Dr. Jörg Kukies

Former German Minister of Finance and Co-Head of Goldman Sachs for Germany and Austria

On April 21, 2026, the TUM Speakers Series welcomed Dr. Jörg Kukies, Former German Minister of Finance and Co-Head of Goldman Sachs to the Audimax at TUM’s main campus for an outstanding talk and discussion.

The event titled “Crossroads of Capital, Power and Policy” provided our guests an evening full of valuable insights straight from the heart of government and one of the biggest investment banks.

He explained that the fundamental principles of leadership remain consistent across both public and private sectors: strong work ethic, passion, and collaboration. The importance of the public sector, especially in times of crisis such as COVID-19, is often underestimated, yet it plays a crucial role in stabilising and sustaining economies.

While Europe and the United States see a similar number of startups founded, the U.S. remains significantly more successful in scaling them, with key challenges including the limited availability of venture capital, higher regulatory hurdles and structural barriers within European funding ecosystems.

He also elaborated on the priorities for Germany’s economic future to remain competitive, such as reforming and simplifying the tax system, addressing high energy costs, reducing bureaucracy, lowering the cost of risk-taking and strengthening incentives for innovation and sustainable growth.

With over 800 people joining us, the atmosphere in the Audimax was both intense and thought-provoking, reflecting the importance of the current economic situation and possible solutions to it.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, to Prof. Dr. Christoph Kaserer and the TUM School of Management for their support, our moderator Paul Amthor, and the whole team of the TUM Speakers Series for making this extraordinary evening possible!