Claudia von Schuttenbach Appointed New Managing Director of ZEW Mannheim
Personnel
The Supervisory Board of the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim is pleased to announce the appointment of Claudia von Schuttenbach as the institute’s new managing director. Ms. von Schuttenbach will assume her role on 1 March 2024, succeeding Thomas Kohl, who will be retiring. Kohl has devoted over 31 years to various roles at ZEW, serving as the managing director since 2004 and co-leading the institute with Professor Achim Wambach since 2016.
Dr. Hans J. Reiter, chairman of the Supervisory Board, comments, “I am delighted that we have successfully recruited Claudia von Schuttenbach to join ZEW. With her operational leadership experience, she possesses the qualities required to further develop ZEW within the dynamic research and business environment of Germany and Europe. Claudia von Schuttenbach is ideally suited to meet the challenges facing the institute.”
ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach says: “With Claudia von Schuttenbach, we have found an excellent candidate with substantial experience in academic management to succeed Thomas Kohl. I am very much looking forward to our collaboration.”
About Claudia von Schuttenbach
Claudia von Schuttenbach comes to ZEW from Hochschule Mannheim – University of Applied Sciences, where she served as chancellor since 2017. Working alongside the collegiate rectorate under the leadership of the rector, she oversaw the university and supervised over 380 employees. Her main areas of focus included finance, personnel, legal affairs, and construction. She collaborated closely with various academic institutions and authorities and actively participated in statewide working groups addressing leadership topics, bureaucracy reduction, and digitalisation of administration. Ms. von Schuttenbach was the founding chancellor of a widely recognised university-wide internal audit initiative aimed at making compliance requirements viable within the organisation.
She holds a degree in English with an economic qualification from the University of Mannheim and the University of Lodz, and she completed postgraduate studies in public administration at the German University of Administrative Sciences in Speyer. From 2005 to 2011, she worked at the University of Mannheim’s Business School. In 2011, Claudia von Schuttenbach transitioned to the role of head of student affairs and university marketing at Hochschule Worms – University of Applied Sciences, where she served as deputy chancellor from 2014 to 2017.
About Thomas Kohl
Thomas Kohl is actively involved in various national and international working groups, advisory boards, and committees. He serves as a guest professor at the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing, and the Shandong University of Finance and Economics (SDUFE) in Jinan. Additionally, he is a member of the board of trustees for the Hector Stiftung and various appointment and selection committees, including for the “Future World of Work” research award from Volksbank Kurpfalz Foundation and ZEW. Thomas Kohl is also active in several committees within the Leibniz Association, such as the Programme Advisory Board for the Leibniz Leadership Academy, the Spokespersons’ Council, and the Administrative Committee. He initiated and is one of the four founding directors of the Leibniz ScienceCampi “Mannheim Centre for Competition and Innovation” and “MannheimTaxation”.
Thomas Kohl has worked with all the scientific directors at ZEW: from 1991 to 1997 with Professor Heinz König, from 1997 to 2013 with Professor Wolfgang Franz, from 2013 to 2016 with Professor Clemens Fuest, and since 2016 with Professor Achim Wambach.
