Prof. Dr.
Christoph Lechner
Professor of Strategic Management
Christoph Lechner is a Chaired Professor of Strategic Management at the University of St.Gallen. He serves as Director of the Institute of Management & Strategy (IfB-HSG), Director of the Center for Geopolitics & Corporate Strategy, and Academic Director of the Master in General Management (MGM).
In addition to his academic roles, he is active as a Private Equity Investor at Opaliton LLC (specializing in mature firms), Senior Advisor to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Member of the Advisory Board of TTE Strategy. Previously, he served as Board Member of Helvetia (insurance, Swiss Stock Exchange), Vice Chairman of Hügli (food, Swiss Stock Exchange), and Co-Founder and Chairman of SwissVBS (digital learning solutions). As an international strategy advisor, he works with executives around the world on strategic management challenges.
Leading Competence Centers
Prof. Dr. Christoph Lechner is a Chaired Professor of Strategic Management at the University of St.Gallen. He serves as Director of the Institute of Management & Strategy (IFB-HSG), Director of the Center for Geopolitics & Corporate Strategy, and Academic Director of the Master in General Management (MGM). In addition, he is active as a Private Equity Investor at Opaliton LLC (specializing in mature firms), Senior Advisor to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Member of the Advisory Board of TTE Strategy.
Previously, Christoph Lechner served as Board Member of Helvetia (insurance, Swiss Stock Exchange) from 2007 to 2022, Vice Chairman of Hügli (food, Swiss Stock Exchange) from 2000 until its acquisition by the Bell/Coop Group in 2018, and Co-Founder and Chairman of SwissVBS (digital learning solutions), which was acquired by BTS Global Business Consulting (Sweden) in 2019.
He began his professional career with Deutsche Bank, completing its apprenticeship program before working in Corporate Banking and Investment Banking in Germany and Singapore. As an international strategy advisor, he has advised and educated executives from leading organizations including ABB, Allianz, Altana, Clariant, Deutsche Bank, Danaher, Danone, Daimler, Eni, Festo, Fresenius, Givaudan, Munich Re, Novartis, Oracle, PwC, Richemont, SAP, Banco Santander, Siemens, Swiss Life, Tata, UBS, Zurich Insurance, and Volkswagen on strategic management challenges.
His current research focuses on geopolitics & corporate strategy, digital platforms & ecosystems, growth strategies, and corporate strategy. His work has received several prestigious awards, including the Sumantra Ghoshal Research and Practice Award of the Academy of Management, the Best Conference Paper Award of the Strategic Management Society, and the Best German Book Award of the VHB Society. He has published extensively in leading academic journals, including the Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Long Range Planning, Journal of Management, and Strategy Science, as well as in practitioner-oriented publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Manager, MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Financial Times.
During his academic career, he received faculty offers from Bocconi (Italy), EM Lyon (France), the University of Mannheim (Germany), and ESMT Berlin (Germany). He has also served as Guest and Adjunct Professor at the Wharton Business School (USA), the University of Connecticut (USA), IAE Business School (Argentina), and the University of California (USA).
Education
Year |
Degree |
Institution |
| 1999-2004 | Habilitation in Strategic Management | University of St.Gallen, Switzerland |
| 1995-1999 | Ph.D. in Strategic Management | University of St.Gallen, Switzerland |
| 1989-1995 | Business administration degree (MBA) | University of Augsburg, Germany |
| 1992-1993 | Master of Arts in Economics | Wayne State University, USA |
| 1987-1989 | “Qualified Banker” | Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Augsburg, Germany |
| 1977-1986 | Secondary Education | Grammar School, St. Stephan, Augsburg, Germany |
Academic Employment
Year |
Position |
University |
| 2004–today | Chaired Professor of Strategic Management & Director at the IOMS-HSG | University of St. Gallen, Switzerland |
| 2003–today | Professor of Strategic Management | Bocconi University, Italy; EM Lyon (France); ESMT (Germany) and University of Mannheim (Germany) |
| 2019 | Guest Professor | Paul Merage School of Business, University of California Irvine, USA |
| 2009 | Guest Professor | IAE Business School, Austral University, Argentina |
| 2003 | Guest Professor | The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA |
| 2002 | Guest Professor | School of Business, University of Connecticut, USA |
| 1998-2002 | Senior Lecturer of Strategic Management | University of St. Gallen, Switzerland |
| 1995-1998 | Research Assistant | Institute of Management & Strategy, University of St.Gallen, Switzerland |
Non-Academic Employment
Year |
Position |
| 2006-today | Member of the Board of Directors of Helvetia (insurance), listed at Swiss Stock Exchange |
| 2001-2019 | Vice Chairman of Hügli (food), listed at Swiss Stock Exchange – sold to Bell Food in 2019 |
| 2001-2019 | Founding partner of Swiss VBS (digital visualization), Toronto/ Canada (sold in 2019 to Swedish BTS Group) |
| 1987-1995 | Various Positions at Deutsche Bank Group: Vocational Program, Corporate Banking, Assistant of Managing Director (Germany); Corporate Finance (Singapore) |
| 1986-1987 | Military Service (Mandatory), Music Corps 10, French Horn Player, Germany |
Professional Positions (University)
Year |
Position |
University |
| 2020–today | Member of the Supervisory Board | Institute of Business Informatics, University of St.Gallen |
| 2016–today | Academic Director of the “Master of Business Management” program | University of St.Gallen, Switzerland |
| 2007–today | Member of the Supervisory Board | Institute for Insurance Economics (I.VW), University of St.Gallen, Switzerland |
| 2004–today | Member of the Assembly of the School of Management and Senate | University of St.Gallen, Switzerland |
Awards
Year |
Award |
Awarding organization |
| 2021 | Finalist for the Best Conference Paper Award (together with Maximilian Dexheimer): How to stand out from the Crowd: Detecting Patterns in App Endorsements on the App-Store | Strategic Management Society |
| 2020 | Finalist for the “Managerial Practice Award” with the title: “Resolving the paradox of interdependency and strategic renewal in activity systems”, together with Daniel Albert & Markus Kreutzer | Academy of Management Review |
| 2010 | Best Lecturer Award, MBA Program | University of St. Gallen, Switzerland |
| 2008 | Best Lecturer Award, MBA Program | University of St. Gallen, Switzerland |
| 2006 | Winner of the Sumantra Ghoshal Research and Practice Award of the Business Policy and Strategy Division | Academy of Management |
| 2006 | Distinguished Paper Award of the Business Policy and Strategy Division | Academy of Management |
| 2005 | Winner of the SMS Best Conference Paper Award, International Conference | Strategic Management Society |
| 2004 | Finalist for the SMS Best Conference Paper Award, International Conference | Strategic Management Society |
| 2001 | ‘Best German Business Book’ for the book: “Strategisches Management: Wie Strategische Initiativen zum Wandel führen” | CapGemini Ernst&Young Award |
| 1999 | Winner of the Dr. Peter-Werhahn-Price for Outstanding Achievements in Business Administration and Philosophy of Science | University of St.Gallen, Switzerland |
| 1992-1993 | German Academic Exchange Service scholarship, Master in Economics | DAAD, USA |
Teaching on Bachelor, Master and PhD level
Year |
Course |
Degree |
| 2022 | Alliances, Digital Platforms & Ecosystems (Master in General Management) | Master |
| 2017–today | Strategic Management | Bachelor |
| 2006–today | Theoretical Perspectives in Strategy & Management | PhD |
| 1999-2010 | Managing Professional Service Firms | Master |
| 1999-2009 | Strategy Process Research | PhD |
| 2005-2009 | Alliance and Network Strategy | Master |
| 2001-2002 | Topics in Strategy | Master |
| 2001-2002 | Perspectives on Organizations | Master |
| 2001-2002 | Corporate Strategy | Master |
| 1999-2001 | Cases and Excercises in Business Administration | Bachelor |
| 1999-2001 | Organizational Capabilities & Resource-based-view of Strategy | Bachelor |
Teaching on the Executive Education Level
Year |
Course |
Degree |
| 1997–today | Lecturer of selected topics in strategic management | Public program |
| 1997-2019 | Strategic Management | Executive MBA |
| 2005-2010 | Managing Professional Service Firms | MBA |
| 1998-2007 | Co-Organizer and Speaker of the Forum on Managing Professional Service Firms | University of St.Gallen |
| 2003-2006 | Strategic Management | Global EMBA |
| 2001-2005 | Strategic Management | EMBA |
Research Grants
Year |
Sponsor and topic |
Amount of funding |
| 2019-today | Industry Consortium on Platforms and Ecosystems with Credit Suisse, Klöckner, Novartis, and Zürich Insurance | CHF 320’000 |
| 2020 | Research Fund (GFF) of University of St. Gallen for research on “Corporate Turaround Actions” | CHF 100’000 |
| 2010-2013 | Swiss National Fund (SNF), “Managing Corporate Programs” | CHF 320’863 |
| 2009-2011 | Regula & Fredy Lienhard Foundation, “Responsible Corporate Competitiveness & Responsible Leadership” | CHF 300’000 |
| 2010 | Research Fund (GFF) of the University of St. Gallen, “Activity Systems and their Renewal” | CHF 95’000 |
| 2006-2008 | Industry Consortium with 5 major European corporations, “Strategy Process Modes for Growth Initiatives” | CHF 160’000 |
| 2008 | Basic Research Fund (GFF) of the University of St. Gallen, 2008, “Exploring Corporate Programs” | CHF 40’000 |
| 2005-2006 | Industry Consortium with 4 major European corporations, “Shaping Strategy Processes” | CHF 80’000 |
Invited Research Talks
Bocconi University (Italy), Cass Business School (UK), European Business School EBS (Germany), EM Lyon (France), FU Berlin (Germany), Helsinki University of Technology (Finland), IAE Business School (Universidad Austral, Argentina), IMD (Switzerland), Irvine University (USA), Kelly School of Business (Indiana University, USA), LMU München (Germany), University Zürich (Switzerland), Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
Journal Articles
- Lechner, C., Dexheimer, M. J. (2019). Ökosysteme: Eine neue Strategie im digitalen Zeitalter?. OrganisationsEntwicklung, 3, 38-43. Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt. https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/99402
- Dexheimer, M. J., Lechner, C. (2019). Ökosystem-basierte Wettbewerbsstrategien. Die Unternehmung, 4, 308. Haupt. https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/99166
- Kunisch, S. G. T., Keil, T., Boppel, M., Lechner, C. (2019). Strategic initiative portfolios: how to manage strategic challenges better than one at a time. Business Horizons, 62/4, 529-537. Elsevier. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.03.007
- Kreutzer, M., Cardinal, L. B., Walter, J., Lechner, C. (2016). Formal and informal control as complement or substitute. Strategy Science, 1(4), 235-255. INFORMS, Catonsville, MD. https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/103657
- Walter, J., Lechner, C., Kellermanns, F. W. (2016). Learning activities, exploration and the performance of strategic activities. Journal of Management, 42(3), 769-802. Sage Publ., Thousand Oaks, CA. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206313506463
- Albert, D., Kreutzer, M., Lechner, C. (2015). Resolving the paradox of interdependency and strategic renewal in activity systems. Academy of Management Review, 40(2), 210-234. Academy of Management, Briarcliff Manor, NY. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2012.0177
Conference Papers
- Alexander Göritz, Tim Meyer, Christoph Lechner (2023). Managing Evolving Ecosystems? How Orchestrators Balance High and Low Levels of Control During Ecosystem Evolution. https://legacy.strategicmanagement.net/toronto/tools/session-details?sessionId=2729
- Dexheimer, M. J., Lechner, C. (2019). A competitive dynamics view on complementor commitment. https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/99165
Case Studies
- Christoph Lechner, Theresa Maria Seehofer, Max Steiner (2024). The Need for Professional Service Firms. University of St. Gallen, The Case Centre. https://www.thecasecentre.org/products/view?id=195300
- Seehofer, T. M., Lechner, C. (2023). Evolution of the 'HOME' Ecosystem: The Case of Helvetia. (323-0072-1). University of St. Gallen, The Case Centre. http://casecent.re/p/189989
- Theresa Maria Seehofer, Christoph Lechner, Max Steiner (2023). Clariant (D): Less is More - Becoming a Lean Organization (2020-2023). University of St. Gallen, The Case Centre. https://www.thecasecentre.org/products/view?id=193696
- Lechner, C., Dexheimer, M. J. (2020). Clariant (C): Merger Talks and New Investors (2017-2019). Case Study and Teaching Note. http://casecent.re/p/174579
- Lechner, C., Dexheimer, M. J. (2020). Clariant (B): On the Route to Profitable Growth (2011-2016). Case Study and Teaching Note. https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/112925
- Lechner, C., Dexheimer, M. J. (2020). Clariant (A): Steering Through Turbulent Waters (2008-2010). Case Study and Teaching Note. http://casecent.re/p/174577
- Reiter, T., Stonig, J., Dexheimer, M. J., Lechner, C. (2018). SHAPING A MOBILITY ECOSYSTEM: THE CASE OF CAR2GO IN CHINA. (318-0293-1). University of St. Gallen, The Case Centre. https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/products/view&&id=157209
External Activities
Year |
Activity |
| 2010 | Member of the Conference Committee: “Intersections of Strategy Processes and Strategy Practices”, Strategic Management Society, Lapland (Finland) |
| 2008-today | Member of the Editorial Board, Strategic Management Journal |
| 2008-today | Member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Management Studies |
| 2008-2013 | Affiliate of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Industries Studies Program |
| 2008-2010 | Elected Officer, Program Chair & Chairman of the Strategy Process Interest Group, Strategic Management Society |
| 2007-today | Member of the Editorial Board, Long Range Planning |
| 2006-today | Member of the Association of German Professors of Management (VHB) |
| 2005-2009 | Member of the Jury: Annual Best Conference Paper Award, Strategic Management Society |
| 2001-today | Member of the Academy of Management |
| 2001 | Member of the Conference Committee: “Strategy Process Research”, Strategic Management Society, St. Gallen (Switzerland) |
| 2000-today | Reviewer for the Swiss National Foundation (SNF) |
| 2000-2013 | Ad-hoc Reviewer for Journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Business Studies, & Reviewer for conferences such as AoM, SMS, EGOS, or VHB |
| 1998-today | Member of the Strategic Management Society |
Interviews, Articles & Media Coverage
Bayerischer Rundfunk, Bayerisches Fernsehen, Bilanz, Bloomberg, Cash TV, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Financial Times Deutschland (FT), Harvard Business Manager, Handelsblatt, Handelszeitung, Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), Radio Top (Ostschweiz), Spiegel Online, St. Galler Tagblatt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Stern (Neon), Schweizer Radio DRS & 10vor10, Wall Street Journal, etc.
Srategy Advisory (since 2005)
Such as Corporate Strategy (chemicals), Growth Strategy Asia (Private banking), Growth Initiative (food), Asset Management: global integration of 37 firms (insurance), New Business Model (retail), Reorganization (industrial machinery), Strategy-Audit of Top Management Team (banking), Entry into European Cloud computing market (high-tech), Post-Merger Integration (industry), Restructuring (food), Ecosystem Strategy (premium white goods)
Alexander Göritz
M.Sc.
PhD Candidate, Research Associate, Executive Director Competence Center Alliances, Platforms & Ecosystems
Nadine Eve Rusch-Schenker
Dr.
Senior Lecturer, Affiliated Researcher
+41 71 224 39 04
