Mr. Andreas Jacobs, Executive Chairman of Jacobs Holding AG, Chairman of Barry Callebaut AG, is appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of INSEAD, to succeed Mr. Franz B. Humer as of January 1, 2015.
INSEAD, the leading international business school, has appointed Mr. Andreas Jacobs to succeed Mr. Franz B. Humer as Chairman of INSEAD’s Board of Directors as of January 2015. Mr. Jacobs succeeds Mr. Franz B. Humer, who has held the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2008 and has decided to step down after completing two full terms as Chairman.
Mr. Jacobs brings to INSEAD over two decades of business entrepreneurship. He is responsible for several executive functions of the Jacobs family business, serving as Executive Chairman of Jacobs Holding AG, Chairman of Barry Callebaut AG, and Vice-Chairman of Adecco SA. He is also a member of the shareholders' committee of Dr. August Oetker KG, principal shareholder of Minibar AG and Röwer&Rüb GmbH, and a minority investor and stakeholder in several other European and North American companies.
Mr. Jacobs, who has been on the INSEAD Board of Directors since May 20, 2014, is the third INSEAD alumnus (MBA’90D) to become Chairman of the INSEAD Board.
In this new role, Mr. Jacobs will work with the Dean of INSEAD, Professor Ilian Mihov, and the other members of the INSEAD Board to oversee and ensure the continued success of the school's global strategy. Commenting on the appointment he said: “It is a great honour to be appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors for INSEAD. Over the years, the school has gone from strength to strength in its commitment to being a truly global institution, with expert faculty and rigorous teaching and research, ensuring it attracts the very best students and faculty from around the world.”
Mr. Humer, who was responsible for overseeing the significant expansion of the school’s MBA programmes and academic courses across all three campuses, commented: “I am delighted that Mr. Jacobs will succeed me as Chairman. Andreas’ entrepreneurial and truly global experience perfectly complements INSEAD’s position as the world’s leading international business school. I am confident that he will provide excellent governance for the school and the vast network of INSEAD alumni spread across the globe.”
Professor Ilian Mihov, Dean of INSEAD, said: “I would like to thank Mr. Humer for his hard work, dedication and guidance over the last six years. He has overseen significant and far reaching changes at INSEAD including the establishment of the school’s campus in Abu Dhabi, the expansion in Singapore, as well as the review of our long-term strategic ambitions. Mr. Jacobs is both a respected entrepreneur and member of the global business community and an INSEAD MBA alumnus, and someone whom I am proud to be welcoming into the role of Chairman of the Board. I am very much looking forward to working with Mr. Jacobs as we continue to grow the school and its global reach.”
Mr. Jacobs received his Master of Business Administration from INSEAD in December 1990 in Fontainebleau, France, after studying law at the universities of Freiburg im Breisgau, Munich and Montpellier, and obtaining a post-graduate degree in European Competition Law (Dr. iur.) from the University of Freiburg.
