Tributes paid to leading project academic Yvonne Schoper

Professor Doctor Yvonne Schoper, Professor for International Project Management at HTW University of Applied Sciences in Berlin and Fellow of International Project Management Association (IPMA) has passed away, it has been announced.

Prof Dr Schoper passed away during an IPMA conference in Nanjing, China, on 22 April.

During her career, she was Associate Professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, the Reykjavik University in Iceland and at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. Her research interests included the projectification of economies, the impact of culture on projects, and women in project management.

She also worked as a project manager for BMW where she was responsible for several international car development projects in Germany and the USA. Since 2021, Prof Dr Schoper had served as Vice President Young Crew and Talent Management at IPMA. 

Alistair Godbold, APM representative on IPMA Council, told APM: “It was a great shock to hear of the tragic and sudden passing of Professor Doctor Yvonne Schoper in the prime of her life and career. Yvonne was a passionate and energetic supporter of the project profession, always looking to advance the cause for the benefit of society.

"She was a researcher, a practitioner, an enthusiastic supporter of people starting out in the profession, and as well as this, she was a great friend. She would light up a room with her infectious enthusiasm and energy, always making time for people.

“Yvonne was a great help to me in my time with IPMA being part of the IPMA “family”, welcoming and always willing just to talk or to bounce around ideas. She will be missed by all who knew her, and I will miss her for the joy and light that she brought.”