All-rounder with broad experience in support services

Support Department has a new Head

Sep 3, 2012 | MICHAEL HAGMANN
On September 1st Dr. Urs Leemann took over from Roland Knechtle as the head of Empa’s Support Department. His professional experience provides the optimal background to manage this multifaceted group.
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Urs Leemann earned his technical spurs as an apprentice toolmaker for a manufacturer of stamping dies, followed by several years of experience in an industrial laboratory testing valve assemblies at low temperatures. Opting for a career change, he then gained a law degree from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and a doctoral degree from the University of Lucerne. During this time Urs Leemann was also involved in founding a startup firm in the Technopark Zurich, which later, as joint owner, he successfully established on the market.
 
From 2001 until joining Empa he was on the staff of the law faculty at the University of Zürich. As a member of the Dean's management team and head of the Department of Teaching, Organization and Information Technology, his input had a significant influence on strategic planning and the successful operative introduction of the Bologna student courses.
 
In addition to his main professional activities Urs Leemann has since 2009 been a member of the Board of Directors of the Raiffeisenbank an der Limmat. He is married with a daughter and a son, for whom he enjoys making wooden toys in his leisure time.