Benefactor and founder has passed away: KLU mourns the loss of Klaus-Michael Kühne
Kühne Logistics University mourns the loss of its founder, benefactor and companion: Klaus-Michael Kühne died on the night of Monday, August 24, 2026 at the age of 89. The Hamburg entrepreneur founded the university 16 years ago – and remained closely associated with it throughout his life. The Kühne Foundation, which he established, is the sponsor of KLU and will continue to support the university in the future.
"Without Klaus-Michael Kühne’s vision and extraordinary commitment, KLU would not exist. From the very beginning, he was a steadfast supporter of ‘his’ university, offering both guidance and practical support. Right up to the end, he took a close personal interest in KLU’s development and international expansion. Just as importantly, he made sure during his lifetime that KLU would have a secure future. We will always be profoundly grateful to him. Our thoughts are with his wife, Christine Kühne, and with his friends and all those who were close to him," says Prof. Dr. Andreas Kaplan, President of Kühne Logistics University.
Kühne Foundation as a partner for the future
As in the past, the Kühne Foundation, established by Klaus-Michael Kühne, will continue to support KLU in the future and accompany its further development. Even if Klaus-Michael Kühne's support will be sorely lacking in the future, he has made the best possible provision for the future of his university.
Promoting top talent in logistics
Klaus-Michael Kühne's goal of training leaders for practice is the focus of KLU. The university's three Centers of Excellence cooperate directly with partners from industry, numerous doctoral theses are written in collaboration with companies, and the university promotes the exchange of science and practice through events such as the Kühne Foundation's Logistics Day.
16 years ago, Kühne decided to establish KLU as an independent university. The founder himself on the university's tenth anniversary: "In 2010, I decided to create an educational institution through my Kühne Foundation, which would strengthen the attractiveness of globally oriented logistics as an academic subject and as a field of research and at the same time contribute to the development of Hamburg as a science location in international competition."
The plan succeeded. The university started with its first cohort of around 30 students in less than a year. Now, more than 700 students from all over the world are enrolled at KLU on its Hamburg campus and its Saigon campus in Vietnam. The internationalization of KLU has always been a key priority for Kühne. In addition to Vietnam, additional locations in Latin America and Africa are planned for the near future. As a close observer and visionary, Klaus-Michael Kühne was not only closely associated with his university, but also called for its constant further development.
One of the leading private universities in Germany
Various milestones underpin the university's successful development: KLU is AACSB-accredited and therefore among the top 5% of the world’s best business schools. In 2023, the German Council of Science and Humanities re-accredited KLU for ten years, without a subsequent re-examination. In 2017, KLU was one of the few private universities in Germany to be granted the right to award doctorates independently.
A book of condolences has been placed in the KLU foyer, where members of the university community can personally express their grief.
Kühne Foundation: Farewell to entrepreneur and philanthropist Klaus-Michael Kühne
