A well-known Swiss financial professor with international experience becomes the rector of the prestigious University of St. Gallen. He now has to resign from his mandates at banks.
Manuel Ammann is the newly designated rector of the University of St. Gallen (HSG), with the Cantonal government of St. Gallen approving the election by the Senate and the University Council. The financial scientist succeeds current rector Bernhard Ehrenzeller on February 1, 2024, according to a statement from the university on Wednesday.
From New York to Appenzell
In Swiss financial circles, Ammann needs no introduction. He is currently a full professor of finance at the HSG and director at the Swiss Institute of Banking and Finance. He is also the founder and academic program director of the master's program in Banking and Finance (MBF-HSG).
The 52-year-old researcher received his doctorate in finance from the HSG in 1998 and his habilitation, similar to post-doctoral qualifications, from the University of Basel in 2002 for his paper «Analyzing convertible bonds.» In the same year, he was elected associate professor and gained a full professorship in finance at HSG the following year. He has been a visiting professor at several universities abroad, including the University of California at Berkeley and New York University.
Bank Board Memberships
Wednesday's announcement praised Ammann's high level of practical relevance which he applied to, among other things, with a seat on the board of directors of St.Galler Kantonalbank since 2010, and serving as chairman of the board of Neue Bank in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, since 2020. In assuming his office at the HSG, he is required to resign from his board of directors and consulting mandates.
With Ammann, the HSG has once again opted for an internal hire, although the top post has now been advertised externally for the first time. One female candidate and two male candidates had made it to the final selection, according to reports. The election of a new rector a year before taking office is common practice at the HSG. Four vice-rectors will be elected during the spring semester of 2023.
