Bologna Business School has a new dean. Christiane Spitzmueller, professor of Psychological Sciences and vice provost at the University of California, Merced, will join Max Bergami, former dean and current executive chairman of BBS. The decision was made unanimously by the board of directors of the Bologna Business School Foundation at the end of a selection process started in autumn 2025 and entrusted to a committee chaired by Laurent Choain (Accor) and composed of Michele Antoniazzi (Ferrari), Giorgio Bellettini (University of Bologna), Helke Carvalho Hernandes (Efmd), Alice Guilhon (SKEMA Business School), Andrea Pontremoli (Dallara) and Max Bergami. The Committee reviewed 76 applications submitted from around the world.
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Of German origin, Spitzmueller has over twenty years of academic career in the United States and numerous international collaborations in Europe, Canada, and Nigeria. She founded the Center for Applied Psychological Research at the University of Houston and directs the Center for Excellence in Faculty Advancement (CEFA), a research consortium supported by the National Science Foundation dedicated to the development of academic careers. Her scientific work, awarded in 2025 with the Raymond Katzell Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, focuses on the relationship between universities, organizations, and people development, with a constant attention to the dialogue between research and businesses.
Christiane Spitzmueller will move to Bologna with her family and will be introduced to the BBS community during the 2026 Graduation, scheduled for September 18, traditionally held in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna. “I am excited to join a school that is experiencing an extraordinary phase of growth, built thanks to the leadership of Max Bergami,” said Christiane Spitzmueller. “Bologna Business School represents a unique reality, a meeting point between excellent academic research and one of the most important European productive ecosystems, from agri-food to the Motor Valley. I want to contribute to building the future of BBS and the academic and entrepreneurial ecosystem of the territory,” concluded the new dean.
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The appointment of Christiane Spitzmueller represents a further step in the internationalization path of Bologna Business School started during Max Bergami’s management. The board of the Foundation intends that the new dean’s experience in academic leadership, strategic planning, and building relationships between universities, institutions, and businesses will help strengthen the school’s international positioning and expand its opportunities for collaboration, research, and training.
“The Council made this decision after thorough work carried out by a Committee composed of very high-profile personalities, representing the Foundation’s Members and other stakeholders, to whom we are grateful for their professionalism and commitment,” said Max Bergami, executive chairman of Bologna Business School. “I look to the future of BBS with great confidence and believe that Professor Spitzmueller will have a positive impact, bringing new experiences and skills to the school. I like to think that BBS believed in her and that Professor Spitzmueller believed in us.”
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