Application & Admission

Realizing a long-cherished dream

My program selection was subjective from the beginning. I had already completed my first degree as Diplomkaufmann at the University of Mannheim between 1995 and 2001, so the Executive MBA felt like coming home to me. During my first degree program, I did an ERASMUS exchange to Swansea in 1999–2000. But ESSEC Business School in Paris had been high on my shortlist of destinations as well. So it was great that I managed to go there a few years later.

I had been in contact with the admissions team since 2009, but it took me another nine years to finally apply. During that time, I was stationed in Istanbul for an international company, constantly following Mannheim Business School and the international rankings throughout the years. After returning to Germany, I felt now was the time to apply, because now I had gathered enough experience and seniority.

To prepare for the application, I made use of the detailed descriptions on the homepage. I also attended an Open Day and visited a class. During that day, I spoke with some of the alumni, but mostly prepared for the application process by myself. When MBS contacted me and told me I was accepted, I felt relieved, honored and very happy to complete the process and start this EMBA program after nine years of “waiting” for the right time.

When I finally met my classmates for the first time, I felt kind of nervous and I was wondering if I would be able to match, meet and follow the class at that high level. I was hoping to gain new insights and new perspectives after spending nearly 17 years in the aerospace and defense industry at Airbus and Rolls-Royce Power Systems. And that is what I did in the program. I felt that I had enough space for my self-development in an environment with highly educated teammates. I could learn and confirm what I felt had been my strengths and weaknesses throughout my professional career. For me, that in itself was a highlight of the program.

What also had a lasting impact on me was some of the professors who imparted their personal insights and values to us. Prof. Kakabadse in Strategic Leadership and Prof. Bibard in Ethics confirmed that business is not solely about business and can only thrive in the broader context of values and culture. The Outdoor Leadership Training at Saint-Cyr was also something to remember.

Concerning juggling my studies, job and personal obligations during the program, I was a little lucky. I quit my position as CFO at Rolls-Royce Power Systems and had the luxury of studying nearly full-time for 10 to 11 months. During the second part of the program, I started to work again at ABB Germany, however it was great that my employer respected how important my studies were to me and gave me the flexibility to concentrate on the courses. Despite this, the program was still challenging for me, and I express my deepest respect to those who did not have the luxury I had.

Looking back, I would say the program helped me in my personal development and boosted my career by giving me the opportunity to develop my management and leadership expertise outside of the aerospace and defense industry. Having access to the MBS Network is quite useful, particularly in the event of concrete business problems. At my current job, we recently had a question regarding some accounting and tax procedures for China. Through the network, I easily got in touch with someone who had the information we needed to help us tackle this problem.