Gerhard Michael Eckert completed his studies in human medicine at the universities of Aachen and Cologne, followed by a Doctorate in medicine. He also has a general management training qualification from the European Business School and the London Business School. Dr Eckert’s academic background is further strengthened by a MSc in Organizational Psychology from the FernUniversität in Hagen. His professional career began in the pharmaceutical industry at Dr Madaus GmbH & Co KG where he was Product Group Leader for Ethics and OTC. He later became Director of Marketing and Sales at Madaus Pharmaceuticals Ltd and worked in Johannesburg, South Africa for several years. Dr. Eckert’s career then took him to Stockholm where he worked for Lufthansa AG as Regional Director for Northern Europe, eventually becoming Senior Vice President in Frankfurt iincorportating the responsi ility of Sales & Services Europe. In 1998, at the age of 42, Dr Eckert’s substantial professional experience and interest in people took him into executive search, where he became a Founder and Managing Director of Höchsmann & Company in 2000. Dr Eckert is married with two grown up daughters.