The Ph.D. program at EMLYON Business School is deeply saddened by the death of our friend and colleague Ulrich Wassmer. After months of a courageous fight against cancer, Uli passed away shortly before Christmas at the shockingly young age of 44. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife Cristina, his two young boys Fabio and Dario, his family, friends, and colleagues.
Uli was an Associate Professor of Strategy at EMLYON Business School and was deeply involved in our program. He will be sorely missed.
Uli was a great scholar, advancing our knowledge on interorganizational collaboration. In particular, he showed that for alliances to create value, they need to fit with the focal firm’s prior set of alliances (the ‘portfolio perspective’). Recently, he applied his knowledge to the pressing issue of environmental collaborations. Uli was highly regarded in the research community, holding an elected position in the Strategic Management Society (Cooperative Strategies SIG), and serving on the editorial board of the Journal of Management. He was very well published and cited.
Uli was also a superb teacher who devised great learning outcomes for his students, drawing from both his business experience as a consultant and his scholarly expertise. He cared deeply for his students, who liked his classes a lot. While at Concordia University, Uli won the JMSB Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
Our Ph.D. program benefitted a lot from his ideas. Just a month before passing away, he had sent me a wonderfully crafted syllabus for a new seminar aimed at “enhancing the Ph.D. research toolbox”.
A citizen of the world, Uli was born and raised in Germany, where he got a degree in industrial engineering (Diplom-Wirtschaftsingenieur) in 1994, moved to the USA for his MBA, came back to work as a consultant in Germany and then England, got his Ph.D. in Spain in 2007, married an Italian woman, got his first academic job in Canada, before joining us in France in 2013. We benefitted a lot from his intercultural skills, open-mindedness, eagerness to meet people… not to mention his polyglotism: he spoke five languages.
It was a real pleasure to have Uli around. He was always very kind and full of humor, extremely smart and willing to help, full of energy. He was also very modest: I only learned about many of his achievements after he died, while talking to colleagues who were as shocked as I was. Many shared stories, both personal and professional. We remembered when he rode his bike all the way from his German hometown to Lyon, marvelled at the number of working papers he was coauthoring at the time of his death…
Uli fought his battle against cancer with lots of courage and dignity. Always the true scientist, he studied the literature and did what is shown to increase one’s life chances, listening to doctors and adjusting his diet.
I will remember Uli as a very smart scholar, full of energy and ideas to improve our Ph.D. program. I will miss Uli’s kindness and humor. I will also regret having had so little time to be with him.
My thoughts are with his family: his wife Cristina and their two little boys Dario and Fabio, all three way too young to be deprived of him, and with his mother.
Uli’s funeral will be held in Germany, where he is from, and where his mother lives.
Note: I am most grateful to Alice Cherry Dattée for her copy editing.
Sad loss … I will remember Uli as a thoughtful scholar and kind man.
I am deeply saddened to learn of Uli’s passing. My thought are with his family. He was a colleague of mine at Concordia, a most appreciated one for both his impressive brilliance and his kindness! Warmest regards to his family and friends.
Marylene
Thank you for this beautiful tribute. Uli and I were colleagues at Concordia University. He will be sadly missed, both for his friendship and scholarship.
Uli was a wonderful guy – intellectually honest and direct, and yet, very gentle and kind. Along with Jan Hohberger, he introduced me to the wonders of Barcelona many years ago. I will always remember him with fondness and respect.
We have lost a bright, cheerful, and dedicated friend and colleague. This is a tragedy.
Deep condolences to the family. May his memory serve as a blessing for all.
I had the pleasure of sharing some years, lectures and discussions with Uli at ESADE’s PhD program in Barcelona. He was a wonderful and honest guy with a lot to give to his family, friends and the academic comunity. He will be missed. Dear Uli, thanks for everything and may you rest in peace.
Shocking news. Ulrich was a unique person, not to mention all qualities described by Bernard Forgues. It was a pleasure and honor to work with him over these last years. A great co-author, a great friend. I will especially keep in my memory the time spent together in Aix-en-Provence and Montreal revising our co-authored papers: long hours of work and fun. I extend my condolences to his wife and his two boys.
Ulrich was such a remarkable person and he will be deeply missed in the academic community. I am sure his impact will live on in the lives of those many people he touched; his family, friends, colleagues, and students. Thank you Bernard for your beautiful tribute.
I still cannot believe that Uli is gone. He was my colleague and co-author with a curious mind and dedication to scholarship. His best was yet to come. My deepest condolences to all his loved one.
Uli was great academic and a marvellous friend, who will be deeply missed. He had tremendous impact on my academic life and career. He was my mentor and role model during my PhD at ESADE and more recently a highly valued co-author. However, above all, Uli was great person. He was energetic and intelligent, but also kind, modest and helpful. I will always remember him with great respect and gratitude. My deepest condolences to his family.
My condolences to family, and friends. I met Uli during our PhD studies at ESADE. He was a great colleague, always curious to learn new things, and willing to help others. I remember our “philosophical” discussions over “hot chocolate” cups at Xocoa, in Barcelona. I will miss him.
My condolences to the family. Ulrich was the last person I met in Monreal after my PhD studies at Concordia. We both moved away and kept working from distance in a paper that was published with Lorne.
Uli was a star for me. I followed his light from Barcelona to Montreal and then to Lyon, always in his footsteps, one year in his wake. I never imagined that these ties would be severed.
Uli was a determined scholar, a great co-author and a wonderful friend. It is a great loss for our community. I will miss him very much.
My most sincere condolences to Uli’s family and friends. What a great loss. I will always remember him.
Uli, my PhD classmate, I will always remember you as a highly disciplined and methodical person with great enthusiasm to share with the rest of us what you were learning throughout your academic life, as well as your healthy lifestyle. Thanks for the moments we shared, especially your healthy lunches with Cristina (the best tiramisu I’ve ever tasted in my life). My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Cristina and the rest of your loved ones at this sad time.
A great person, kind and bright. We had enjoyable conversations while at ESADE and beyond. May he rest in peace. My thoughts with his family and loved ones.
Uli was a great friend and a wonderful co-author… I will miss him. What a great loss. My thoughts go to his family.
Un fuerte abrazo. Still remember detailed conversations of our PhD student days. My sincerest thought to his two kids and wife. A sad day for us all.
This is such a sad news. I have shared with Uli a rather privileged period in my life; when we both developed our PhD-thesis at ESADE. I remember him as a sincere and kind person, respectful to his environment and respected by everybody. He was a dedicated and excelent scholar, and I had this vague idea to contact him regarding his work on alliance portfolios, for a study that I am just about to start. Unbelievable that this cannot happen anymore.
My sincere condolences to his wife Cristina and his two little boys.
I want to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Uli, who was a great friend and admirable peer in the PhD program at ESADE. Uli distinguished as an honest and high quality human and academic person. Uli left us beautiful moments and values that I will remember forever. Dear Uli thanks to be our friend and rest in peace. Carlos Daniel Lopez (Mexico).
I’m so sorry to hear about Uli lost. It was an honor to have Uli in ESADE PhD programme. Uli was a responsible, serious and intelligent person. My sincere condolences to all his colleagues and family.
Ulrich was my favourite professor in all of my school career. He introduced me to strategy and management consulting at the John Molson School of Business and inspired me to eventually start my own management consulting company and start teaching strategy myself. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. The world has truly lost a great man.
Ullrich was an extremely generous man who brought out the best in all of us. My sincerest condolences to his family.
I still remember the manner he teaches. What a great professor….
My condolences to his family and friends. May him rest in peace.
This is so sad and hard to believe. Such a promising and smart colleague. Uli taught in the EMBA program at JMSB at Concordia University when I was the director and the students just loved his class and teaching style. I was very appreciative of his intelligence, energy and great sense of humor. My deepest condolences to his loved ones, friends and colleagues.
Caring, enthusiastic, honest and determined to deliver the best lectures. You would feel like a real board member after each one of those management consulting classes. RIP my great prof…
I am very saddened to learn about this. He was my prof for Strategy at Concordia and I loved his classes. He was a methodical teacher that genuinely wanted his students to learn and succeed. He was also a kind and approachable person. My condolences to his family.
very saddened by this unfortunate news. What a great teacher he was ! God bless his soul.
My deepest condolences. He was a great professor and person. Always enthusiastic and energizing. So approachable. I’m deeply saddened to hear about this.
Shocked by this news… so so sad 🙁 Best prof the JMSB MBA ever had… feel so lucky to have had 2 of my favorite classes with him – strategy and consulting. He was incredibly dedicated to his students. He was more than just a prof – he was an inspirational mentor. RIP Dr. Wassmer
Ulrich was an incredible teacher. His consulting class at JMSB was a highlight in my education. He knew how to transmit his passion for consulting and help us prepare for the business world. I am saddened to learn of his passing. All my condolences to his family and colleagues.
All my sincere condoleances to Ulrich’s family and colleagues. He was my professor for consulting during my MBA and i keep very good memories of Ulrich. May his soul rest in peace.
Uli and I were neighbours in Montreal, went to the same yoga studio, and would exchange smiles of encouragement when we passed each other jogging in the park. He was kind and friendly, and always had nice things to say. I am shocked by this terrible news. If there is a means of conveying my condolences to his wife, please let me know.
When I first met Ulrich at the inaugural eMBA evening organized by Concordia, I thought to myself, what a young guy; surely he won’t have a lot to teach us… I quickly understood the depth and passion he offered as a professor and a great human being. My sincere condolences to his family – a little of Ulrich still thrives in all of us…
Ulrich was a superb scholar and all-around person, generous with his ideas and exemplary in his relationships with colleagues and students. His contributions to research on alliance portfolios and more recently on environmental initiatives, have made and will continue to make a difference. RIP, friend.
My sincere condolences to Dr. Wassmer’s family, I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that he had a great influence on his students and colleagues.
Professor Ulrich Wassmer’s class was one of the best during my time as a John Molson School of Business student. He opened my eyes and prepared me for the real business world. I want to wish my sincere deepest condolences to Professor Wassmer’s family and loved ones. I am deeply saddened by the news of his passing.
I am shocked by this very sad news. Uli was a great friend. I will miss him very much. All my sincere condolences to his family.
Dear Uli,
It had been a great honor to work with you in your last days! I tried to leave a message for you and send my condolences here earlier, but waited to hear back from our reviews, as I still feel you are part of the team. We will carry on the work you started and keep you and your family posted during the process. RIP and cheers as you used to say…
Uli and I have had close research interests, so we met frequently in conferences and workshops as well as collaborated as organizers and panelists of such sessions. Uli had this rare combination of a sharp mind and a kind nature. He had a great sense of humor, and kept smiling despite the personal challenges. I was shocked to hear about his passing away.
Together with Olga Bruyaka, I am organizing a workshop in Vancouver in his memory. Please spread the news: http://ie.technion.ac.il/AOM2015/AlliancePDW/. Let’s keep his scholarly tradition alive.
Uli and I met as colleagues at numerous conferences. What stood out most during our conversations was his kind nature and interest to help others — through his research and teaching he inspired, I’m sure not just me, but many people. I’m truly shocked and deeply touched by the sad news of his passing. My sincere condoleances and heartfelt wishes for strength to his spouse and two kids. RIP my friend Ulrich.