22 September 2023

Bigger, more international, greener and more digital – inauguration ceremony for the new KLU President

During yesterday’s inauguration ceremony for Prof. Andreas Kaplan as the new President of Kühne Logistics University (KLU), Katharina Fegebank, Hamburg’s Second Mayor and Senator for Science, applauded KLU’s successful evolution from a “university start-up” in 2010 to a university internationally recognized for the quality of its education and research. In terms of the agenda, the ceremony on September 21, 2023 addressed the question of how research and education could make the logistics sector more sustainable. Prof. Kaplan vowed to pursue this goal, while also claiming that managers needed a more in-depth understanding of supply chains – an “operations mindset.”

Portrait photo of Andreas Kaplan in front of the golden egg

“I’m very pleased that KLU has succeeded in hiring Professor Andreas Kaplan as its new President. As a prominent expert on Europe’s diverse academic landscape, he’s a valued addition to the scientific hub Hamburg”, said Hamburg’s Second Mayor Katharina Fegebank in her address before ca. 270 invited guests, university researchers and staff at the KLU Campus in Hamburg’s HafenCity. “Thanks to his experience in international university management and digital transformation research, here at KLU he will strengthen key competencies that are essential to innovativeness and international competitiveness. A European leader and a Hamburg-based university with an international focus and prestige have now come together. Welcome and all the best for your start here in Hamburg!”, she added.

Portrait photo of a man in a dark blue suit — Executive Director of the Board of Trustees of the Kühne Foundation and Chairman of the KLU Supervisory Board

And what does the future hold? “We want our KLU to become bigger, more international, greener and more digital,” said Dr. Jörg Dräger, Executive Director of the Board of Trustees of the Kühne Foundation and Chairman of the KLU Supervisory Board. The Foundation will provide the means for doubling the size of the student body in Hamburg, opening international satellite campuses, establishing a start-up center for green logistics, and expanding KLU’s digital expertise. “KLU is now ready for the next stage of its evolution. With Prof. Andreas Kaplan, we’ve found the right President to guide it on the road forward.”

Changemakers with an “operations mindset”

Prof. Andreas Kaplan underscored the importance of logistics for doing business more sustainably and responsibly. More than 10 percent of global greenhouse gases stem from the transport sector and supply chains. “If you have a grasp of supply chains and supply chain management that is equally academic and practice-oriented, you can be a changemaker in any industry or sector. KLU supports this type of ‘operations mindset.’ We prepare tomorrow’s decision-makers, who bring with them the tools needed to face the great challenges of our time – above all, sustainability. What’s new? Our focus will become even more international. Further, digitalization and start-ups will also play a bigger part than in the past.”

Research on the CO2 balance, which isn’t going away (even for universities)

At the event, logistics experts from academia and business – and all of them part of the KLU community – discussed how to achieve the sustainable transformation of logistics and supply chains. In the process, the university perspective moved beyond its perhaps all-too-comfortable role as an observer. “The path to a smaller and smaller CO2 footprint is one that we universities will also have to take,” said Prof. Kaplan.

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