Industry leaders from top Austrian and international companies mentor MU students

Every spring semester, top students are invited to take part in MU’s Industry Mentoring/Excellence Program where have the chance to work hand-in-hand with senior representatives of leading Austrian and international companies.

 ‘’One of the main goals of the program is to get the students inspired, and help them to find out what they want to do in the future,’’ says Prof. Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, program leader. ‘’They get to observe the everyday management challenges of the mentors and how they deal with real-life situations.’’

At the end of the year mentors are invited up to the campus to hear the final report from their charges – and maybe even offer them a job!

This year 5 Bachelor students and 3 Master students participated in this program and gained insight into various aspects of operating a successful business.

On the Bachelor side, Sarah Fuchs gained insights into supply chain management at HAVI Logisticsunder the wing of mentor Mr. Gerald Höller, Managing Director, HAVI Logistics.

Vera Tkachenko was mentored by Ms. Monique Dekker, General Manager, Ms. Barbara Göttling, Director of Sales & Marketing, and Ms. Antonia Felgner, Marketing Communications Manager, Park Hyatt Vienna, and discussed her experience in PR and marketing at a major international hotel chain. Her hard work paid off – after graduation she will be moving to China to start the Corporate Leadership Trainee program with the Hyatt Group!

Tina Mengyuan Geng spent time at the Vienna Tourist Board, focusing on how to attract the Chinese market. She was mentored by Ms. Verena Hable, Media Relations Japan, China, South Korea, Russia, Arab Countries, Vienna Tourist Board.

Among other tasks, Serena Giacomin worked on the "Venue Finder’’ service being developed at the Vienna Convention Bureau. She had two mentors throughout her experience: Ms. Ulrike von Arnold, Deputy Director, and Ms. Eva-Maria Hauer, Webpage Management, Vienna Convention Bureau.

Kristina Artner spent her time at coffee giantNespresso and benefitted from the expertise of three mentors: Mr. Otmar Frauenholz, B2B Commercial Director Nespresso, Ms. Sandra Trenk, Consumer Insights & CRM - B2B Marketing Specialist, and Ms. Simona Reeh, B2B Marketing Manager, Nespresso Österreich.

For the first time, Master of Science students were also invited to participate in the Mentoring Program with excellent results.

Paula Isabel Linares looked at the GDPR and multichannel marketing at pharmaceutical behemoth Bayer Austria under the mentorship of Ms. Daniela Lang, Director Business Unit Women’s and Men’s Health Care, and Ms. Gabriele Stich, Commercial Operations Manager, Bayer Austria.

Kateryna Greshenko got into the theatre business for a semester and presented ‘’A Competitors analysis of VBW Musicals" detailing her time under mentor Ms. Gerlinde Fischer, Director of Sales, Vereinigte Bühnen Wien.

An aspiring consultant, Stefan Catic learned the ins and outs of the luxury hotel industry at PKF hotelexperts under the care of Mr. Michael Widmann, Managing Partner, Ms. Akshara Walia, Research Analyst, and Mr. Michael Druk, Software Engineer, PKF hotelexperts. Stefan certainly impressed his mentors – he starts work as a consultant at PKF in mid-June.

Congratulations to our students for their hard work and a warm thanks to all their inspiring mentors!