WHU Bids Farewell to Professor Michael Frenkel on His Retirement

On May 31, 2025, Professor Michael Frenkel, who has been a pillar of the community at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management for over three decades, will officially retire. The economist had a decisive influence over the school and is largely to thank for its continued success both at home and abroad. WHU would like to express its gratitude to Professor Frenkel, now Professor Emeritus Frenkel, for his outstanding commitment to the school.

“With the retirement of Professor Frenkel, we are saying goodbye to a thought leader, networker, and academic bridge builder. Generations of students have benefited from his expertise, his support, and his tireless commitment to academic excellence, both as a professor and during his time as dean,”  says Professor Christian Andres, Dean of WHU. “Professor Frenkel enjoyed great recognition at WHU, not least because he always treated staff, students, faculty colleagues, and alumni with warmth and understanding.” 

“The ways we all came into contact was always important to me. How we got along, our personal interactions, and even just our ‘water cooler talk.’ It’s important to address problems openly and support each other constructively,” says Professor Frenkel. “From my point of view, that’s what defines our WHU spirit. My credo has always been ‘if you want to lead, you have to serve.’ I wanted to pass that onto others.”

Born in 1954, Professor Frenkel first completed an apprenticeship in banking before studying economics at the University of Mainz. After completing his doctorate, the Offenbach native worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C. Following his habilitation in Mainz, he began his time as Chair of Macroeconomics and International Economics at WHU—one of Germany’s first private business schools—in 1993. Professor Frenkel’s research in international financial markets, as well as in monetary and economic policy, enjoys worldwide recognition and has been highlighted in several publications. He has regularly worked as a consultant to major international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Commission, and the World Economic Forum.

Professor Frenkel had a decisive influence over WHU once Professor Emeritus Jürgen Weber appointed him dean in 1996, a role he served until 1998 and then a second time between 2005 and 2014. He helped drive forward the university’s strategic development and make the school the most international it had ever been up until that time, working consistently on expanding WHU’s network of partner universities abroad. Under his leadership, WHU achieved key milestones, including international accreditations by EQUIS and AACSB, the school’s debut in the Financial Times rankings, the expansion of the range of studying programs offered at the school (such as its MBA programs), and the establishment of a second campus in Düsseldorf. 

Apart from his time as dean, Michael Frenkel has held a variety of academic leadership roles at WHU: He was Vice Dean for International Relations for many years, a member of the Senate, and the academic leader of several initiatives and committees. He was also co-founder and director of the Center for EUropean Studies (CEUS), an initiative that promotes networking between emerging and experienced economists from around the world. The economic expert was also the academic director of Forum WHU, helping to establish one of the largest student-organized economics conferences in Germany. During his time at WHU, Professor Frenkel supervised 25 doctoral students, four of whom eventually became professors themselves.