Josef Ackermann

Josef Ackermann is Germany's best-known banker. As a Swiss national, he was the first foreign head of Deutsche Bank.Josef Ackermann (born in 1948) studied economics and social sciences at the University of St. Gallen until 1973 after completing his A-levels. He then worked as a research assistant at the economics research group at the same university and was awarded a doctorate in economics in 1977. Josef Ackermann began his career at Schweizerische Kreditanstalt in 1977. In 1990, he was appointed to its Executive Board and three years later became its Chairman. In 1996, he joined the Management Board of Deutsche Bank AG, where he was responsible for the Investment Banking division. In 2002, he became Spokesman of the Management Board and Chairman of the Group Executive Board. From 2006 to 2012, Josef Ackermann was Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank. He then became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zurich Insurance Group AG until 2013. Josef Ackermann is a member of numerous boards of directors, including Royal Dutch Shell plc, Netherlands. He is Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum, Honorary Chairman of the St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies, a member of the Honorary Senate of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Foundation on Lake Constance and Advisory Director of the Metropolitan Opera New York. In 2007, Josef Ackermann accepted the appointment as Visiting Professor of Finance at the London School of Economics and was appointed Honorary Professor at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main the following year. He is an Honorary Fellow of the London Business School and holds an honorary doctorate from the Greek Democritus University of Thrace.