Prof. DDr. Ann-Kristin Achleitner has served as Scientific Co-Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial and Financial Studies since 2003 and has been Holder of Chair for Entrepreneurial Finance from 2001 to 2020 at Technical University Munich, Germany. She began her career with MS Management Service AG in St. Gallen, Switzerland in 1991. In 1992, she began as a university lecturer in Finance and External Auditing at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland. In 1994, she became a consultant at McKinsey & Company, Inc, in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1995, she was appointed Holder of the Endowed Chair for Banking and Finance and Chair of the Board of the Institute for Financial Management at the European Business School (International University Schlo Reichartshausen) in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany. Prof. DDr. Achleitner is a member of the Board of Directors of Lazard Ltd., where she is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating & Governance Committee. She is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Post AG (DHL) since 2024, where she serves on the Finance and Audit Committee. She is Founding Investor and Vice Chairwoman of planqc GmbH. Prof. DDr. Achleitner was a member of the Advisory Board of Luxembourg Investment 261 S. .r.L. (Techem GmbH), until October 2025, and a member of the Supervisory Board of M nchener R ckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG (Munich Re) in Munich, Germany until April 2024. She was also a member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche B rse AG in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, until May 2019 and a member of the Board of Directors of ENGIE SA in Paris, France, until May 2019. She was a member of the Supervisory Board of Linde AG from 2011-2019 where she was also member of the Audit Committee and the Nomination Committee. She also served as a member of the Supervisory Board of Metro AG in D sseldorf, Germany, until February 2017, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Vontobel Holding AG and Vontobel Bank AG in Zurich, Switzerland until April 2013.