doctorate degrees in business and law and was the first woman granted a habilitation.
Ann-Kristin has published numerous books and academic articles in leading academic journals. Her research interests cover the fields of entrepreneurial and corporate finance, international accounting, the influence of different forms of ownership on corporate governance, and the development of companies. In recent years, her main interest has been in deep tech innovation and finance. She has done substantial work with a focus on social entrepreneurship and is a co-founder of the Social Entrepreneurship Akademie (SEA).
A former president of FGF, the leading scientific association for entrepreneurship, innovation and SMEs in the German-speaking world, she has researched on and coached university spin-offs, especially in the deep tech sector. She is a vice-president of acatech (National Academy of Science and Engineering) and is a member of the board of UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading center for innovation and business creation.
Ann-Kristin has served as an advisor and a member of EU government commissions and at German federal and state level. At present, she is a member of the Future Council of the Federal Chancellor. Previously she has inter alia been vice-chairwoman of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation – EFI) as well as a member of the Corporate Governance Commission, both of the German Federal Government. She was designated a global leader of tomorrow by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 1998 and has subsequently served on a number of WEF councils. Her present membership on non-profit boards includes the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, and the SWP Council (German Institute for International and Security Affairs). Currently she is a non-executive board member of Linde, DHL, and Lazard. Previous mandates of note include Munich Re, Deutsche Börse, Metro, ENGIE, and Vontobel as well as the International Advisory Board of Investcorp.
Ann-Kristin is an active venture investor, her main engagement in deep tech being planqc, where she is a co-founder and vice-chairwoman of the board. She received the Officer’s Cross of The Federal Republic of Germany and the Bavarian Order of Merit as well as the awards Pro meritis scientiae et litterarum and the Teaching Award (Preis für gute Lehre) from the Bavarian Ministery of Science and Art. She has been honored as Professor of the Year in Germany in business, economics, and law by Unicum and received the Mentor Prize at HSG.