WHU Professor Fabiola Gerpott: Double award for leadership skills!

WHU Professor Fabiola Gerpott: Double award for leadership skills!

Prof. Dr. Fabiola Gerpott from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management was recently awarded two major awards. In just one week, two German media outlets honored them for their outstanding contribution to the science and practice of human resources management. The business magazine Business Punk chose Gerpott as one of the 100 business punk heads of 2025, while the personnel magazine named her one of the 40 leading HR heads of 2025.

Gerpott, who holds the chair for human resources management at WHU, sees these awards as confirmation of the relevance of her research. “This recognition shows that our scientific work can provide impetus for leadership and change,” she said. The selection of the 100 business punk heads is made annually by a jury of experts, which this year consists of experts from various industries. After initially suggesting 250 nominees, the jury reduced the list to the 100 personalities who would significantly advance Germany.

Scientific recognition and influence

In Business Punk magazine, Gerpott is described as one of ten “Europe’s new thought leaders”. Her expertise includes leadership, diversity management and organizational behavior. Its goal is to use empirical data to sustainably improve the future of work. She has also secured a place on the list of the 40 leading HR heads. This selection takes place every two years and takes into account leaders who have an influence on the transformation of companies.

Gerpott is particularly interested in the concerns of diversity and inclusive management. Her work shows how companies can benefit from a diverse and integrated workforce. This commitment is complemented by other leading scientists in Germany, such as Anne Burmeister from the University of Cologne, who also studies age diversity and mixed teams in order to exploit the potential of diversity in companies.

The current awards from Prof. Dr. Fabiola Gerpott are not only a sign of her personal achievement, but also reflect a growing trend in science. The importance of the practical applicability of research results is increasingly recognized, which motivates both academics and companies to enter into fruitful collaborations.

In the context of this development, numerous leading minds, such as the experts mentioned in the haufe.de article, are striving for innovative HR measures. This is evident, among other things, in the projects that deal with the challenges of the new world of work. The combination of theoretical knowledge and practical implementation is seen as the key to success in HR transformation.

The recognition for Gerpott is therefore part of a larger discourse about the value of science and its influence on business practice. The commitment of scientists in this area could be crucial in the future for designing a modern and effective working environment.

For further details about the awards of Prof. Dr. Fabiola Gerpott, please take a look at the articles on the WHU website ( WHU ), the insight into the leading minds of the HR industry on haufe.de ( haufe.de ) as well as the comprehensive look at leadership development and its impact on companies on brainershub.com ( brainershub.com ).