Welcome to my website!

I hold the Chair of Corporate Finance and Asset Management at the University of Hamburg Business School (Universität Hamburg). Moreover, I am a Research Fellow at the  Cambridge Judge Business School (University of Cambridge) and the  IAE Business School (Universidad Austral). As a founding member and scientific director of the Hamburg Financial Research Center, an independent think-tank, I am committed to the exchange between academia, politics and business.

After completing my doctorate at the Swiss Institute of Banking and Finance at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), I submitted my “Habilitation” at the Centre for Economics and Business Administration (WWZ) at the University of Basel and was awarded a venia legendi in business administration. Teaching assignments have taken me to the Otto Beisheim School of Management (WHU), the University of St. Gallen, and the Bucerius Law School.

In my research on the function and organisation of capital markets, I try to combine highest academic standards with social relevance. Bridging the gap between academic theory and public debate is a particular concern of mine. I am mostly interested in the areas of corporate finance and asset management, on which I have conducted extensive research:

• In the area of corporate finance, I have worked on classical issues relating to corporate governance, investment theory, capital structure policy, dividend policy, share buybacks, private equity, venture capital, IPOs, mergers & acquisitions and risk management. In recent work, I have dealt with topics such as sustainable corporate governance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental social governance (ESG), sustainable and climate finance, cryptocurrencies and the influence of institutional investors on corporate decisions.

• In the area of asset management, central research topics such as strategic asset allocation, tactical portfolio management, return forecasts, quantitative trading strategies, return anomalies, smart beta/factor investing, manager selection and performance measurement take centre stage. In addition to traditional equity and fixed income investments, I have worked on alternative asset classes such as private equity, venture capital, hedge funds and absolute return strategies as well as commodities. In recent research projects, I have focussed on sustainable investing, impact investing, crypto funds and the use of artificial intelligence in institutional asset management.

The results of my academic research have been published in high-ranking academic journals together with many national and international co-authors.