Barbara Kolm

Kolm Barbara, Mag. Dr., Secretary General of the Friedrich August v. Hayek Institute in Vienna, Austria.

Having studied business administration at the University of Innsbruck and University of California, Los Angeles she started working in her family´s firm which she left in 1994 to become an assistant professor at the Department of Tourism and Service Economics at the University of Innsbruck. In her thesis she dealt with labour market economics. At the same time she started her own business consultancy and, finally, left the University in 1997. Having always been interested in free market and liberal ideas she accepted an invitation to direct the F. A. v. Hayek Institute in fall 2000. She expanded the activities of the Institute and restructured them by laying emphasis on the Austrian School of Economics and providing market based solutions (education, health care, pension reform, Tax reform etc.).

Being a worldwide networker she uses these abilities to promote free market policies; in addition she is a frequent speaker on public policy related issues, especially on deregulation and competition topics, and Austrian Economics at universities and international conferences. Details www.hayek-institut.at

Barbara Kolm is a member of the Board of Business Consultants of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, responsible for new market approaches and questions of training and a Member of the Mont Pélerin Society. She is President of the European Center for Economic Growth.