Honorary Doctor of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Adolf G. Coenenberg, Passed Away

The Faculty of Business and Economics at TU Dresden, his students and colleagues, the academic community, and numerous collaborators mourn the loss of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Adolf G. Coenenberg, who passed away on December 29, 2024, following a brief but severe illness. The faculty awarded Prof. Coenenberg an honorary doctorate in 1998.

Prof. Coenenberg was deeply committed to bridging research and practice. His exceptional teaching skills inspired generations of students and motivated 11 of his academic scholars to become professors at German universities and universities of applied sciences. Prof. Edeltraud Günther and Prof. Thomas Günther, both from TU Dresden, are grateful for having learned so much from him.

He authored numerous textbooks, most notably his seminal work on financial statements and their analysis, now in its 27th edition. As recently as October 2024, he collaborated with Prof. Thomas Fischer, Prof. Rolf Brühl, and Prof. Thomas Günther to release the 10th edition of the textbook on cost accounting and cost analysis. Together with Prof. Heinz-Georg Baum and Prof. Thomas Günther, he co-authored a textbook on strategic controlling, which has become a cornerstone in the education of every controller. Additionally, he published over 200 practice-oriented and academic articles and remains one of the most frequently cited researchers in the field of accounting.

Prof. Coenenberg was one of the pioneers of accounting internationalization, spending extended periods as a visiting professor in the United States, Japan, Australia, and Austria. He was open to new areas of study, such as strategic controlling and environmentally-oriented controlling. He worked closely with industry and trained generations of managers from renowned companies. Twice, he directed the management training academy Universitätsseminar der Wirtschaft (USW) and also held supervisory board positions.

His profound interest in exchanging ideas with practitioners was reflected in his long-standing commitment to the Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft. For nearly two decades, he served on its board, acting as vice president from 1997 to 2003.

Throughout his life, Prof. Coenenberg maintained a positive outlook on the future, demanded and fostered excellence, and always gave his team the freedom to explore new ideas and to grow. His students, academic scholars, and many practitioners will miss him greatly.

to the obituary by the University of Augsburg