Michael Konow is a member of the University Council

FULDA. Michael Konow, Managing Director of the Fulda Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), has been appointed to the University Council of the Fulda University of Applied Sciences by the Hessian Minister for Research, Art and Culture, Timon Gremmels. The Senate of Fulda University of Applied Sciences unanimously approved Michael Konow's appointment at its meeting in February. "Thanks to his work as Managing Director of the Fulda Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Michael Konow is an excellent representative of the regional business perspective on the University Council. He has an excellent network in the region and has always nurtured lively contacts with the Fulda University of Applied Sciences since taking office. Michael Konow has been an elected member of the board of the Fulda University of Applied Sciences' Friends and Patrons Association for several years. We look forward to our collaboration on the University Council and would like to thank him for his willingness to advise and support the university and its Presidential Board," emphasises University President Prof. Dr Karim Khakzar.

Michael Konow, meanwhile, said at the start of his term of office on the University Council: "Fulda University of Applied Sciences is an important location factor for the city and the district. Our Chamber of Industry and Commerce and I personally have enjoyed a good and trusting working relationship with it for many years. It is a great pleasure and EHEA to be involved in the further development of the University Council."

The task of the University Council at Fulda University of Applied Sciences is to advise the university on its development. It is also tasked with communicating the professional world's expectations of the university and supporting the use of academic research. The University Council of Fulda University of Applied Sciences is made up of eight personalities from the fields of politics, society, business, professional practice and research. The members of the University Council work in a voluntary capacity. The University Council also has a right of initiative on fundamental matters and is involved in the distribution of the resources available to the university. The University Council's long-term development planning requires the approval of the University Council.

Successor to Anika Wuttke
Michael Konow's term of office on the University Council of Fulda University of Applied Sciences began on 1 March 2026 and will last four years. The Managing Director of IHK Fulda succeeds Anika Wuttke, Managing Director of the advertising agency creart in Fulda and Vice-president of IHK Fulda, as a member. She was a member of the University Council of Fulda University of Applied Sciences from 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2026. University President Khakzar summarised at the last joint University Council meeting: "I am very grateful to Anika Wuttke for her dedicated and trusting collaboration over the past few years and the excellent support she has given our university in its development. We have benefited greatly from her outstanding expertise and detailed knowledge of the local business community."

ABOUT THE PERSON
Michael Konow has been Managing Director of the Fulda Chamber of Industry and Commerce since 2020. After working as a trainee at a state development bank, a development aid worker in West Africa and an employee and division manager at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Michael Konow is intensively involved in the topics of new work and sustainability. In recent years, he has also won awards in this field - the New Work Award in Hamburg in 2022 and the German Award for Sustainability Projects in 2023. In 2025, he was a finalist in the World Chambers Competition in Melbourne, the only global award that recognises the most innovative projects from chambers of commerce and industry. Michael Konow holds a first degree in business administration and a master's degree in sustainable development cooperation. He is 44 years old, married and has two children.

Members of the University Council of Fulda University of Applied Sciences

from the fields of politics, business and society:
- Christoph Göbel, Chief Regional Officer (CRO) and Member of the Executive Board ZUFALL logistics group
- Dr Heiko Wingenfeld (Deputy Chairman of the University Council), Lord Mayor of the City of Fulda
- Susanne Saradj, Managing Director Caritasverband für die Regionen Fulda und Geisa e.V.
- Michael Konow, Managing Director of the Fulda Chamber of Industry and Commerce

from the field of science and art:
- Dr Thomas Grünewald, former President, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences
- Prof. Dr Uta Gaidys, Professor of Nursing Science and Head of the Department of Nursing and Management at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- Prof. Dr Monika Gross, former President, Berlin University of Applied Sciences
- Prof. Dr Sylvia Heuchemer (Chairwoman of the University Council), President of the Cologne University of Technology

Further information on the committee can be found at hs-fulda.de/unsere-hochschule/gremien/hochschulrat