17 January 2019. In accordance with the University Statutes, the President and the Vice-Presidents of the University of St.Gallen are appointed from among the full professors. The appointment is made by the University’s Board of Governors upon application by the Senate and must be approved by the Government. Like all academic organs, the members of the President’s Board are appointed for a term of office of two years.

Thanks to Ulrike Landfester for her great dedication

Vice-President Ulrike Landfester’s term of office will end on 31 January 2019. She announced as early as two years ago that she would want to step down after eight years in office. In her term of office she effectively expanded the HSG’s international networks and made a crucial contribution towards the development of the HSG institutes in Singapore and São Paulo. At the same time, she systematised the HSG’s relations with the region and established infrastructures and a contact office for this purpose. Since the reorganisation of the HSG’s Administration, she has headed the largest academic executive, the Vice-President’s Board of External Relations, and has doubled as the President’s deputy in the last four years. The HSG would like to thank her for her great dedication and is looking forward to her further work in teaching and research at the University of St.Gallen.

Peter Leibfried and Ulrich Schmid appointed

Prof. Dr. Peter Leibfried and Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schmid have been appointed for a shortened term of office from 1 February 2019 to 31 January 2020 since the next regular term of office with a new President will start on 1 February 2020. Ulrich Schmid will become Vice-President of External Relations and thus succeed Prof. Dr. Ulrike Landfester.

With Peter Leibfried, the President’s Board will be reinforced with a fourth Vice-President, who – as is also customary at other universities at home and abroad – is intended to be involved in planning and development and act as the contact point for the institutes. As a specialist in accounting and auditing, Peter Leibfried will also deal with the issues of compliance and the internal controlling system (IKS).

The newly configured President’s Board will become operational on 1 February 2019.

Peter Leibfried

Peter Leibfried studied economic sciences and obtained the degree of a Diplom-Ökonom from the University pf Hohenheim in 1996. In 2002, he was awarded a Doctor’s degree from the University of St.Gallen. He was Professor of Audit und Accounting at the University of St.Gallen from 2005, and was promoted to full professor on 1 January 2011.

For the term of office from 1 February 2015 to 31 January 2017, Prof. Dr. Peter Leibfried was Dean of the School of Management (SoM-HSG). Since l January 2006, he has been a Director of the Institute of Accounting, Controlling and Auditing (ACA-HSG), with ten years as Managing Director. He has been the Academic Director of the Master’s programme in Accounting and Finance (MAccFin) since February 2012.

Ulrich Schmid

Ulrich Schmid studied literature and political science at the University of Zurich, where he graduated in 1991. In 1995, he obtained a Doctor’s degree from the University of Basel, where he was habilitated in 1999. He was appointed Full Professor of Slavic Literatures at Ruhr-Universität Bochum in 2005 and has been Professor of Russian Culture and Society at the University of St.Gallen since 2007. He is a permanent contributor to the culture section of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

From 2010 to 2014, he was Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS-HSG). Subsequently he carried out the reform of Contextual Studies in co-leadership with Prof. Dr. Caspar Hirschi.