Burkhard Schwenker
Encyclopedia
Prof. Dr. Burkhard Schwenker (* April 20th, 1958 in Minden, Germany
) is a German business consultant. Since August 2010, he has been the head of the supervisory board of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
after he had served as the CEO of the company. In September 2010, he was additionally appointed the head of the Roland Berger foundation.
and Economics
at the University of Bielefeld. He started his professional career as the assistant to the board of management at PWA Papierwerke Waldhof-Aschaffenburg AG. In 1985, he became a member of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and, after having successfully completed his PhD in Economics, he established and expanded the company’s office in Hamburg
.
In 1992, Schwenker was appointed a partner at Roland Berger’s and, in 1994, took over the management of the Center of Excellence in Corporate Development. He was the leader in the 1998 negotiations about the management buyout of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants between Deutsche Bank
and the partners of the company. In 2003, Schwenker was appointed the head of the Executive Committee of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, this appointment being renewed for another term by the partners in 2006. The Leipzig Graduate School of Management awarded him the honorary professorship in 2008. Together with Torsten Wulf, Burkhard Schwenker has been the Academic Director of the school’s Center for Scenario Planning.
When he changed to the Supervisory Board
of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in 2010, Burkhard Schwenker created a medial uproar by writing a farewell letter to the staff at the company in which he critically reflected upon his time as the company’s CEO. He was succeeded by Martin C. Wittig
.
Additionally, Schwenker is the initiator of Best of European Business
.
Burkhard Schwenker is married and has three children. He is currently living in Hamburg.
focuses on furthering the education of the German society in terms of financial politics. At the “enable2start”-award initiated as an award for innovative start-up companies by Financial Times
Deutschland, Burkhard Schwenker was a member of the jury
. He is also one of the trustees of berufundfamilie GmbH, an initiative of the non-profit Hertie-foundation, as well as of Wertekommission e.V.
Schwenker is much consulted expert on economics in national and international media. Besides his publications about professional fields such as strategy
, organization
and change management
, Burkhard Schwenker can also be seen as a promoter of a European-wide, value-oriented and sustainable approach to management. As the head of the supervisory board at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants – the only globally active consultancy rooted in Europe
- Schwenker has stood up for a more self-confident Europe for years in his role as the initiator and jury-member of “Best of European Business”. This award acknowledges European businesses and rewards their excellent economic success.
In addition, Burkhard Schwenker acts as council for the Roland Berger Foundation for European business management and as vice-chairman of Atlantik-Brücke e.V., an organization promoting good relations between the United States of America and Germany. He also writes about and discusses European topics as a guest-author of various Business Magazines.
and is the publisher of think: act-CONTENT by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. In this function, he has written various books about economics- and management-related topics. He has recently published “Europa führt! Plädoyer für ein erfolgreiches Managementmodell” (“Europe shows the way! The case for a superior management model”). This book, published in February 2011 as a part of the rethink:CEO-series, deals with the “Erfolgsmodell Europa” (Success-story Europe
). In Schwenker’s eyes, this European management approach based on consistency, local strengths, global cooperations and social as well as sustainable orientation is the successful counterpart to the American leadership-style.
List of publications by Burkhard Schwenker:
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) is a German business consultant. Since August 2010, he has been the head of the supervisory board of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants is a global strategy consulting firm headquartered in Munich, with 43 offices in 31 countries. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants was founded in 1967 by Prof. Roland Berger...
after he had served as the CEO of the company. In September 2010, he was additionally appointed the head of the Roland Berger foundation.
His life
Burkhard Schwenker studied MathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Bielefeld. He started his professional career as the assistant to the board of management at PWA Papierwerke Waldhof-Aschaffenburg AG. In 1985, he became a member of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and, after having successfully completed his PhD in Economics, he established and expanded the company’s office in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
In 1992, Schwenker was appointed a partner at Roland Berger’s and, in 1994, took over the management of the Center of Excellence in Corporate Development. He was the leader in the 1998 negotiations about the management buyout of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants between Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
and the partners of the company. In 2003, Schwenker was appointed the head of the Executive Committee of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, this appointment being renewed for another term by the partners in 2006. The Leipzig Graduate School of Management awarded him the honorary professorship in 2008. Together with Torsten Wulf, Burkhard Schwenker has been the Academic Director of the school’s Center for Scenario Planning.
When he changed to the Supervisory Board
Supervisory board
A supervisory board or supervisory committee, often called board of directors, is a group of individuals chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and supervise the executive directors and CEO.Corporate governance varies...
of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in 2010, Burkhard Schwenker created a medial uproar by writing a farewell letter to the staff at the company in which he critically reflected upon his time as the company’s CEO. He was succeeded by Martin C. Wittig
Martin C. Wittig
Martin C. Wittig is the German CEO of the management consultant firm Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. He is the successor of the former CEO Burkhard Schwenker, who is now the chairman of the board. Martin Christof Wittig is married and lives with his wife and his two sons near Zurich .- Life...
.
Additionally, Schwenker is the initiator of Best of European Business
Best of European Business
Best of European Business is an annual competition by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and has been established in 2005.-Idea:The idea of Best of European Business is to award european op-companies and –managers for outstanding economical performances. European entrepreneurs as role models are...
.
Burkhard Schwenker is married and has three children. He is currently living in Hamburg.
Socio-political engagement
Next to his tasks as the head of the supervisory board at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, Burkhard Schwenker is very engaged in various initiatives and organizations. Since September 1, 2010, Burkhard Schwenker has headed the Roland Berger foundation. Each year, the foundation awards scholarships to underprivileged youth. Additionally, Schwenker supports the “Verband deutscher Unternehmerinnen (VdU)” (German branch of the international FCEM) and its key project focusing on the promotion of a stronger presence of women on supervisory boards. He is also a member of the advisory board of the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Finanz- und Haushaltspolitik e.V.” (German Association for financial and budgetary policy). This associationVoluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
focuses on furthering the education of the German society in terms of financial politics. At the “enable2start”-award initiated as an award for innovative start-up companies by Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
Deutschland, Burkhard Schwenker was a member of the jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
. He is also one of the trustees of berufundfamilie GmbH, an initiative of the non-profit Hertie-foundation, as well as of Wertekommission e.V.
European engagement
As a European manager, ProfessorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Schwenker is much consulted expert on economics in national and international media. Besides his publications about professional fields such as strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
, organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
and change management
Change management
Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment....
, Burkhard Schwenker can also be seen as a promoter of a European-wide, value-oriented and sustainable approach to management. As the head of the supervisory board at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants – the only globally active consultancy rooted in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
- Schwenker has stood up for a more self-confident Europe for years in his role as the initiator and jury-member of “Best of European Business”. This award acknowledges European businesses and rewards their excellent economic success.
In addition, Burkhard Schwenker acts as council for the Roland Berger Foundation for European business management and as vice-chairman of Atlantik-Brücke e.V., an organization promoting good relations between the United States of America and Germany. He also writes about and discusses European topics as a guest-author of various Business Magazines.
Publications (extract)
Burkhard Schwenker has always been very active as an authorAuthor
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and is the publisher of think: act-CONTENT by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. In this function, he has written various books about economics- and management-related topics. He has recently published “Europa führt! Plädoyer für ein erfolgreiches Managementmodell” (“Europe shows the way! The case for a superior management model”). This book, published in February 2011 as a part of the rethink:CEO-series, deals with the “Erfolgsmodell Europa” (Success-story Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
). In Schwenker’s eyes, this European management approach based on consistency, local strengths, global cooperations and social as well as sustainable orientation is the successful counterpart to the American leadership-style.
List of publications by Burkhard Schwenker:
- Schwenker, B. (2011), Re:Think CEO 4. Europe takes the lead! Speaking up for a successful management approach (abstract; in German), original title: Europa führt! Plädoyer für ein erfolgreiches Managementmodell; Cologne: BrunoMedia; ISBN 978-3-9814012-6-4
- Schwenker, B. (2009), Management between strategy and finance: the four seasons of business; Berlin / Heidelberg: Springer; ISBN 978-3-540-85274-2
- Schwenker, B. (2008), Re:Think CEO 1. Thinking strategy – leading with courage (abstract; in German), original title: Re:Think CEO 1. Strategisch denken - Mutiger führen; Cologne: BrunoMedia; ISBN 978-3981150667
- Schwenker, B. / Spremann, K. (2007), Management between strategy and finance: the four seasons of business (abstract; in German), original title: Unternehmerisches Denken zwischen Strategie und Finanzen: Die vier Jahreszeiten der Unternehmung; Berlin: Springer; ISBN 978-3540759508.
- Schwenker, B. / Bötzel, S. (2006), On the road to growth: gaining success through expansion and increased efficiency (abstract; in German), original title: Auf Wachstumskurs: Erfolg durch Expansion und Effizienzsteigerung; Berlin / Heidelberg / New York: Springer; ISBN 978-3-540-26755-3
- Schwenker, B. (1989), Competitive service providers: market dynamics and strategic development guidelines (abstract; in German), original title: Dienstleistungsunternehmen im Wettbewerb: Marktdynamik und strategische Entwicklungslinien; Wiesbaden: Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag;