WHU Appoints Two Distinguished Experts as Senior Fellows

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is pleased to welcome two highly respected leaders as newly appointed Senior Fellows: Dr. Bernhard Günther and Dr. Michael Ilgner. Both are renowned for their deep professional competence and strategic perspective and will enrich the school with their extensive experience.

Dr. Bernhard Günther was nominated for the honorary position by the Institute of Management Accounting & Control (IMC) following many years of close collaboration; Dr. Michael Ilgner was proposed by the Center for Sports and Management. In both cases, the WHU Core Leadership Team and the Senate approved the nominations unanimously.

Only a select group of individuals has previously received the WHU Senior Fellowship: Dr. Peter Görlich, Matthias Hartmann, Jan-Caspar Hoffmann, Dr. Ralph Müller, and Dr. Marco Vietor.

Dr. Bernhard Günther

Dr. Bernhard Günther is regarded as one of Europe’s leading experts in finance and transformation within the energy sector. After studying economics in Oxford and St. Gallen and completing his doctoral studies in Switzerland, he began his career at McKinsey before moving to RWE and innogy, where he spent nearly two decades in various Finance roles up to CFO as well as shaping major transformations. His responsibilities included large-scale restructurings, mergers, and the IPO of innogy SE in 2016. He later held senior roles at the Finnish energy company Fortum, most recently as Chief Transformation Officer, and served in additional roles, including a position on the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp. Most recently, he was appointed CEO of BWI GmbH, the digital service provider of the Bundeswehr. Dr. Günther has been closely connected to WHU for many years, serving as a guest lecturer, a long-standing participant in the Center for Controlling & Management Round Table, and a member of the IMC Executive Advisory Board, providing particularly valuable expertise in transformation, financial steering, and governance.

Dr. Michael Ilgner

Dr. Michael Ilgner has achieved an exceptional dual career as both an elite athlete and an international executive. A doctoral-level engineer, he competed in the Olympic Games and captained the German national water polo team before applying his insights on high-performance teams to leadership positions—including roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, as the long-time CEO of Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe, and later as Global Head of HR and General Representative in the Management Board of Deutsche Bank. With the founding of the One May Group in 2023, he now advises companies on transformation, leadership, and high performance culture, acts as investor and serves on several supervisory bodies and academic settings.

WHU has worked closely with Dr. Ilgner for more than a decade through numerous joint initiatives with the Center for Sports and Management. He has supported athletes transitioning into business careers—for example, through a joint Part-time MBA scholarship offered by Deutsche Sporthilfe and WHU—and he contributed to several research projects. His international network and his profile at the intersection of leadership, change, and values promise valuable new perspectives for WHU. His new book „Erfolg = Talent x Training x Mindset: Entscheiden, führen und gewinnen mit den Erfolgsfaktoren des Spitzensports“ will be published May, 2026.