The German Limited Liability Companies Act (GmbHG) gives the drafters of the articles of association extensive flexibility to structure the internal organization of the company in accordance with their respective needs. One option that has so far received little scholarly attention is the establishment of a board of directors (Verwaltungsrat) as an optional corporate body. But what is to be understood by a board of directors, and how is it to be distinguished from a supervisory board? Is there, in practice, any real need for the establishment of such a board of directors? How is the management board to be classified within the legal framework of the GmbH? Koray Çavu?o?lu examines these questions using a methodologically pluralistic approach. He challenges the widespread view that the board of directors is merely a variant of the optional supervisory board and develops an independent understanding of the board of directors of the GmbH in light of SE law-an approach with far-reaching consequences for corporate drafting practice.