Reorganisation of the CHE management team

Heike Hepermann and Ulrich Müller were made Prokuristen (authorised signatories) of CHE on 1 January 2023. Ulrich Müller and Executive Director Frank Ziegele now make up the new management duo.

The CHE Centre for Higher Education in Gütersloh has been in existence for almost thirty years. Executive Directors Jörg Dräger and Frank Ziegele managed the think-tank together from 2008 to 2021. In April 2022, Jörg Dräger was appointed the new Executive Director of the Board of Trustees of the Kühne-Stiftung in Schindellegi, Switzerland. This necessitated a reorganisation of CHE’s management structures.

In the future, Frank Ziegele will be the sole Executive Director of CHE. He will be supported by Heike Hepermann and Ulrich Müller, acting as the new Prokuristen (authorised signatories) of the non-profit organisation.

In this role, Heike Hepermann focuses on economic and contract-related issues. The qualified business economist and systemic consultant, who joined the company in 2011, leads the Controlling, Finance and Contracting team at CHE.

Ulrich Müller has been with CHE for more than twenty years. The educationalist has been Head of Policy Studies since 2014. He now takes on the additional role of member of the management, and is responsible for conceptual and strategic aspects related to CHE.

Other members of the CHE management team include Sonja Berghoff (Head of National Rankings), Gero Federkeil (Head of International Rankings) and Sigrun Nickel (Head of Higher Education Research).

“By giving Heike Hepermann and Ulrich Müller full power of attorney, we have found an excellent in-house solution for the composition of the CHE management body,” stated CHE Executive Director Frank Ziegele with delight, adding “In both cases, this change formalises the roles that they have already held for years, reflecting also their personal strengths and the focus of their work. Thanks to this development, CHE now has a future-proof leadership structure.”