Doris Birkhofer joins board of NEOMA Business School

NEOMA Business School is pleased to announce that Doris Birkhofer, president of Siemens France and a 1997 NEOMA alumna, has joined its board of directors as an independent director. Following the appointment of Ms Birkhofer, the School’s board is now complete, bringing together prominent figures from key economic sectors who contribute to NEOMA’s strategic development.

Birkhofer has forged a diverse, international career spanning industry, technology and energy. Before taking over the reins of Siemens France, Birkhofer held senior positions in the Siemens Group in Germany and the United States, as well as in other global industrial corporations, earning recognition for her leadership in driving industrial transformation, sustainability and innovation. Birkhofer’s experience on the international stage allied to her strategic vision will play a key role in informing the School’s major policy decisions.

“Joining the board at NEOMA Business School gives me the opportunity to play an active role in an institution that has a bold outlook for higher education — a vision that is geared towards innovation, diversity and environmental and societal impact,” she says.

The School recently launched its “Engage for the Future” strategic plan, which aims to deliver tangible responses to future challenges for students, professors, and the international business community.

This includes a new online career support platform for students, as well as new tracks in finance and geopolitics topics at the postgraduate level and additional training for faculty to catalyse positive GenAI adoption in business education.

“It is a privilege to contribute to the momentum of this institution that trains the responsible leaders of tomorrow,” says Birkhofer.

She joins a board of directors comprised of high-calibre executives from different backgrounds, illustrating the broad expertise mobilised by NEOMA to steer its core initiatives.

“The quality and diversity of NEOMA’s board of directors is a major strategic asset for developing our School. Doris Birkhofer’s appointment consolidates our ties with the world of industry and reflects our ability to leverage the expertise required to train the talents of tomorrow,” says Michel-Edouard Leclerc, president of NEOMA.

Leclerc chairs the board of directors at NEOMA Business School, which is made up of the following:

• 12 members appointed respectively by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Rouen
• Métropole and Marne Ardennes 
• 1 representative of the NEOMA Alumni Association 
• 2 representatives elected by NEOMA’s teaching staff 
• 1 representative elected by NEOMA employees 
• 1 representative elected by NEOMA students
• 6 independent directors

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Doris Birkhofer to our governance body. Her appointment strengthens a broad-based leadership team that truly embodies NEOMA’s DNA: an innovation-driven, enterprise-oriented, globally-engaged institution,” says Delphine Manceau, director general of NEOMA Business School.