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Interview with Karl Braun, Seconded Partner at KPMG LLP

Karl Braun is a Bucerius Summer School Alumnus of 2002. He is a seconded partner with KPMG LLP in New York City and joined the network of American Friends of Bucerius as an early member in 2010.

What one aspect of the Bucerius experience is the most important for you?
I value feeling like a global citizen. From the first day of my Bucerius experience, I felt like I opened a book that seems to have countless pages and an endless array of subjects.

What did you like the most about your time with Bucerius and the Zeit Foundation?
A huge part of the experience’s appeal for me comes from the personalities of those I met at Bucerius, a group of people with backgrounds as diverse as the world itself. Calling many of them friends is a great honor.

What do you value most in the Bucerius family?
The last word of the question: family.

What did you enjoy most while in Hamburg?
The two weeks in Hamburg, which really felt like two months, helped further open my mind. And Hamburg, as a city, contributed to that.

Who do you think should be a Bucerius fellow in the U.S.?
You might ask, “Who shouldn’t?”

What should every American know about Bucerius?
That however fierce a discussion or fight, at Bucerius it always ends with “ein Butterbrot und ein Glas Wein” [a sandwich and a wine], to quote Gerd Bucerius.

What can Bucerius learn from the U.S.?
The U.S. is a place where people can still live their dreams, and I think that connects well to when Bucerius started his ventures after World War II. The American belief that tomorrow will be better than today is something from which every person and every organization can benefit.

What is your biggest extravagance?
You can never have too many guitars.

What is your current state of mind?
Change. I think we don’t even have an idea of how the world will continue to change. That is the way I look at my decisions. Am I prepared for things we can’t imagine?

What German proverb do you like most?
“In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft [There is strength in calmness].” I love it because it helps me approach challenges, problems and even little calamities without worrying.