Stefan Lippert, a luminary from our community of Japan thought leaders, died on Aug. 31 at the age of 47. He was a professor of business studies and a consultant.
Hailing from Kiel in Germany, Lippert taught international business at Temple University, Japan Campus in Tokyo, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He also advised firms on global strategy, marketing and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Previously, he worked as a management consultant, first at McKinsey & Co. and later in Japan as managing partner at Simon-Kucher & Partners.
In the classroom, professor Lippert had the reputation of being a difficult and demanding teacher, but also the most worthwhile. He would pick on the quietest students to participate in debates and discussions. He thought it important that students should risk expressing their points of view, even if these views were different from those of others — whether they liked it or not.