Back to School – Alumni Homecoming 2025

The place to be for Frankfurt School alumni – that was the annual Homecoming, which brought together more than 500 alumni on the Frankfurt campus last Saturday. It was a day full of inspiring encounters, relaxed conversations and exciting impulses.

After a brief welcome by Frankfurt School President and CEO Professor Nils Stieglitz and the alumni association FS Alumni e.V., again one of the sponsors of the event, the participants were immersed in a topic that is close to the hearts of many: the development of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG. In his keynote speech, Wolfgang Steubing, Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, gave an insight into the club's development by looking back. Julien Zamberk, Executive Board Member of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, then explained the business model of a professional football club with new sources of revenue off the pitch.

Prior to this, Frankfurt School professors kicked off the Homecoming with impulse sessions on topics from their research that are currently highly relevant in practice: “PIK now and Pay later – How Deferred Interest Reshapes Private Credit”, “Rage Against The Machine: How Big Brands Win on Amazon”, “Unveiling the Backstage: Leading and Learning in Fantasy Worlds” and “The End of Globalisation as We Know It – Europe, China and the USA”.

FS Club – Frankfurt School introduces a game changer in networking

At this year’s Homecoming, Frankfurt School also started a new chapter with the launch of the Frankfurt School Club (FS Club), a next generation network designed to rival the world’s most powerful business school clubs. For decades, institutions like Harvard have built exclusive clubs, closed ecosystems promising access to a powerful network.
 But most of these clubs still run on legacy logic: invite-only events, static directories, and manual matchmaking. With the FS Club, Frankfurt School is introducing a game changer being the first business school in Germany to launch an AI-powered, digital-first private network – inviting 4,000 students and nearly 80,000 alumni across the world to join. The Club was introduced during the keynote “Legacy of Leadership: How to Unlock the Power of Community in a Digital Era” by Alexander Doll, alumnus, member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Frankfurt School. His message was clear: Your network is your net worth – and the way you build it must match the world we live in. To scale that vision, the FS Club is powered by an AI technology called Frankie, developed by Frankfurt School alumna Ruzica Pekic and co-created with Frankfurt School students.
 This technology enables the FS Club to scale intelligently, grow organically, and remain inclusive, creating the kind of agile community today’s leaders need. FS Club is a smarter, stronger, more connected business school club – where people don’t just stay in touch, but identify opportunities, build businesses, and shape what comes next.

“We haven't just developed a technology, we've created the future of how business schools connect their communities. FS Club proves that when you combine great people and smart systems, you create something that completely changes the game.“

Ruzica Pekic, founder of Frankie, Master of Finance Class of 2018

"Frankie is tailored to the needs of our students and alumni, not least because it was developed by this target group: by an FS alumna together with a dedicated team of students and Frankfurt School. The success of the project shows once again how beneficial the collaboration within our FS community is."

Karolina Kristic, Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Beyond FS Club, the Homecoming offered plenty of opportunities for offline networking, and in the evening the participants spent relaxing hours during the dinner. Closing the day, the ‘Night of the Profs’ celebrated its premiere at the party in the club Fortuna Irgendwo – with their performance, the three Frankfurt School star DJs Professor Peter Roßbach, Professor Nils Stieglitz and Professor Jörg Werner possibly established a new tradition.

„Homecoming doesn't just bring back memories – it strengthens the network that accompanies us all throughout our lives.”

Dominique Lambottin, Board Member alumni association FS Alumni e.V., Senior Digital Sales Consultant at Union Investment, Management-Studium Class of 2007

“It was an absolute pleasure to come back for the 25th anniversary of our graduation. So exciting to see what an amazing place it has become and to feel the buzz on campus. Glad I made the trip from London to celebrate with friends I have not seen for too long!”

Sandra Veseli, Managing Director at Moody’s Investors Service, Diplom-Studiengang Class of 2000

“My thanks go to the Frankfurt School Community for a very successful event. It was a great opportunity to refresh old contacts and make new ones.”

Jasper Hanebuth, Member of the Managing Board / Chief Financial Officer at NORD/LB, BSc Class of 2005 and EMBA Class of 2017