HENNING PIEZUNKA  

I am a professor at The Wharton School. Before joining Wharton, I was a professor at INSEAD. I got a Ph.D. from Stanford University, a Master's degree from the London School of Economics (LSE), and a Diplom-Kaufmann from the University of Mannheim. I was also the founder-CEO of a company. When I left the company, it had 25 employees and customers in 80 countries. The CEO-succession was successful - and as of 2024, the company continues to thrive.

RESEARCH

For an overview, see my Academic CV or my Google Scholar Profile.

Henning’s research serves as the foundation of my teaching, speaking, and advisory work. I publish my research in world-leading peer-reviewed journals and have won various awards. Summaries of my research are on INSEAD Knowledge, and videos about some of my papers are on YouTube. 

EXPERTISE ON FOUNDER- & CEO-SUCCESSION

Getting founder- & CEO-Successions right is crucial. You know this from a relay race: You can run as fast as you want, but if you fail to pass the baton to the next runner, you and your company fail.

Mastering the CEO succession is challenging: the current CEO needs to resign, a successor needs to be found, the company must be ready for the succession, the successor needs to be onboarded, and so on. Expectations are high, and the danger of disappointment is looming large.

I have worked with companies helping them to get the CEO succession right. I work with

Please contact me here if you want to discuss the CEO succession in your company with me. 

  • Making sure the CEO-succession works is the most important job of the owners and the board. While the CEO manages the company, the owners and the board need to decide who is in charge. I help owners and boars to manage the complete succession process. Identifying candidates, selecting a successor, dealing with ownership issues (e.g., transfer of ownership, (partial) sale etc.).

  • It is crucial for a good succession that the current CEO is supportive. While CEOs often initially want to ensure a good succession, they often end up being a hindrance rather than helpful. I work with the current CEO to get themselves - and the company ready for succession.

  • Companies have multiple candidates for the CEO position. These candidates may have CEO potential, but are for sure not ready. For example, high-performing managers. I help companies assess and coach such managers. I also help devise a career plan that helps them to one day take on the CEO position.

  • Once the next CEO determines it is crucial that (s)he is prepared for the succession. The first hundred days are crucial - but also the year before the first hundred days is crucial. I help the next CEO to be well-prepared to take over the reigns.

TEACHING, WORKSHOPS & SPEAKING

I teach at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. So, as a UPenn student, you can take my class. I look forward to having you in class. 

I often get asked to give workshops and keynotes at companies. These are typically attended by high potentials, top managers, or board members. Simply said, I teach people who make a difference. I customize the content of my speeches and workshops to match your particular interests and situation. The focus, though, consistently revolves around (1) how to make companies more entrepreneurial, (2) how to better manage relationships, and (3) founder- and CEO-successions. Regarding my speaking style: I make my presentations enjoyable and engaging for the listeners! I have won multiple teaching awards at INSEAD and Wharton. I speak online or in person. If you want me to speak at your company, you can contact me here. 

WEBINAR: Between the Lines

I also run the INSEAD webinar “Between the Lines” I interview (mostly) business school professors who have written great books; for example, I have interviewed Herminia Ibarra, Erin Meyer, Ethan Mollick, Jennifer Petriglieri, Markus Reitzig, Alex Edmans, Bob Sutton, Katy Milkman, Amy Edmondson, Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Scott Page. I announce new webinars on LinkedIn. So, if you are interested, just follow me there.


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