Founder of the WEF, Klaus Schwab joins the GSEM
Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, joins the UNIGE as President of the Advisory Board of the GSEM.
Klaus Schwab, newly appointed President of the Advisory Board of the GSEM. (DR)
Founder of the Word Economic Forum (WEF) of Davos in 1971, Klaus Schwab has also been a Professor of Business Policy at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) from 1972 until 2003. He joins today the UNIGE Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) where he has been appointed President of the School’s Advisory Board. The Board provides the Dean’s Team with strategic advice and other support concerning the School’s future development.
“As Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Professor Klaus Schwab has helped shape business and policy discussions at the global level for several decades. As a Professor of Business Policy in our School, he has inspired several generations of students to become not only better managers, but also more responsible business leaders. His unparalleled knowledge, experience, and vision will contribute greatly to our School’s global positioning”, says Marcelo Olarreaga, Dean of the GSEM.
Professor Klaus Schwab remarks: “I am very honoured to again serve the institution which was a substantial part of my life for nearly 30 years. Not only will the Fourth Industrial Revolution fundamentally change business models, economies, and societies, but also universities. The establishment of the Advisory Board of the GSEM will help ensure that the Faculty remains at the forefront in this world, which will require new leadership capabilities.”
Close links with the UNIGE
Professor Klaus Schwab was born in Ravensburg, Germany in 1938. He is Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. An engineer and economist by training, Professor Schwab holds doctorates in Economics (summa cum laude) from the University of Fribourg, in Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. From 1972 to 2003, he was a Professor of Business Policy at the UNIGE. He holds 17 honorary doctorates, and national medals of honor, including the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun of Japan, the Grand Cross with Star of the National Order of Germany, and is a Knight of the Légion d’Honneur of France. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II – Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG).
The Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) is the result of the merger between the departments of Economics and Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC Genève) of the UNIGE. The GSEM welcomes over 2,000 students and positions itself in the areas of governance, business analytics/digitalization, and sustainability. The GSEM is a member of AACSB, EFMD, and the United Nations’ PRME Initiative.