At the start of each semester, freshers are introduced to successful alumni of our business school in a series called “VIA Impulses” – with VIA standing for Very Important Alumni. This winter semester 2024/25 marked the first time an English-language event was offered specifically for students in our English-taught programs: Pforzheim MBA alumnus Christoph Kull, now president of the ERP+ division at the software company proALPHA, spoke about living and working in international environments. 

While emphasising that performance is what ultimately matters when building a career, Christoph Kull stressed that there is more to success than ambition and hard work: curiosity, humility and diversity are the guiding principles he has embraced over the course of his career, which has taken him through various leadership roles at SAP, Workday, Adobe and, most recently, proALPHA.

Proud and grateful to have been a student here
Addressing the students, Christoph Kull congratulated them on their choice to study at Pforzheim University. “I am proud to have been a student here 21 years ago.” The business school, he continued, was a great choice, not least due to its international accreditations and its interdisciplinary and practical approach, which set it apart from others. He then urged his audience to make use of the opportunities provided to them: “Dedicate your time to learning and studying and you will emerge enriched, empowered and smarter”. Stressing that everyone works at a different pace, he recommended continuously evaluating how much time one needs to do a good job at university and how much to spend on work experience and leisure.
Christoph Kull himself came to Pforzheim in 2002 to pursue an MBA in International Consulting after completing a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Washington and working as a project manager and consultant for SAP. One of the reasons he decided to go for a second degree was the “international exposure” he was hoping to gain. His advice to the freshers: the contacts made at university can be just as important as the knowledge gained. “Sometimes, what counts is not what you know but who you know. So, starting today, make an effort to introduce yourself and invest in your network.”

The more diverse a team, the better
The diverse experiences and exposures people bring to the table can be invaluable, Kull said, explaining that his understanding of diversity encompasses dimensions ranging from nationality to religious orientation, gender, sexuality, age, education or professional background. In terms of geographical origins, the freshers seemed to be off to a good start – a quick survey among the students in the room revealed they had come to Pforzheim from different corners of Germany and its German-speaking neighbors as well as from all around the world, be it Turkey or the Philippines. 
A dual citizen of Germany and Portugal, Christoph Kull values every opportunity to engage with different cultures. After graduating high school, he left Germany to pursue a semi-professional tennis career and study business in the US college system, where he met and lived with students and athletes from many different backgrounds. His degree abroad taught him a lot about intercultural differences and communication and has notably shaped his look on life and work environments: “The more diverse a team, the better it is. Being different and bringing something new to a team is better than just being good at your job”, Kull firmly believes. He added that on top of meeting different people, spending time outside of your home country is what teaches you the most valuable lessons: “If you have the chance to spend a semester abroad, do it.”

Balance is important, but only performance gets you ahead
Alongside his professional work, Christoph Kull makes an effort to engage in various voluntary activities, from being a bone marrow donor (“It’s easy to do it!”) to fundraising for a children’s cancer foundation and supporting equality and diversity initiatives. “There’s more to life than studying and building a career”, he said. However, he added that while balancing your life was important, performance was what ultimately matters if you want to advance – a lesson he had to learn early on, as a young athlete pursuing a tennis career. Consulting, according to Christoph Kull, offers the perfect environment for young individuals to prove themselves. “When I was a consultant at SAP early in my career, I got to know six or seven companies in just a few years. The fast-paced, high-pressure environment can be taxing, but it is also a lot of fun and teaches you so much about how businesses are run.” 
Still, Christoph Kull highlighted how important it is to take care of your own health and set boundaries: “Self-care is not selfish”. He also mentioned the importance of resilience during his time at Pforzheim university, followed by a disclaimer to the students: “There will be times when you will need to be resilient while you’re studying here. Among all the challenges and expectations you will be facing, it will be important to prioritize, focus and stay healthy.”
 

Stay curious, keep learning
After completing their MBA at Pforzheim university, Christoph Kull and some of his classmates founded their own consulting company, Alsus, building on the success of a project they had done as part of their studies. While the endeavor proved financially challenging and they did not end up pursuing it for more than a few years, Kull remembers founding and running the company as a fun time that taught him a great deal. “Being my own boss, the close connection with my co-founders and the joy of creating something together” motivated him throughout. However, starting a family with his wife, whom he had married around the time of his MBA graduation, prompted him to seek a more secure and financially stable career path. 
Returning to SAP, Christoph Kull had the opportunity to work in global teams, learned “not to be afraid to think big and handle big numbers”, gained leadership experience and enjoyed working in various international functions. His recommendation to the freshers: “In a corporate environment, don’t stay in one position for more than three years. Use the opportunities you get to continuously reinvent yourself and try out different things.” This same curiosity and drive for new experiences led Kull to join the US company Workday as managing director for the DACH region and later Adobe as vice president and managing director for Central Europe. At Adobe, he had to “learn how to turn around a declining growth business by creating an atmosphere of fun and growth”, citing the importance of company culture and mutual respect as key takeaways from this time.

Curiosity, humility and diversity as keys to success
Today, at 48 years old, Christoph Kull has chosen to jump into the C-suite of the fast-paced private equity backed world. His decision to join the medium sized software company proALPHA as President of the division ERP+ earlier this year means shaping and leading an entire company end to end, but also working closer to home and spending more time with his family – something he values just as much as the “complex, fast and fun work environment” the software sector is offering him. 
Wrapping up, Christoph Kull summarized his learnings in three words – curiosity, humility and diversity. In fact, the importance of approaching and leading people with kindness and an open mind, drawing inspiration and advice from diverse surroundings and not taking anything for granted resonated throughout each story he shared with the students. He concluded by offering a final piece of advice: “Be authentic. Early in my career, I thought I had to dress, speak and act a certain way to belong. Over time I learned that bringing your authentic self to a project, job or organization is the best thing you can do. There’s only one version of me.”