New Junior Professorship of M&A in Small and Medium-Sized Entities at HHL

[HHL gGmbH - 15.10.2013] Dr. Alexander Lahmann is the new Junior Professor of M&A in Small and Medium-Sized Entities at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. This junior professorship is supported by Sparkasse Leipzig and Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband (Eastern German Savings Bank Association).

HHL Dean Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart says, "The new junior professorship sharpens HHL's profile in research, teaching and knowledge transfer in the increasingly significant area of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), which is very important not only for the field of finance but also for the development of companies in Germany. Therefore, it represents an important milestone in the implementation of the innovate125 HHL Future Concept which is to guide HHL into the top 10 of graduate business schools in Europe." The Dean also considers the professorship supported by Sparkasse Leipzig and Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband to be a great gain for Leipzig as an economic and innovation region as well as for the small and medium-sized entities (SMEs). "The field of M&A in small and medium-sized enterprises is of high importance for the further development of this business location. As the leading financier of SMEs in this region, we are committing ourselves along with Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband to the new professorship," emphasizes Dr. Harald Lengenfeld, Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Leipzig. His institution has been one of the largest supporters of HHL for many years. One of several joint projects is the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Chair of Macroeconomics.

The new junior professorship focuses on SMEs and their developmental prospects, especially in Germany's new federal states. It seeks to examine how the opportunities and limitations for mergers and acquisitions of companies and shareholding participation influence company development and develop methods for how to proceed best. The work deals in particular with the determinants and structures of M&A activities in the event of takeovers as well as the valuation methods applied in these cases. These topics are quite current and highly relevant for SMEs. In order to survive global competition, M&A activities will become more and more necessary for SMEs in the future.

Dr. Lahmann, 33, has worked as a post-doctoral candidate and research associate at the Chair of Financial Management at HHL in the fields of corporate valuation and corporate transactions. He received his doctoral degree summa cum laude from the first business school established in Germany in November 2012 after completing a dissertation on theoretical questions of corporate valuation. In his current research work, Dr. Lahmann examines the influence of various value drivers within the framework of M&A transactions. The new junior professorship at HHL promotes the exchange of knowledge between actual practice and academic research. The collaboration with supporters seeks to find solutions for challenges faced by SMEs regarding financial decision-making in the M&A process. Moreover, the new junior professor works closely with the Chair of Taxation at the University of Leipzig in order to gain deeper insight by combining the research areas of finance and taxation. Teaching in both the full and part-time Master programs at HHL, the new junior professor seeks to provide the students with the most up-to-date knowledge from the field of finance. In order to achieve this, he combines analytical and empirical techniques with real case studies. The courses taught by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Lahmann prepare the students for the increasing importance of financial decision-making. Further information at: www.hhl.de/ma-sme

HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management

HHL is a university-level institution and ranks amongst the leading international business schools. The goal of the oldest business school in German-speaking Europe is to educate effective, responsible and entrepreneurially-minded leaders. In addition to HHL's international focus, the combination of theory and practice plays a key role. HHL stands out for its excellent teaching, its clear research focus, its effective knowledge transfer into practice as well as its outstanding student services. www.hhl.de

The innovate125 Future Concept of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management

HHL responds to the new challenges of leadership in the 21st century through its innovate125 Future Concept, keeping in tune with a holistic approach and expanding the dimensions of effectiveness and responsibility, aided by the perspective of innovation. Based on the vision of a new "Leipzig Leadership Model" HHL wants to contribute to the trend reversal and fight for more rigor and relevance in business administration, following the great tradition of its first alumnus, Eugen Schmalenbach. By 2023, when HHL will celebrate its 125th anniversary, the school wants to achieve two core goals. HHL would like to move up into the league of the top 10 graduate schools in Europe with its significant full-time and part-time M.Sc., MBA and Executive programs as well as its well-structured doctoral program. Moreover, the university wants its M.Sc. program, which already ranks among the top 10 in Europe, to score a place among the top 10 worldwide .To achieve this, great effort will be made to realign the content and structure of this university. HHL will pursue a qualitative growth strategy with an expanded and more international faculty, excellent research, additional programs, more students and strong global networks over the next few years to reach its strategic targets. www.hhl.de/zukunftskonzept-innovate125

Stadt- und Kreissparkasse Leipzig

With total assets of EUR 8.8bn, about 620,000 private and corporate clients as well as almost 1,800 employees, Sparkasse Leipzig is among the largest savings banks in Germany. The bank operates in the city of Leipzig as well as in the surrounding administrative districts of Leipzig and Nordsachsen. Sparkasse has a comprehensive branch and service network, providing direct contact for its customers throughout the entire business region. Its financial experts offer personal consulting for the clients in 91 branches, including two mobile ones. As the leading financial service provider in the region, Sparkasse Leipzig offers a complete scope of products and services ranging from savings accounts to retirement plans, from investment to corporate financing. It is not only the market leader of consumer banks but also the number one bank for SMEs in the region. www.sparkasse-leipzig.de