Brand Academy appoints Dr. Stefan Waller as Professor of International Brand and Innovation Culture

Quite some time ago, Brand Academy advertised a new professorship with the denomination „Intercultural Brand and Innovation Culture“, to be added to its Communications department.

The new professorship focuses on current and future influences on brand development and brand culture as well as the framework conditions applying to both – especially in the Eurasian and Sino-German context. Since it can be considered the key driver of brand culture, digital transformation of a globalised society and economy will play a key role while the associated scientific discussion will be heavily influenced by 3 factors, namely interculturality, innovation culture and design.

As usual, the job posting packed a punch: Brand Academy was looking for an extraordinarily qualified candidate with a background in humanities and/or the arts. Since China represents Brand Academy’s strategic focus, the list of desired qualifications also included relevant intercultural competencies and experiences as well as the willingness to teach and do research in China. Naturally, the right candidate also needed to bring scientific expertise and practical experience in the fields of brand and innovation culture to the table, ideally topped-off by a Ph.D. But not enough: Familiarity with the Chinese higher education system and language skills in English and Chinese also ranked high on the check list.

Still, Dr. Stefan Waller excelled at fulfilling these requirements.

After completing his studies in philosophy, art history and theology at the University of Hamburg, he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy with a focus on anthropology, philosophy of culture and aesthetics. Since 2007, Dr. Stefan Waller has been collecting teaching experience as lecturer at the University of Hamburg, the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Design Factory International, Tongji University Shanghai and Brand Academy’s partner institution Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai.

The appointments committee particularly valued the fact that Dr. Waller has combined philosophical and sociological insights with brand design concepts and has already implemented those in international cooperations. As a result, he was able to gain sifnificant expertise in branding for the Chinese market. Moreover, as a freelance designer Dr. Waller has been implementing numerous design projects in the fields of branding and poster design for clients such as the Ministry for Education and Research and the University of Hamburg since 2007. Last but certainly not least, he is a regular speaker at events in Germany and China and has publications and editorships under his belt.

Needless to say, we are truly delighted that Dr. Waller – Prof. Dr. Waller now, actually – has decided to join Brand Academy. Welcome aboard and much success to you once more!