Decoration of Honor of the Republic of Austria awarded to Anna Steiger

"This prestigious honor is especially in recognition of my 12 years as Vice Rector at TU Wien," says Anna Steiger. “My team and I successfully implemented several groundbreaking projects on human resources and equality, such as the digitalization of the HR department, the creation of a 'Best Ager Pool,' and the introduction of the 'TU Women's Prize.'"

Born in Vienna, she received the award, the Grand Decoration of Honor of the Republic of Austria, for her role as former Vice Rector for Human Resources and Gender at the Vienna University of Technology. The Decoration of Honor is the highest state award in Austria - equivalent to the Order of Merit (also known as the Federal Cross of Merit) in the Federal Republic of Germany. The award comprises ten medal levels.

Prof. Peter Middendorf, Rector of the University of Stuttgart, congratulated his Head of Human Resources on this prestigious recognition: "On behalf of the entire Rectorate, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Anna Steiger on being awarded the Grand Decoration of Honor. We here at the University of Stuttgart are proud to have such an experienced and committed chancellor. We are very much looking forward to continuing to work with her in the coming years.”

Anna Steiger, born in 1965, completed her studies in law, journalism, and political science at the University of Vienna in 1993 with a Magister degree. After working at a law firm, a management consultancy company and the legal department of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, she was employed as head of human resources and labor market policy at the Lower Austrian Volkshilfe. From 2003 to 2011, as Vice Rector for Personnel, Resources, and the Advancement of Women, she headed the administration department at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and was responsible for the personnel and financial budget. From 2011 to 2023, she was Vice Rector for Human Resources and Gender at the Vienna University of Technology, where her responsibilities included human resource management, the personnel budget, the digitization of administration, and diversity management. She has been Chancellor of the University of Stuttgart since November 22, 2023.