Karolin Frankenberger

Since April 1, 2018, Prof. Dr. Karolin Frankenberger has been a Full Professor at the Institute of Management & Strategy focusing on strategy and innovation.  She is also Academic Director of the Executive MBA at the Executive School of Management, Technology and Law at the University of St.Gallen (ES-HSG). Mrs. Frankenberger received her diploma in business administration from the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in 2000. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of St.Gallen in 2004.  The topic of her thesis was: «The role of the social context in strategy-making», supervised by Prof. Dr. Günter Müller-Stewens and Prof. Dr. Andreas Herrmann. During her doctoral studies, she was a visiting PhD student at Harvard Business School and the University of Connecticut. After completing her PhD, she started working in consulting for McKinsey & Company worldwide for almost seven years.  In 2011, she returned to the Institute of Technology Management at the University of St.Gallen as a post-doc researcher.  She was named Assistant Professor of the Institute in 2014. During this time, she was also Director of the Competence Center Business Model Innovation, which blossomed globally under her supervision.   From 2016 to 2018, she was Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Lucerne.

Research Focus Business Model Innovation, (Digital) Business Transformation, Circular Economy and Ecosystems

Prof. Frankenberger’s research focus includes business model innovation, (digital) business transformation and circular economy and ecosystems. She spends time researching how businesses can develop and implement new business models to remain competitive in the market.  Her focus is also on the topic of sustainable business models. Mrs. Frankenberger’s experience includes many publication activities, both academically and related to practice. Her articles in the «Academy of Management Journal» and her published books are particular highlights.  Her book «The Business Model Navigator: 55 Models That Will Revolutionize Your Business» was translated in multiple languages and is known worldwide as a standard reference for business model innovation literature. She regularly attends international conferences or in-house management events as a keynote speaker.

Broad experience in teaching and executive education

Karolin Frankenberger has a tremendous amount of experience in education. For many years, she has been teaching on the topic interface of strategy and innovation in the Bachelor, Master and Executive programs at the University of St.Gallen, the University of Lucerne and the University of Zurich, and continues to receive excellent feedback from her students.  She experimented with various teaching methods in order to meet the particularly high requirements of executive education.  She authored four case studies and a business model kit for educational purposes.  She is also an experienced provider of in-house continuing education courses.