Brain City Ambassador: Prof. Dr. Rainer Zeichhardt

] © Rainer Zeichhardt private

21.11.2022
Prof. Dr. Rainer Zeichhardt, BSP – Business & Law School

Brain City Berlin

In his research, Prof. Dr. Rainer Zeichhardt is primarily concerned with the topics of management and leadership in the digital transformation. The Brain City Ambassador is professor for General business administration at the BSP – Business & Law School in Berlin.

“The exciting thing about my work is that my research topics can be connected to current developments in a variety of ways. For example, I have been dealing with leadership in the digital transformation for years. That is why I was able to bring exciting insight into practice during the Corona pandemic, for example regarding digital leadership, remote work or digital leadership identities,” says Prof. Dr. Rainer Zeichhardt, Professor of General business administration at the BSP – Business & Law School in Berlin. Seminar and publication content of the Brain City Ambassador such as “What is good leadership?”, “What mindset do digital leaders have?” or “How to inspire people to participate in change?” has not just caused widespread interest among colleagues and students – Rainer Zeichhardt is also in demand in business, politics and sport. “I have gained experience as a scientist, but also as a founder and consultant. The relationship between theory, practice and teaching is great. I am passionate about passing on knowledge in teaching courses and using the synergies of teaching, research and practical projects.”

Together with his students, Rainer Zeichhardt also carries out projects for Berlin-based companies as part of courses and project or final theses. He is also currently working on the third-party funded project “SME Digital Center Future Culture”, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). “Here we support SMEs in Berlin and nationwide with the digital transformation.”

Competences from different disciplines are integrated into Rainer Zeichhardt’s projects. This is not only contemporary, but is also based on principle. “Interdisciplinarity is the guiding principle of the BSP, both of our courses and of the research and practical projects. The BSP is part of a university network – together with the Medical Schools in Berlin (MSB), Potsdam (HMU) and Hamburg (MSH). And I was also able to build up great personal networks with colleagues from other Berlin universities, for example by means of conferences, projects and workshops.”

Berlin is exciting because the city combines so many different facets and contrasts: Tradition and modernity, art and commerce, village tranquillity and cosmopolitan bustle.

Rainer Zeichhardt is firmly anchored in the capital. “Berlin is the city where I was born and has always been my family, academic and professional home base,” says the Brain City Ambassador. After studying Business administration and later doing his doctorate at the Department of Economics at the Freie Universität Berlin, Rainer Zeichhardt was drawn to founding a company in practice and as a lecturer and guest professor at universities in Germany and abroad. In 2010 he took over the professorship at the BSP Berlin. He has also been Vice President for Studies and Teaching there since 2016. “Berlin is simply exciting because the city combines so many different facets and contrasts: Tradition and modernity, art and commerce, village tranquillity and cosmopolitan bustle. In Berlin, there is also excellent empirical access for all questions in my scientific discipline: to start-ups, traditional companies, SMEs, international corporations, and interesting personalities.”

Rainer Zeichhardt particularly advises young scientists who would like to come to Berlin to be curious about the city and its opportunities. “Be open to diverse topics! In Berlin it is important to think out-of-the-box. Contacts can easily be established here via conferences and workshops. But above all: enjoy the city!”