Day Event
KLU Campus in Hamburg
No costs, but registration is mandatory
Registration closes
English
KLU Students
Engage directly with visionary leaders and high-caliber industry representatives
Through expert-led workshops and stimulating case study competitions, you'll gain invaluable insights and fresh perspectives on complex financial topics. The summit offers a unique platform for intellectual exchange and personal growth.
Enrich your academic journey
Complementing your KLU curriculum, this event is a unique opportunity to enrich your academic journey and connect with professionals and peers. Don't miss this chance to broaden your knowledge and explore the future of finance. Participation is limited to 100 KLU students – register now to secure your place!
Purpose
The Finance Summit is intended as a specialist conference with workshop character on current developments/trends in the banking and finance sector for KLU students. It provides a platform to engage with selected high-level/high-caliber industry experts, supported by KLU and external faculty with an expertise in the different fields.
The Finance Summit aims to complement the existing curriculum of KLU on finance topics and to address repeatedly articulated wishes of the KLU student body for more finance-related input.
The Finance Summit naturally also has a networking character and is intended to promote professional and personal exchange between guest speakers and participating students, regardless of the outcome. It is not primarily designed as a recruitment event, but obviously students can use the summit to get in touch with top executives in the field of finance.
Participation in the event is limited to KLU students. In principle, students from all KLU programs and semesters may participate in the summit. However, the maximum number of participants is limited to 100 because of its workshop character and will be managed through an internal named registration procedure.
The summit is planned as a day-long event with a central opening and closing session for all participants, four subgroup workshops including four case study competitions, and a concluding informal get-together on the KLU campus.
Agenda
Block | Time / Room | Topic | Who? | Details |
I | 08:30 -9:00 - Foyer
09.00 – 09.15 - Golden Egg | Registration + Coffee + Snacks
Introduction | All
Prof. Himme | Check In - get your Name Tags
Welcome; introduction to the day, explanation of goals and (student) expectations according to KLU's preliminary query; presentation/welcome of the participants and transition to the keynote speaker |
II | 09.15 – 10.00 – Golden Egg | Keynote (30) + Q&A (15) | Sabine Schmittroth (Q&A moderated by Prof. Himme) | Keynote tbd (e.g., major trends in finance & banking; her view as former board member) |
III | 10.00 – 10.15 - Golden Egg | Overview Workshops | Participants together with Prof. Himme | Transition to the four expert workshops including presentation of expert teams |
IV | 10.15 – 10.30 - Foyer | Coffee Break | All | At the end of the coffee break students need to split up into the four different workshop groups (based on preregistration) |
V | 10.30 – 11.30 - Rooms Ground Floor and 1st Floor | Intro to workshop topics and case challenge | Experts + Faculty | Expert presentations on trends, challenges, and opportunities regarding the workshop topic; introduction of the case challenge; Q&A |
VI | 11.30 – 12.30 - Breakout Rooms | Start of Case Challenge Work | Experts + Faculty | Formation of small subgroups (e.g., 5 students per group); students make themselves familiar with the case challenge materials |
VII | 12.30 – 13.30 - Foyer | Lunch Break | All | -- |
VIII | 13.30 – 15.30 - Breakout Rooms | Continuation and Completion of Case Challenge Work | Experts + Faculty | Guided by experts and faculty students work on potential solutions and prepare their presentations |
IX | 15.30 – 15:45 - Foyer | Coffee Break | All | -- |
X | 15.45 – 17.00 - Rooms Ground Floor and 1st Floor | Results presentations within the workshop + jury decision | Experts + Faculty | Student groups present/pitch their solutions to the workshop jury; questions by jury; strong time management needed (also depends on number of groups); the jury will then select the best presentation. |
XI | 17.15 – 18.30 - Golden Egg | General Closing Assembly in the Auditorium | Student groups (moderated by Prof. Himme) | Announcement and presentation of the winning teams from each workshop; award ceremony & outro |
XII | 18.30 – 20.30 | Get-Together | All | Conclusion: Food & Drinks & Networking on the KLU Campus |
Speakers & Facilitators
Prof. Dr. Christian Barrot
Prof. Dr. Christian Barrot is Professor of Marketing and Innovation at Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Prof. Barrot's research interests include topics such as the diffusion of innovations, innovation management, marketing and entrepreneurship, social networks, customer relationship management and electronic business. He studied business administration at the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel and the Norwegian School of Management (BI) in Oslo. After his doctorate and habilitation at the CAU and research stays at Penn State University and Columbia Business School.
Elisa Fischer
Elisa Fischer is a fintech executive with more than a decade of experience at Raisin, where she leads bank onboarding and strategic partner management across international markets, with a focus on complex, regulated partnerships. She has held multiple leadership roles spanning sales, business development, product management and key account management, and has played a key role in scaling Raisin into a leading European fintech. Prior to Raisin, she worked in management consulting at BCG. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Alexander Himme
Prof. Dr. Alexander Himme is Dean of Programs and Associate Professor of Management Accounting at Kühne Logistics University (KLU). Prof. Himme specializes in performance measurement, intangibles valuation, marketing accounting, and cost management. His research explores the influence of intangibles like brands and customer equity on accounting metrics such as the cost of capital. He holds a PhD in Management Accounting and Marketing from the University of Kiel, where he also earned his Diploma in Business Administration. Before joining KLU in 2015, he worked at Vlerick Business School, and as a Post-Doc at the Universities of Cologne and Passau. He also spent a year as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and UCLA.
Maximilian Jolk
Maximilian Jolk brings more than 12 years of professional experience in capital markets, fund management, selection, and stock picking expertise. At private banks and Landesbank, his responsibilities include, among other things, strategic and tactical asset allocation, the development and refinement of professional investment process, and a focus on strategy, performance, and added value for both the client and the bank.
Dr. Christoph Klink
Partner at Antler
Christoph Klink is a leading early-stage investor, backing founders from inception to scale. With more than 100 investments and a background as a McKinsey Partner, he works with founders across technologies and verticals, including AI, resilience, mobility, deeptech, fintech and health. He holds a PhD in Business Administration from Technical University Munich as well as a Master of Management from ESADE, Barcelona.
Jan-Frederik Konerding
Partner
Regulatory Advisory l Sustainability Reporting & Governance
KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Jan-Frederik Konerding is responsible for advising on external reporting and ESG issues. He is ESG Lead for family businesses and family-owned businesses in the EMA region, as well as for the logistics and infrastructure sector.
Kathrin Maurer
Senior Management at Ellwanger & Geiger
Kathrin Maurer is a marketing & business development leader with over 20 years in global finance, retail, automotive and luxury. She focuses on bridging marketing and sales through demand generation and multi-channel content strategies for high-net-worth client acquisition. Kathrin is holding an Executive MBA (Kellogg/WHU) and a diploma of the University of Bayreuth.
Sabine Schmittroth
Sabine Schmittroth is the former member of the Executive Board of Commerzbank AG. She currently serves on the supervisory boards of VW Financial Services, Deka Vermögensmanagement GmbH and Agaplesion gAG. In addition, she is a member of the advisory board at Digital8. She is the Managing Partner of sajos GmbH, where she focuses on leadership and strategy consulting. Alongside her corporate roles, she also works as a trainer in adult education and health sports.
Prof. Dr. Henning Schröder
Professorship of Business Administration, in particular Entrepreneurial Finance at Leuphana University Lüneburg. The professorship deals with issues at the various interfaces between the areas of Entrepreneurial Finance and Corporate Finance as well as Sustainable Finance and Corporate Strategy.
Event Organisation
Associate Professor of Management Accounting & Dean of Programs
Kühne Logistics University - KLU
