Insights, discussions and award ceremonies at the North-East Conference 2025
Wörthsee/Berlin, October 18, 2025 Sustainability reporting, CO₂ costs, AI in controlling and new methods of risk management – these topics dominated the North-East Conference of the International Controller Association in Berlin. At the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin), specialists and managers from business and science discussed how companies can meet the increasing demands for transparency, efficiency and innovation.
The program provided a practical overview of central fields of action in modern corporate management.
Dr. Eva Katharina Donner, assistant to the administrative management at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH in Leipzig, presented the sustainability reporting practised there.Carsten Thürnau, Head of Controlling at Bremer Stadtreinigung AöR, shed light on the opportunities and risks of the Fuel Emissions Trading Act (BEHG) from the perspective of CO2 costs for companies.
In the afternoon, Prof. (FH) DI Dr. Heimo Losbichler, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management at Steyr University of Applied Sciences and long-standing Chairman of the ICV Board, provided insights into the changes in the role of the controller through the use of artificial intelligence. The event concluded with a case study on cyber risks with Prof. Dr. Thomas Henschel and Prof. Dr. Fares Getzin (HTW Berlin), illustrated with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in risk management.
“The North-East Conference shows how lively the professional exchange in controlling is,” sums up Prof. Dr. Fares Getzin, ICV Delegate Germany East and co-organizer of the event.
A special highlight of the event was thepresentation of the two joint prizes of the ICV – International Controller Association and the Péter Horváth Foundation, which honor excellent scientific work in controlling and bridge the gap between theory and practice. The awards were presented by Matthias von Daacke, Chairman of the ICV, and Prof. Dr. Reinhold Mayer, Chairman of the Péter Horváth Foundation.
ICV – Péter Horváth Controlling Dissertation Award goes to Dr. Jochen Fähndrich
This year’s ICV – Péter Horváth Controlling Dissertation Award went to Dr. Jochen Fähndrich for his dissertation “The impact of digitalization on management control of small and medium-sized enterprises”. The thesis examines how advancing digitalization is changing management control in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Fähndrich shows that digital technologies enable new control logics, accelerate decision-making processes and network controlling systems more closely – but at the same time place new demands on skills, data quality and governance. His research provides practical recommendations on how SMEs can tap into digital potential in controlling without losing control quality.
Dr. Fähndrich was personally encouraged by Prof. Péter Horváth, who passed away in 2022, to begin his academic work – an event that had a special significance for the award winner and provided him with lasting motivation. Parallel to his work as a management consultant at Horváth & Partner, he was a research assistant at the
The prize, worth 10,000 euros, honors work that combines a scientific basis with practical feasibility in an exemplary manner.
More about the ICV – Péter Horváth Controlling Dissertation Prize here.
Lukas Schmidt is the winner of the ICV – Péter Horváth Newcomer Award competition
The ICV – Péter Horváth Newcomer Award, also a joint award of the International Controller Association and the Péter Horváth Foundation, recognizes outstanding theses that combine academic excellence and practical relevance.
Lukas Schmidt from CBS International Business School was awarded first prize for his master’s thesis “A comparative empirical study of the use of ESG-related key figures in corporate management concepts using the example of the MDAX” (supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mike Schulze).
Schmidt examines the extent to which ESG (environmental, social and governance) indicators are integrated into the management of capital market-oriented companies. His analysis of 50 annual and sustainability reports shows that only 32% of companies actively use ESG indicators for management purposes – often with a focus on climate protection, employees and customers. The maturity model developed by Schmidt is particularly valuable, providing companies with practical guidance for expanding their ESG management. The jury praised the work as a well-founded contribution to strengthening sustainability in controlling.
Second place went to Niklas Sievernich from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management with his master’s thesis “Predicting Expansion Speed and Investment Cost of the German Transmission Grid in the Framework of Energy Transition” (supervisor: Prof. Dr. Utz Schäffer).
Sievernich applies modern predictive analytics methods to the expansion of the German electricity transmission grids and provides reliable forecasts on investment volumes and timeframes. The jury emphasized the practical application and the high benefit for infrastructure and energy controlling.
Third prize went to Julia Stockhammer from IMC Krems for her master’s thesis “Use of generative AI in core controlling processes” (supervisor: Dr. Prof. (FH) Reinhard Altenburger).
Stockhammer shows how generative artificial intelligence can transform central controlling processes – from planning and reporting to cost accounting. She develops practice-oriented recommendations for manufacturing companies and emphasizes the transformation of the controller’s role into a strategic partner of management. The jury praised the forward-looking view and the practical implementation of the topic.
“The work submitted impressively demonstrates how strongly controlling is moving towards the future – data-driven, networked and sustainable,” explains Matthias von Daacke, Chairman of the ICV Executive Board. “With the ICV Awards, we are promoting precisely this combination of scientific depth and practical applicability that is advancing our field.”
More about the ICV – Péter Horváth Newcomer Award here.
About the North-East Conference
The ICV North-East Conference has established itself as an important forum for professional exchange in controlling. It offers controllers and managers from business and administration practical impulses for mastering the challenges of increasingly data-driven and sustainability-oriented corporate management.
