Thomas Zellweger

Thomas Zellweger holds the Chair in Family Business at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland, where he is Vice-President Faculty & Research, Director of the Swiss Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and of the Center for Family Business. Thomas' research has received several international awards and has been published in the leading management journals such Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science and Strategic Management Journal, amongst other outlets. His research has been discussed in the international media such as in The Economist, Forbes and the New York Times. His international textbook entitled "Managing the Family Business: Theory and Practice" received the best book of the year award by the European Academy of Management in 2018.

Main Focuses

• Family business, entrepreneurship, succession, corporate governance, strategic management

Fields of research

• Family business
• Entrepreneurship
• Governance

Professional Career

• Visiting Professor, St. Gallen Institute of Management, Singapore
• Visiting Professor, Babson College, USA
• Visiting Professor, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, Canada
• Visiting Professor, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany
• Derivative Consulting, Brussels, Belgium
• Helbling Corporate Finance, Zurich, Switzerland
• Arthur Andersen, Zurich, Switzerland

Teaching Activities

• Managing the Family Business (graduate)
• Entrepreneurship (graduate)

Projects

• Family Firm Governance and Strategy
• Succession in Family Firms
• Entrepreneurial Finance

Affiliations

• International Family Enterprise Research Academy
• Family Firm Institute
• Family Enterprise Reseach Conference
• Academy of Management, Entrepreneurship Division, country Ambassador Switzerland

Awards

• 2020: Equa Best Paper Award, 6th International Forum on Mittelstand, University of Mannheim
• 2020: Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, Entrepreneurship Division
• 2020: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: unter den einflussreichsten Ökonomen Deutschlands (Forschung)
• 2019: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: amongst the most influential economists in Germany (research)
• 2019: Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, Strategy Division
• 2018: Best Management Book of the Year Award by the European Academy of Management (EURAM) for «Managing the Family Business: Theory and Practice»
• 2017: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: amongst the most influential economists in Germany (research)
• 2016: All University best teacher award nominee
• 2016: Emerald Citations of Excellence for 2016
• 2015: Jürgen-Hauschildt-Preis for best innovation paper
• 2014: Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, Entrepreneurship Division
• 2014: Best Paper Award, Deutschsprachiges Family Business Forschertreffen
• 2012: Best Paper Nominee, International Family Enterprise Research Academy
• 2012: Jeff Rothstein Award, International Family Enterprise Research Academy
• 2011: Best unpublished paper award, Family Firm Institute
• 2011: Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, Ent. Division
• 2009: Outstanding Reviewer Award, Family Business Review
• 2008: Best Unpublished Paper Award, Family Firm Institute
• 2008: Family Enterprise Research Conference, Honorable Mention
• 2008: JSBM Office Depot Best Paper Award at USASBE
• 2007: Joe Goodman Award of the Family Firm Institute
• 2007: Grant by Swiss National Research Foundation (SNF)
• 2006: Honorable Mention Best Doctoral Dissertation Award Family Firm Institute
• 2006: Wehrhahn Award at University of St. Gallen: Best dissertation