Like a mortgage without a house

You did an MBA at the Stern School of Business at New York University from 2000 to 2002. Looking back today, was it worth it?
Definitely. An MBA opens your eyes as well as doors - to other industries for instance. Prior to the program, I worked in marketing for an automobile manufacturer. After the MBA, I was able to do stints in the Group Division, Sales, and Business Development at Allianz. Today I’m Director of the Allianz Management Institute, the corporate university of the Allianz Group, and I’m actively involved in Human Resources. On the one hand, an MBA helps dealing with the diversity of these functions, and on the other hand it helps handling the leap into a different field.


In Europe, most programs are only one year. But you decided to do a two-year program in the US. Why?
That’s without a doubt partially because I’ve spent half of my life in the US, where I have done my bachelors degree as well. But I also think the two-year programs are better because that way you can do a longer internship. This is a big advantage for people who want to switch careers.


Are American schools better than European ones?
Some Americans still consider a European MBA as second rate. But those who study at a top school like Insead or LBS shouldn’t be embarrassed. But I do think that the programs in the US have more depth – especially because of their length.


But more and more Americans are coming to Europe to do an MBA.
One of the reasons for this is surely because the programs are shorter here and thus less expensive. But the Americans have also realized that in order to make a career they don’t have to stay in the US in the future. Therefore, they see Europe as the first step towards more internationality. The big trend though is Asia. Those who want to work in a global company need to gain some knowledte about the growing markets. There’s no way around it and the MBA is another good opportunity to do this.


In your opinion, who should do an MBA?
It depends what the individual is aiming for. An MBA is probably rarely needed in a German medium-sized company. Those who strive for management responsibilities, particularly in the finance sector or in consulting, can hardly get away with out it. I would advise everyone to choose the best possible school that suits them. In my opinion, those who could go to Harvard but then do an MBA at a German university of applied sciences are making a mistake. An MBA is a decision for life. It sets the course for your career and accelerates it.


But that’s also a matter of funding.
I took out a student loan for my program and I’m still paying it off to this day. There’s a great saying in the US: An MBA is like a mortgage without a house, but it’s worth so much more.

• INSEAD
  Full-Time MBA
• London Business School
  Full-Time MBA, Executive MBA
• New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business
  Full-Time MBA