Christian Stadler
How come so few companies survive and perform well over time? Brooding on these issues after the completion of his PhD thesis Christian made a trip to Gloucester, a small town two hours outside London early in 2002. He had been looking forward to this trip as he was going to meet Arie de Geus, the former head of Shell Planning, who published a celebrated book on long-living companies. Arie, he was sure could answer his questions. But as is often the case with experienced senior managers who move beyond daily operations and reach a state of wisdom, Arie raised more questions than he provided answers. He made it quite clear that we know very little about the long-term development of large organizations. Christian is not sure if it was Arie’s intention, but he managed to plant the seed for this project. Although Christian started to work for a large strategy consultancy in Germany shortly after the get-together in Gloucester, the questions continued to haunt him. In the summer of 2003, he finally decided that the subject deserved more than a little thought. He returned to University, set up a team of young researchers and convinced leading experts to advise them. To learn more about the findings of their journey through history take a look at the publications of the team.

Daniel Blum
Daniel is a statistical wiz. Coming from Investment Banking he decided to figure out how financial key indicators can help companies to identify if they are on the way to enduring success. After his PhD, he proved his passion for long term success by joining Metzler, the oldest German private investment bank. In the rare case when he leaves the office before darkness he can be spotted at the local golf course.

Stephan Höger
Stephan explored long-living companies in Spain. In a memorizing trip to various archives in the Madrid area, he discovered some of the wisdoms of BBVA and Banco Santander. Since 2005 he is working in London. Originally starting at Business Monitor Intl. he is now hoping to contribute to the longevity of his new employer Barclays Capital. Other than a heated discussion, he enjoys skiing and a good book. His latest recommendation is "Freakonomics".

Mathias Höglund
Mathias is our man in Scandinavia. Focusing on Nokia and Ericsson, he was able to untangle some of the roots of competitive advantage. Joining KONE Corporation after the completion of his research he has recently returned to academia, pursuing a Ph.D. at HANKEN - Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration in Helsinki. In his spare time he enjoys music, sports and a good read.

Evelyn Muth
Evelyn researches the failure of European large companies, which are or were listed in the MSCI Index. As a sales director for Fidelity Investments Germany, she brings valuable experience to the team. The results of her Ph.D. contribute to the overall understanding of why such companies fail. She likes traveling, reading and spending time with good friends.

Alex Neulinger
Alex worked on the overall development of European companies and developed a genealogy for publicly quoted companies. He is also active as a sales manager at SZK GmbH, a computer hardware distributor. If there is any time left you can find him playing baseball, riding his mountain bike, or touring the globe. He also enjoys a decent meal of South Italian cuisine.

Patricia Pedratscher
Patricia’s research focused on the internationalization of large corporations. Conducting an in-depth historic case study of Siemens, she noticed that common theory does not necessarily reflect the complex reality of business. Patricia currently works at BMW. She is a vivid kick boxer and enjoys the occasional look at her tarot cards.

Christine Raschke
Christine explored long-living companies in France focusing on Lafarge and Ciments Francais, two leading construction companies. Her analytical talent and ability to get access to top management is an asset she applies at Bain & Company these days. Enthusiastic about hiking, Christine spends her leisure time organizing international trekking tours. Her last tour took her to Tibet.

Philip Wältermann
Philip did his Ph.D. on the development of the German insurance industry. Talking to industry leaders and working himself through tons of material he discovered some of the secrets of long-term success. As a native Northern German his determination is also revealed on the skiing slope when he leaves local Austrians behind.

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