On November 21, 2014 28 students of the “General Management” MBA, the Professional MBA “Automotive Industry” and MSc “Renewable Energy in Central & Eastern Europe” finished their studies sucessfully and graduated.

The General Management MBA program is conducted by Vienna University of Technology in cooperation with Danube University Krems and offers the possibility of acquiring basic business, legal and social knowledge while preparing for a career in management. The class graduating is the 13th class of this successful program.
The Vienna University of Technology and the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU Bratislava) jointly offer with the collaboration of the Mobility Cluster of the Vienna Business Agency the Professional MBA Program Automotive Industry – a program of international format. Main objectives of this program are to provide knowledge and to upgrade skills for present and future managers in the automotive industry or its component suppliers. It´s the fourth class graduating.
The MSc Program Renewable Energy in Central & Eastern Europe is the first cross-border course in Austria dealing with the future issues of alternative energy production and is conducted by Vienna University of Technology in cooperation with Energiepark Bruck/Leitha. The class graduating is the 9th class.

The ceremony was opened by the Dean of Academic Affairs for Continuing Education, Bob Martens. The keynote speaker, Hanno Miorini (Vice President OE Sales Austria & Southeast Europe, Robert Bosch AG), would like to give the students some pieces of advice: 1) Wherever you do your job - don´t forget the customers! Think about the customers´ willingness to pay for something, but also bear in mind the customers´ ability to pay for something. 2) If you have to weigh up creating jobs against creating cash flow, please focus on market creating innovations. 3) Do the things right, and do the right things.

The representatives of the cooperation partners - Frantisek Hornak (Vice Rector, STU Bratislava), Barbara Brenner (Head of Department for Management and Economics, Danube University Krems), and Ralf Roggenbauer (Program Manager, Energiepark Bruck/Leitha) expressed their congratulations to the graduates. Looking back on two fruitful years of study, Frantisek Hornak thanked the program team at the Vienna University of Technology. Barbara Brenner thanked the families for their tolerance with the „busy students“ and wants the graduates to become „ambassadors of their program“. Ralf Roggenbauer hopes to meet the graduates again at the various alumni events and called upon the students: „You have learned to sell the topic of your program to the people – do it“.

Also the Academic Director of the three programs congratulated the students. Wolfgang Aussenegg (Academic Director of the General Management MBA) emphasized that this MBA program is one of the oldest programs at the Continuing Education Center – a program supporting graduates from other engineering programs with management knowledge. He is proud that just some days ago the 15th cohort has been started. Wilfried Sihn (Academic Director of the Professional MBA Automotive Industry) pointed out the exciting excursions to different countries in the scope of this time-consuming and intensive program and wants the students to celebrate their success, because now they can be proud of themselves. Reinhard Haas (Academic Director of the MSc Renewable Energy in Central & Eastern Europe), who unfortunately couldn´t be physically present at the ceremony due to a business meeting in Bangkok, was with the students by heart and by spirit. In his message he reminded the students, that they now have the skills for working in the renewable energy business and now are a part of this network which intends to change the world towards a more sustainable one in the energy field.

The highlight of the evening was handing over the diplomas to the new graduates by their Academic Directors and the Dean of Academic Affairs for Continuing Education. At each of the three programs a “Best Study Award” to the graduate with the best study results was awarded.

Finally the valedictorians of the three programs - Katharina Kern, Christian Moser and Ernst Höckner - addressed the audience: When studying part-time a good time management is needed. Sometimes work-life-balance changed to a work-study-balance. But nevertheless, they all have made lots of new friendships.

The Continuing Education Center of the Vienna University of Technology and the cooperation partners proudly present their graduates:

General Management MBA:
•    Mag. Katharina Kern, MBA (Winner of „Best Study Award“)
•    Mag.(FH) Achim Motamedi, MBA
•    Mag.(FH) Florian Mundigler, MBA
•    Mag. Dr. Stephan Nedan, MBA
•    Dipl.-Log.(FH)  Daniel Pawlinski, MBA
•    DI(FH) Christian Puhr, MBA
•    Bacc. Ing.el. Igor Starcevic, MBA
•    DI Dr. Arash Tootoonch, MBA

Professional MBA Automotive Industry:
•    Noha Alamodi, MBA
•    DI Peter Braun, MBA (Winner of „Best Study Award“)
•    Dennis Müller, BA, MBA
•    Ing. Cyril Estok, MBA
•    Jürgen Hinterhofer, MBA
•    Dr. Laszlo Horvath, MBA
•    DI Raju Joy, MBA
•    Mag. Albert Lapka, MBA
•    Mag. Christian Moser, MBA
•    DI Herbert Newald, MBA
•    Dr. Igor Suba, MBA
•    DI Thomas Vossaert, MBA
•    Ing. Norbert Zimerman, MBA

MSc Renewable Energy in Central & Eastern Europe:
•    Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing.(FH) Christian Anwander, MSc   
•    Mag. David Bernhard, MSc   
•    DI Stefan Bogdanovic, MSc MSc
•    MMag. Elmar Elbling, MSc
•    DI Ernst Höckner, BSc MSc (Winner of „Best Study Award“)
•    Mgr. Michaela Leonhardt, MSc PhD
•    Mag. Robert Szatkowski, LL.B. LL.M. MSc

We congratulate the alumni and wish them all the best!