Hans-Paul Bürkner is Chairman Emeritus of the BCG. He was previously President and Chief Executive from 2003 to 2012. He joined BCG in 1981 and, before becoming the firm’s CEO, he was head of BCG’s global Financial Services practice, Chair of the Practice Areas, and a member of the Executive Committee. As CEO, Hans-Paul has driven BCG's expansion by geography, industries and functions. Among others, he has established the Social Impact Initiative and the Public Sector Practice. He has counted among his clients many of the world’s leading companies and public entities during his more than 40 years at BCG. He has worked with them to redefine their strategies and organizations, spearheaded major global expansion initiatives, and supported them in the fundamental restructuring of their businesses. Hans-Paul studied economics, business administration and Chinese, receiving a Diploma from the university of Bochum, an MA from Yale and a DPhil from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.