Helmut Pernsteiner

Helmut Pernsteiner serves as Institute Director and Department Head at the Institute for Corporate Finance within the Business School of Johannes Kepler University Linz. He holds the position of Full Professor and has played significant leadership roles including Dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences (2013-2016) and Chairman of the University Senate (1998). His academic career spans over three decades at JKU, where he was appointed full professor in 1995 after completing his habilitation in Business Administration.

• Born on July 11 in Linz
• Studied business administration at Johannes Kepler University
• Graduated as Master of Social and Economic Sciences (1981)
• Earned doctorate in Social and Economic Sciences (1986)
• Completed habilitation in Business Administration at JKU (1991-1992)
• Awarded honorary professor title by Maria Curie Sklodowska University of Lublin, Poland

Professor Pernsteiner's research focuses primarily on corporate finance with special emphasis on family businesses, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, and banking relationships. His work explores the intersection of financial decision-making with cultural, ethical, and governance factors, particularly examining how family influence affects corporate financial policies. Recent research has increasingly addressed contemporary challenges including pandemic risk management, ESG implementation in banking, and the evolving dynamics of brand valuation in distressed situations. His publications demonstrate a strong international perspective with frequent collaborations across Europe, particularly with Polish institutions.

His scholarly output reveals consistent contributions across multiple finance subdomains, with a notable shift toward examining the impact of external shocks (like the pandemic) on traditional financial management practices. The publications show increasing attention to sustainability factors, ethical considerations in finance, and the cultural dimensions of financial decision-making across different national contexts.

• Awarded honorary professor title by Maria Curie Sklodowska University of Lublin
• Member of the jury for the Rehau Science Prize (Bern)
• Member of the foundation board of the VKB Science Prize (Linz)
• Member of the Diploma Thesis, Master Thesis and Dissertation Prize in Insurance (Linz)
• Member of the Invest-Con Finance Award (Linz)

Professor Pernsteiner has held numerous leadership positions including Head of the Research Institute for Banking, Member of the Board of the Institute of Insurance Economics, and Academic Director of multiple university courses. He has served on the editorial boards of several prestigious journals including CFO aktuell, M&A Review, and Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska. His international engagement includes permanent lectures at the University of Economics in Bratislava (1998-2012) and serving as Deputy Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Faculty of Economics at the University of South Bohemia since 2021. At JKU, he was an active member of the Faculty Assembly of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences and served on the Works Council of Academic Staff (2005-2009).

His research activities span multiple collaborative projects examining financial management practices across different institutional contexts, with particular attention to family businesses and emerging markets. His work often bridges theoretical finance concepts with practical applications in banking, insurance, and corporate settings.