Portrait of Prof. Dr. Jana Heimel

Sustainable Mobility & Management Accounting

My research and teaching explore how organisations can operate (more) sustainably – and how to get more people to switch from cars to bicycles.

Prof. Dr. Jana Heimel
Research Professor at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences

The bicycle as a symbol of sustainability and behavioural change

For me, the bicycle is more than a means of transport. It shows how easy it is to live sustainably – and that change starts with each of us. This is the philosophy of life I want to pass on.

Rather than pointing fingers, I lead by example: show the way, whet people’s appetite and reward them.

This is exactly what my projects PendlerRatD, Stuttgart by Bike and StuttgartAirLeben achieve: people try something new and experience how simple sustainable mobility can be. In PendlerRatD, more than 85 % of participants want to keep cycling afterwards.

See my projects
Jana Heimel pushing her orange bicycle across the Heilbronn University campus

Welcome,

I am Jana Heimel, Research Professor of International Management and Management Accounting.

Since 2016 I have been a professor at the Faculty of International Business at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, holding a research professorship since 2020. My courses include Management Accounting and International Management. One of my research areas is sustainable mobility management: I lead the cycling mobility project PendlerRatD.

As a board member of the German Institute for Sustainable Development (DINE) e. V., I am responsible for projects in sustainable mobility and sustainable tourism. There I also initiated “StuttgartAirLeben”, a project offering climate action tours through Stuttgart.

From 2007 to 2016 I worked as Managing Consultant at the Competence Center Controlling & Finance and as Head of the CFO Panel at Horváth & Partners in Stuttgart. In 2013 I earned my doctorate (Dr. oec.) from the University of Zurich.

In Stuttgart I have founded several cycling initiatives, including Stuttgart by Bike and Rennrad Stuttgart.

Jana Heimel

See my career

My focus areas

In research and teaching, I work on the following topics:

  1. 1

    Sustainable mobility

    Mobility management, bicycle commuting and incentive systems for switching modes.

  2. 2

    Cycling tourism

    Sustainable tourism, wine cycling tourism and the sharing economy.

  3. 3

    Green controlling

    Sustainability controlling, sustainable finance and impact measurement.

  4. 4

    Controlling & finance

    Controlling and finance processes, benchmarking and performance management.

  5. 5

    International management

    Strategic management, change management and new business models.

Teaching

At Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, I teach at the Faculty of International Business in the degree programmes Intercultural Studies, Tourism Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Wine Marketing and Management. I have also taught as a visiting lecturer at Stuttgart Media University (HdM) (New Business Models and Strategies) and at Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) (Management Accounting and Market Research).

Questions?

Whether it is a research collaboration, a talk or a question about your studies – I look forward to hearing from you.

Prof. Dr. Jana Heimel
Email: jana.heimel@hs-heilbronn.de
Phone: +49 7131 504 6806

My projects

Research that hits the road.

Mobility research · since 2018

PendlerRatD

Jana Heimel with her bicycle at the Heilbronn education campus

PendlerRatD makes commuting by bike attractive. Car commuters test e-bikes, and an app with bonuses, vouchers and team challenges from employers and sponsors motivates and rewards them.

  • Funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) with almost €1 million from 2018 to 2025, and by the ADAC Foundation since 2026 (until the end of 2028)
  • More than 700 participants across Germany
  • More than 50 partners across Germany
  • Trials in Frankfurt, Augsburg, Nuremberg, Ludwigshafen and Neustadt an der Weinstraße, among others
Project website →

Climate education · DINE e. V.

StuttgartAirLeben

Climate action tours through Stuttgart – on foot, by bike or by public transport. Stops such as the Berger Sprudel mineral spring or the air quality monitoring station at Neckartor cover clean air, water and sustainable mobility. Guided by climate scouts or self-guided with an audio guide.

  • Funded by the Stuttgart Climate Innovation Fund
  • Partners include the City of Stuttgart, VVS, SSB, stadtmobil and Stuttgart Marketing
Project website →

Start-up · 2017–2023

Stuttgart by Bike

Bike tours and bike rental in Stuttgart: discovering the city from the saddle and inspiring people to cycle in their leisure time. The service has been on hold since 2023.

Would you like to help bring Stuttgart by Bike back to life? Please get in touch.

Website →

PendlerRatD in figures

  • 700+participants across Germany
  • 50+partners across Germany
  • approx. 19 tof CO₂ saved in the second pilot phase
  • 85 %+of participants want to keep cycling

Career

  1. since 2020Research Professor at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences
  2. since 2016Professor of International Management and Management Accounting at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences
  3. 2007–2016Managing Consultant, Competence Center Controlling & Finance, and Head of the CFO Panel at Horváth & Partners, Stuttgart
  4. 2013Doctorate (Dr. oec.) from the University of Zurich
  5. 2006–2007Research associate at the International Performance Research Institute (IPRI), Stuttgart
  6. 2005–2006Divisional manager in retail, Duisburg
  7. 1999–2005Double degree in International Business Administration at European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), and ESC Montpellier (now Montpellier Business School; Dipl.-Kffr., Diplôme ESC)
  8. 1996–1997High school year in Lawrenceville (near Atlanta), Georgia, USA

Engagement

Beyond work

(Road) cycling, mountaineering and gardening.

Talks & media

I share my research findings at conferences, in expert committees and in the media.

Selected talks

  • 2023PendlerRatD goes local – Velo-city Conference, Leipzig
  • 2023From car to bike – Appetite pays off – Urban Transport Conference, Frankfurt am Main
  • 2023Climate educational and experiencing city tours – ATLAS Conference, Bad Gleichenberg
  • 2022Bicycle tourism on the rise – Velo-city Conference, Ljubljana
  • 2022From car to bike – Appetite pays off (in German) – Fahrradkommunalkonferenz, Aachen
  • 2022Commuting 2.0 (in German) – Eurobike, Frankfurt am Main
  • 2021The bicycle as a versatile means of transport (in German) – VSVI Transport Symposium, Hambach Castle

In the media

  • 2022SWR2 Forum – the new joy of cycling
  • 2022WDR 5 Quarks – mobility transition
  • 2021ZEIT ONLINE – how car drivers become cyclists
  • 20213sat wissen aktuell – the cycling boom
  • 2021SWR odysso – new enthusiasm for cycling
  • 2021SWR1 Leute – researching mobility and the future of the bicycle

Selected publications

You can find more publications on Google Scholar. Titles in German are given in their original language.

Förderung des Fahrradpendelverkehrs in Deutschland. Ergebnisse der Nachbefragung des Projekts PendlerRatD

with I. Falke · Internationales Verkehrswesen

View publication →

Planning for Seasons: the Macro Level / Value Chain Management and Digitization

Chapters 9 and 10 in: Tourism: A Temporal Analysis

View publication →

PendlerRatD „Umdenken – Umsteigen – Mitradeln“: Vorgehen und Ergebnisse

with B. Krams, I. Falke · Journal für Mobilität und Verkehr

View publication →

Sustainable Finance: Nachhaltigkeitscontrolling zur Steuerung des sozialen und ökologischen Wirtschaftens von Unternehmen

with M. Momberg · in: Nachhaltiger Konsum, Springer

View publication →

Sharing Economy: Nachhaltigkeit versus Profitorientierung

with B. Krams · in: Nachhaltiger Konsum, Springer

View publication →

Controlling 4.0: Wie veränderte Datenverfügbarkeit und Analysemöglichkeiten das Controlling erneuern

with M. Müller · in: Management 4.0, Springer

View publication →

Contact

Feel free to send me an email or give me a call. Office hours: Thursdays 2:30–4:00 pm, or by appointment.

Send a message
Prof. Dr. Jana Heimel
Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences · Faculty of International Business
Bildungscampus, Room N.5.13
Max-Planck-Str. 39, 74081 Heilbronn, Germany

Email: jana.heimel@hs-heilbronn.de
Phone: +49 7131 504 6806