CEE Business Club with alumni expertise

02. October 2019

Monika Köstinger

(from left to right) Alumni Christopher Schagerl (Director SCHNEIDER GROUP), programme director Tonka Semmler-Matošić, organiser and university lecturer Manuela Kovalev, alumni Johannes Bauer (Development / Asset Management CEE S+B Gruppe AG).

How can students be prepared even more specifically for the world of work and international future markets in addition to their daily study routine? - By offering them the opportunity to network with experts and gain insights into current topics and developments on the market.

This is precisely the aim of the CEE Business Club organised by the Department of Business, which was once again successfully held at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences in September. Ten exciting speakers from Austria and abroad came together for keynote speeches, talks and discussions on the topics of "Challenges and opportunities in the Eurasian economic area" at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences in order to impart their knowledge and expertise to students at first hand.

Graduates stay connected to the UAS and provide valuable input

A special feature of the CEE Business Club this time was that two alumni returned to the FH Burgenland to tell the students about their professional experiences and the potential that the Eurasian economic area offers for graduates with a Central or Eastern European focus.

Christopher Schagerl, Director SCHNEIDER GROUP

Learning a Central and Eastern European language has many advantages. This is because the Eurasian Economic Union is also opening up increasing business opportunities for Austrian companies. Graduates with an international business education and an additional language from Central and Eastern Europe are increasingly in demand.

At the CEE Business Club, he gave a keynote speech on "Russia in the crisis: Survive or exit for the Austrian economy?" and spoke about his experiences and the current situation. The focus on Russia is very important, he said, but it should not be the only focus, as he also sees future markets in other countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

For Christopher Schagerl, it is essential that he remains in contact with FH Burgenland many years after graduating. The aim of the alumni association FH Burgenland is to create a bond between FH Burgenland, its teaching, research and management staff as well as graduates and students that goes beyond graduation.

Alumni should definitely network better, because a large network is the be-all and end-all. I have even met alumni in Moscow.

Johannes Bauer , Development / Asset Management CEE S+B Gruppe AG

I am also always impressed by the students who complete their internships at S+B Group AG. Above all, it is a good idea and fun to facilitate the exchange of ideas between alumni and students.

At the CEE Business Club event series, Johannes Bauer gave a presentation on the topic of "Residential construction in Vienna and skyscrapers in Warsaw: Challenges and risks."

He believes that there is still often a lack of interest in the Eurasian economic area. He therefore believes that events such as the CEE Business Club are necessary to raise interest in Central and Eastern Europe.

The economy is booming, but not only in Russia, so it is important that reference is also made to countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania.

First-hand insights and knowledge for students

(from left to right) Lars Flottrong - Partner SCHNEIDER GROUP; Karin Doppelbauer - Attachée for Sustainability and Tourism Austrian Embassy; Johannes Leitner - Competence Centre Black Sea Region at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna; Gunter Deuber - Senior Director, Head of Economics/Fixed Income/FXResearch, Raiffeisen Bank International AG; Hannes Meißner, Competence Centre Black Sea Region at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna during the panel discussion.

However, it wasn't just the two alumni who impressed with their presentations; the keynote speeches by Lars Flottrong, Partner SCHNEIDER GROUP, and Karin Doppelbauer, Attachée for Sustainability and Tourism at the Austrian Embassy, as well as the panel discussion and other speakers also offered exciting insights into the diverse sectors of the Eurasian economic region.

Stephanie, Tanja and Sladjana, students on the Master's degree programme in International Economic Relations, were very enthusiastic about the content.

" The different insights that were offered to us today have definitely increased our interest in the Eurasian economic region," says Stephanie.

"Karin Doppelbauer's presentation also gave us an insight into an exciting segment on the topic of sustainability in agriculture, forestry and tourism that we hadn't had before," says Sladjana.

Tanja was also enthusiastic about the various topics: "But above all, we were also able to take full advantage of the networking opportunity today and make new contacts."

(from left to right) The students Stephanie, Tanja and Sladjana are enthusiastic about the CEE Business Club.

The event series was launched last year on the initiative of Manuela Kovalev, a lecturer at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences, and has been very popular ever since. The CEE Business Club offers students the great opportunity to acquire more knowledge about current economic and financial developments in Central and Eastern Europe, to get in touch with experts from companies and to discuss various topics, problems and possible solutions. We are therefore already looking forward to this event in the next academic year.

# Gepostet in:
Bachelorstudiengang Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen, Masterstudiengang Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen, Career, Wirtschaft (mit Schwerpunkt Zentral-Osteuropa)