Remembrance of Prof. em. Dr. Armin Töpfer

© töpfer

We have received the sad information that Prof. em. Dr.  Armin Töpfer passed away after a serious illness at the age of 79. With Armin Töpfer, the faculty loses a very committed and commendable colleague.

Armin Töpfer moved from the University of Kassel to the TU Dresden in 1992. He took over the Chair for Business Administration, esp. Corporate Management, which was one of the four founding Chairs of the Faculty. Armin Töpfer was chairholder  until his retirement in 2010. In teaching and research, he was particularly interested in the topics of value-oriented corporate management, strategic marketing, business process optimization and health care management.

Armin Töpfer remained associated with the TU Dresden even after his retirement. Until his death, he was head of the the research group Corporate Management and Marketing.  In particular, the research group conducted process-oriented analyses to explore the requirements, concepts and effects of change management and zero-defect quality strategies.

A close cooperation with the industry was always important for Armin Töpfer. Among other things, he was involved in the implementation of Six Sigma in hospitals and the reorganisation of Airbus. Armin Töpfer used his close relations with the chairmen of the board of Deutsche Bahn to intensify the cooperation with Deutsche Bahn as coordinator of the TU Dresden. He played a significant role in TU Dresden becoming one of the cooperation partners of Deutsche Bahn AG.

Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife and family. With great gratitude, we will honour Armin Töpfer's memory.

On behalf of all members of the Faculty of Business and Economics

Prof. Dr. Michael Schefczyk
Dean