History

The institute, founded in 1974, has a tradition of outstanding researchers and professors. Its emeriti - from Professor Perridon to Professor Ballwieser - have had an impact beyond the Insitute and have left their mark on economics in the German-speaking world.

History

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität was founded in Ingoldstadt in 1472. Today's University of Excellence has been located in Munich since 1826. In 1974, the then Faculty of Economics was split into the Faculty of Business Administration and the Faculty of Economics. Our institute was founded as a result. Today, the Faculty of Business Administration with our institute is one of the most renowned faculties in Europe. Find out more about the history of the Institute of Accounting and Auditing in the following:


  • Prof. Dr. Louis Perridon (1965-1971): Starting in 1965, Prof. Louis Perridon chaired the department at the Institute for Comparative Business Administration and Public Firms at the University of Munich. The institute was part of the former Faculty of National Economics. In 1971, he was called to the University of Augsburg, where he became the founding president.
    Prof. Klaus von Wysocki was appointed as his successor.
  • Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Klaus von Wysocki (1971-1992): Prof. von Wysocki earned his habilitation in Business Administration in Münster in 1960. Following stints in Mannheim (1961-1962 and 1966-1971) and Berlin (1962-1966), he was appointed to the Chair of Business Consulting and Auditing at the University of Munich in 1971, where he also became the head of the corresponding seminar.
    From 1987 to 1988, von Wysocki served as the president of the Association of Business Administration Professors. Throughout his academic career, Klaus von Wysocki published over 250 papers that significantly influenced German business administration.
    In 1999, von Wysocki received an honorary doctorate from the University of Mannheim. Upon his retirement in 1992, Prof. Wolfgang Ballwieser was appointed as his successor.
  • Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Wolfgang Ballwieser (1992-2014): After stints in Frankfurt and Hannover from 1982 to 1992, Prof. Ballwieser conducted research and taught at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München from 1992 to 2014. During his tenure, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration from 1997 to 1999. Under Prof. Ballwieser's leadership, the Chair of Business Consulting and Auditing was renamed to the "Seminar for Auditing and Accounting" (Seminar für Wirtschaftsprüfung und Rechnungswesen). In 2001, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Bergische Universität Wuppertal. A year later, he received the Dr. Kausch Prize from the University of St. Gallen. In 2003, the Munich Research Prize for Auditing was established on his initiative and awarded by the institute for the first time.
    During his time at the institute, two honorary professors, Prof. Martin Plendl and Prof. Christian Aders, were appointed by the faculty, and they remain closely associated with the institute to this day. Prof. Ballwieser's research focused on corporate valuation, accounting, investment and financing, and auditing. His numerous scholarly contributions continue to exert significant influence in both accounting research and general business administration.
    In March 2014, Prof. Ballwieser retired, and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Sellhorn was appointed as his successor.
  • Prof. Dr. Thorsten Sellhorn (since 2014): Prof. Thorsten Sellhorn has been heading the Institute for Accounting and Auditing (formerly the "Seminar for Accounting and Auditing") at LMU Munich since 2014. His academic journey, including studies, doctoral studies, and habilitation, involved periods at Bochum (Ruhr-Universität Bochum), Madison/Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin), and Boston/Massachusetts (Harvard Business School). After habilitating under Prof. Bernhard Pellens at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Prof. Sellhorn accepted a position at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar in 2008. Following declined offers from the universities of Göttingen, Osnabrück, Duisburg-Essen, and Innsbruck, Prof. Sellhorn accepted the call to LMU in 2014 and has since served as the head of the Institute for Accounting and Auditing.