Prof. Rainer Kirchdörfer​

Scientifically sound information about family businesses

Prof Rainer Kirchdörfer has been a board member of the non-profit Foundation for Family Businesses and Chairman of its Advisory Board since 2012. Among other duties, he is therefore responsible for the bedrock of the foundation, namely its scientific work. The foundation regularly publishes studies in the context of family businesses and supports corresponding teaching and research facilities at universities.

Prof Kirchdörfer is a lawyer and partner at the law firm Hennerkes, Kirchdörfer & Lorz in Stuttgart. He is also an honorary professor at the private University of Witten-Herdecke and lectures on the topics of corporate succession and corporate tax law. He is also editor of the magazine FuS (Family Businesses and Strategy). Prof Kirchdörfer is a member of numerous supervisory and advisory boards of domestic and foreign companies. He is also the author of numerous publications on the subject of family businesses.

“Family businesses epitomise the success of the German economy like no other type of company. They are shaped by the family that owns the business and think and operate in terms of generations rather than quarters. The majority of the family’s assets are tied up in the company, which is why family businesses stand for a synchronisation of decision-making responsibility and liability. This is also the reason why family-controlled companies have been proven to survive crises better and contribute significantly to prosperity in Germany. It is therefore our aim to provide scientifically sound information about the special concerns of family businesses and their importance,” says Prof Kirchdörfer.