Mannheim Business School

As another cohort of our Full-Time MBA prepares to graduate, Bluesky Thinking asked them to reflect on graduation day and the lasting impact of their studies.

Meet Joel Bacharie, soon to complete his Full-Time MBA at Mannheim Business School. Originally from the Seychelles, Joel shares what it means to represent his home country on an international stage, his perspective that someone else’s success need not diminish your own, and how the classroom discussions of his MBA enriched the way he thinks.

Read the full interview here:
https://bluesky-thinking.com/meet-the-graduating-class-2026-supporting-someone-elses-success-does-not-take-anything-away-from-your-own/

Innovation entsteht selten im Alleingang, sondern dort, wo Wissenschaft und Praxis zusammenkommen, Perspektiven ausgetauscht und neue Ideen gemeinsam weiterentwickelt werden.

„Die Kooperation mit der Mannheim Business School ermöglicht uns, Spitzentalente praxisnah zu fördern und gemeinsam Innovationen voranzutreiben“, sagt Torsten Klamm, Partner Tax bei PwC.

Lerne den Mannheim Master of Accounting & Taxation kennen und erfahre an unserem Tag der Perspektiven am Samstag, 12. September 2026, wie er Fachwissen, Netzwerk und Karrierechancen verbindet:

https://www.mannheim-business-school.com/de/mba-master-und-kurse/masterprogramme/mannheim-master-of-accounting-taxation/

Congratulations to the Multi-Competence Teams of our Mannheim Part-Time MBA Class of 2026, who presented the final results of their Business Master Projects to academic supervisors, company sponsors, and our program management.

The topics ranged from market entry and portfolio diversification in the automotive industry to a go-to-market strategy for a digital payments solution, a playbook for post-merger integration, and a market positioning analysis for enterprise software.

Other projects addressed a digital transformation strategy for data-driven business models, a sustainable growth roadmap for an industrial manufacturer, a market strategy for optical technology in the quantum era, an analysis of athlete value in professional sports, a corporate capital strategy, and a study on global market expansion in the aviation industry.

The presentations were the final milestone of the program but one: We look forward to welcoming everyone again at the festive graduation ceremony. Well done, and congratulations to the Class of 2026.

Find out more about the Mannheim Part-Time MBA here: www.mannheim-business-school.com/part-time-mba/

Tag der Perspektiven beim Mannheim Master of Accounting & Taxation (MaMAT) am 12. September – der Startpunkt für Ihre Karriere in der Wirtschaftsprüfung und Steuerberatung.

Wenn Sie sich für das berufsbegleitende Masterstudium interessieren, sollten Sie den Tag der Perspektiven am Samstag, 12. September, nicht verpassen. Für viele unserer aktuellen Studierenden war die Veranstaltung eine wichtige Entscheidungshilfe:

„Der Tag an der Mannheim Business School hat meine Entscheidung zur Bewerbung noch einmal deutlich gefestigt. Neben wertvollen Informationen zum Studienaufbau konnte ich den Campus hautnah erleben und mich persönlich mit Professoren und Studierenden austauschen.“

„Studierende haben wertvolle Tipps zur Vorbereitung auf die Zulassungsklausur und zum Studium selbst gegeben.“

„Besonders in Erinnerung geblieben ist mir die Masterclass von Herrn Prof. Dr. Spengel, die uns einen authentischen Einblick in künftige Vorlesungen bot.“

„Der Tag der Perspektiven war außerdem eine hervorragende Gelegenheit, erste Kontakte mit zukünftigen Kommilitonen zu knüpfen und gemeinsame Ziele und Interessen zu entdecken.“

Nutzen Sie den Tag für Einblicke und Informationen, treffen Sie die Akademischen Direktoren des Programms, das Admissionsteam sowie aktuelle Studierende und lernen Sie Prof. Dr. Christoph Spengel persönlich beim gemeinsamen Lunch kennen.

Jetzt anmelden: www.mannheim-business-school.com/MaMAT/

Die Anforderungen an die Wirtschaftsprüfung steigen – und mit ihnen die Ansprüche an die Ausbildung von Talenten. Für Deloitte ist die Kooperation mit der Mannheim Business School deshalb weit mehr als ein Studienprogramm.

„Die Kooperation mit der Mannheim Business School im AuditXcellence Masterprogramm ist für uns ein zentraler Bestandteil, um unsere Talente gezielt auf ihren Karriereweg in der Wirtschaftsprüfung vorzubereiten“, sagt Steffen Schmidt, Partner und Standortleiter Deloitte Mannheim.

Die Zusammenarbeit schafft ein Umfeld, in dem sich angehende Wirtschaftsprüferinnen und Wirtschaftsprüfer fachlich und persönlich weiterentwickeln und gezielt auf die Herausforderungen der Praxis vorbereitet werden.

Finde alle Informationen zum Mannheim Master of Accounting & Taxation auf unserer Webseite und bei unserem Tag der Perspektiven, Samstag, 12. September 2026, 12 –18 Uhr!

www.mannheim-business-school.com/MaMAT/

It is our pleasure to introduce the newest addition to our Executive Fellow Circle: René Aldach joins a select group of senior executives who actively enrich our teaching and programs with real-world expertise.

René Aldach serves as Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials AG, and is a Member of the Board of Directors of the University of Mannheim Foundation.

As an Executive Fellow, René Aldach's focus is “Fast Finance” as a strategic enabler – exploring how CFO organizations drive value creation and resilient decision-making in industrial transformation, balancing capital allocation, AI-driven productivity, and rising ESG and regulatory demands.

“I am proud to join the Executive Fellows Circle of Mannheim Business School. In a world of increasing complexity, strong leadership requires continuous learning, open exchange, and diverse perspectives. Supporting this community means investing in intellectual rigor, practical relevance, and the next generation of responsible leaders – values I deeply believe in.”

We look forward to the conversations, encounters, and inspiration that René Aldach and our other Executive Fellows will spark with the next generation of leaders.

AI in action in user experience and enterprise AI: Our Mannheim Master in Management Analytics & AI Class of 2027 spent two days in Munich.

The field trip included two company visits. At Celonis, Hanna Bäuchle, Associate Deployment Engineer, and Sofia Steger welcomed the group. They gave an introduction to the company, showed a live software demo, and in a special deep-dive shared how Celonis uses AI internally.

The second stop was Kaiser X Labs, a company of Allianz. Four speakers shared their expertise: Ansgar Wolsing, Principal Data & Analytics Consultant, Dr. Sergej von Janda, Director UX Intelligence, Eva Mallent, Director Brand & Visual Design, and Claudio S., Lead Data & Analytics Consultant. Participants learned about data & analytics in UX intelligence and saw how AI is used in practice at KXL, before getting hands-on in a workshop on role mapping and structured prompting.

The trip also included a skylift tour at Olympic Park with a 360-degree view over Munich, and dinner at Augustiner am Dom.

Do you want to join the Mannheim Master in Management Analytics and AI in the part-time format? Find out more on our website and at one of our upcoming information events.

https://www.mannheim-business-school.com/en/mba-master-and-courses/masters-programs/mannheim-master-in-management-analytics-part-time/

Another senior leader joins our Executive Fellow Circle: we are delighted to welcome Dr. Uwe Schroeder-Wildberg to this select group of executives who actively enrich our teaching and programs with real-world expertise.

Dr. Uwe Schroeder-Wildberg is a Mannheim alumnus, having earned his degree in Business Administration (Diplom-Kaufmann) here in 1991. Today, he serves as CEO of MLP SE and is a Member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Mannheim.

Dr. Schroeder-Wildberg's focus as an Executive Fellow is on sustainability – exploring the opportunities and challenges companies face amid (European) regulation, as well as the importance of value-based corporate leadership.

"It is a great pleasure for me to support the circle of Executive Fellows. As an alumnus, I feel a strong connection to the University of Mannheim and would like to pass on my experience to the younger generation. I am inspired by the opportunity to bring together different perspectives through my exchange with the experts and leaders of tomorrow. Fundamentally, I also want to contribute to strengthening the connection between academia and business."

We look forward to the conversations, encounters, and inspiration that Dr. Uwe Schroeder-Wildberg and our other Executive Fellows will spark with the next generation of leaders.

How to navigate uncertainty with entrepreneurial mastery? Last week, participants in the third and final module of our MBS Summer School 2026 pursued this question.

Together with Dr. Baris Istipliler and Dr. Andrew Isaak, the group explored contemporary topics in entrepreneurship while taking part in workshops on venture idea generation through design thinking, business model design, venture financial planning, preparing a pitch deck and understanding VC decision making. At the end of the week, the groups presented their own venture ideas to a jury consisting of the courses lecturers as well as Andres Medina, LLM.

The module included a visit to MAFINEX Technology Centre to learn more about how NEXT MANNHEIM fosters entrepreneurship and innovation in Mannheim and hear first-hand experiences from entrepreneurs such as Dr. Robert Dehghan (Istari AI) and Steffen Lutze (It's Real Media). On Thursday, the group visited Coboc in Heidelberg, where Michael Ziegler provided insights about the company's innovative E-Bike design philosophy and Annalena Horsch shared strategies for successful leadership in uncertain times.

To round the program off, the group visited the Rhineland Palatinate region to see Hambach Castle, followed by a visit to a local vineyard to learn about German wine culture and sample some regional wine varieties.

After three weeks and three dynamic modules, from Doing Business in Germany to Artificial Intelligence in Business to Entrepreneurship and Innovation, it was time to say goodbye to our MBS Summer School 2026 participants on Friday. We invite you all to stay connected with us, the global MBS network, and with each other!

Want to learn more about Short Programs at MBS? Find out more on our website.

Three inspiring days of learning, reflection, and exchange marked the start of the General Management Program with Module 1: “Embracing Complex Change.”

Participants explored how to identify the need for change, lead transformation effectively, and understand the human side of organizational change. Through practical frameworks, leadership insights, and discussions on the psychology of change, they gained valuable perspectives and tools to apply in their own organizations.

A special thank you to Prof. Dr. Thomas Armbrüster and Mette Nørr Gantzhorn for their expertise and guidance, and to all participants for their active engagement, openness, and thoughtful contributions. A strong start to an exciting learning journey ahead.

Learn more about our open certificate courses on our website: www.mannheim-business-school.com/open-courses/