In memoriam: Dr. Helmut Sohmen

Dr. Sohmen was a distinguished businessman and lawyer, and long-time Chairman of the World-Wide Shipping Group and later the BW Group. He made significant contributions to public life in Hong Kong, serving as a Member of the Legislative Council, Chairman of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and in numerous other civic roles.

A strong advocate of education, Dr. Sohmen established several scholarship programmes and endowed academic chairs at leading universities around the world.

Dr. Sohmen and his family have also left an enduring legacy at LMU. In 2013, the Egon Sohmen Foundation became a key supporter of our PhD programme in economics through the Egon Sohmen Graduate Center at LMU Munich. Since then, 17 doctoral students in economics have received generous scholarships, enabling them to focus on their research and to thrive academically.