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FRANKFURT - the financial capital of Germany

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A 3 day excursion as another great opportunity for MBA students to network.

The final year MBA students started their 3rd semester with a 3 day excursion to Frankfurt. Like all other events, this was another great opportunity for the students to get in touch with top executives of some renowned companies in the financial hub of Germany, which was an amazing experience for the MBA students. Besides the company visits the excursion was supplemented by a guided city tour, a visit to one of the traditional first league German football clubs Eintracht Frankfurt and a typical Palatinate wine tasting.

Deutsche Bank AG

On the first day the MBA students had the privilege to be invited to Deutsche Bank AG, Germany´s largest bank.  Mr. Tim Alexander, Chief Marketing Officer and also an alumnus of Hochschule Pforzheim, took the time to welcome the students. He explained the different divisions and businesses of the institution and talked about the ongoing strategic reorientation of marketing in the private customer and corporate banking business sector. Mr. Alexander explained the students about the data driven marketing and how is it practiced. Deutsche Bank wants to give the most value to its customers by implementing new products, new services and offers that go beyond the classical banking. The institution puts customers now in the center of attention and considers itself as a modern companion that has a positive impact on their customers` lives.  Another very interesting look into Deutsche Bank´s latest challenges was offered by Mr. Ralf Drescher, the Head of Newsroom. All official information and news on the bank that are published on different media is discussed and put together by Mr. Drescher and his team for release. After a round of Q&A there were discussions regarding the undergoing digital transformation initiatives taken by Deutsche Bank.

Clariant Innovation Center

The next stop was at Clariant which is one of the world's leading specialty chemical companies and is focused on four business areas such as care chemicals, catalysis, natural resources, and plastics & coatings. Mr. Markus Glatt, Region HR Partner Europe and MBA alumnus received the students at the Clariant Innovation Center. After welcoming the students Mr. Glatt outlined the different business units of the globally operating Swiss company. He also shared his own story and personal experiences with the students from being a MBA student at Pforzheim University to his present position at Clariant. The company visit also included an active part for the students. Before the excursion, the students were divided into three groups and given different topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Change Management and Business Development that had to be worked on and prepared for the visit. It was an interesting task for the MBA students and in the same time was an opportunity to showcase their innovative mindset and skills. Mr. Glatt and Mr. Vaios Barlas, Head of Technical Application EMEA, BU ICS, who joined the group as well, discussed the presentations with the students before they were taken on a tour through the innovation center. Here the MBA students learnt about the different tests and processes through which Clariant has gained its fame as one of the most sustainable companies worldwide in this sector and its specialization in the chemical industry. 


In the evening the MBA students, professors and staff went for a joint dinner in a traditional Italian restaurant.
 

KPMG

On the second day of the Frankfurt Excursion the MBA students were welcomed by KPMG Germany, one of the leading providers of audit, tax and advisory services in Germany. After a brief overview over the KPMG structure and different business areas Mr. Philipp Killian, Mr. Alexey Semenov and Mr. Fabian Laurenz Grabowski talked about their responsibilities and projects within the consulting segment. They also shared their personal career paths with the students and told them what they like most about working for KPMG. Ms. Isabelle Czerny and Ms. Mareike Büthe presented the tax and advisory area to the students and talked about their daily tasks. After a short break Noushin Cosgun Head of Human Resources Senior & Experienced Hiring at KPMG in Germany and her colleague Carola Stiller gave the students a presentation about the application process and work opportunities at KPMG. Since this part of the visit was held in German the students were able to proof their German language skills that they have acquired during the last year in the MBA program. The visit closed with a round of Q&As for the representatives from the HR department and the chance to ask Senior Consultants direct questions about their work.
 

Eintracht Frankfurt and City Tour

Next stop of the day was at the Commerzbank-Arena, the official stadium of Eintracht Frankfurt, one of the traditional German football clubs that plays in the first Bundesliga. The Commerzbank-Arena officially opened during the 2005 Confederations Cup and one year later was one of the playing venues of the 2006 World Cup. The MBA students had a guided tour through the stadium that has a total of 2,200 business seats and a further 83 lodges that can hold up to 22 people. During the tour the students had a look into the team locker rooms, went to the sidelines of the pitch and even got the chance to enter one of the club´s sponsors lodges. The tour ended with some tales of the football team in the museum onsite. The visit was an exciting chance to have a look behind the scenes of this great football arena.
 
After a short bus ride into the city center the MBA students went for a cultural Frankfurt City Tour that helped to get a better feel for German history and learn more about the city. 
After working up an appetite from a day full of activities and company interactions, the students went to the Sachsenhausen district to a traditional Apfelweingaststube called Dauth-Schneider. There, the MBA students were able to try regional delicacies and talk with MBA Alumni who were living and working in the Frankfurt area! The day ended with bellies full of food and lots of good conversations.
 

EY

The last day of the trip started with the visit to EY, one of the big four audit firms worldwide. EY is specialized in providing their professional audit and consulting services to all major industries i.e. Automotive, Healthcare, Customer Products and Power& Utility. Ms. Sandra Happel, Experienced Hires Recruiter and Mr. Marc Sommerrock, Senior Manager Assurance, welcomed the students to the brand new and very impressive CFO Space at the EY Campus. Here the students got a chance to learn about EY´s Digital Audit Journey. Mr. Sommerrock addressed students with his knowledge and expertise about the industry, showcasing the trends, processes and tools that are used by the organization to remain efficient, effective and always a step ahead in the industry. Later Ms. Happel informed the students about their possible future opportunities with the company and the different career chances to develop professionally and personally while working for EY. During lunch with several other EY employees that were invited to join the program the MBA students had the chance to talk with them about their work experience with the company and got many helpful tips. You can find out about all job offerings and career opportunities at www.de.ey.com/careers.

Wine Tasting

The last destination of the excursion was August Ziegler, a winery dating back to 1717. It is still a family owned winery and is being run in 8th generation by the brothers Harald and Uwe Ziegler. Here the students not only got to know the challenges and process of making wine but learned how to check the quality of the wine. During the wine tasting Harald Ziegler named the typical characteristics of each of the wines so that the students could find out which type of wine was their favorite.
After the wine tasting, the students headed back to Pforzheim.

Siddharth Uppal & Rupert Rivera III, MBA class of 2020