New Challenges, New Programs, New Formats

Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, the WU Executive Academy has done everything it can to keep things running smoothly for its students and to provide them with high-quality teaching. Even during the first lockdown, all courses were offered virtually.

Interactive work in small groups and virtual sessions with reflection exercises and business case studies helped create a seminar-room atmosphere online. In just a few weeks, we equipped all of our classrooms with state-of-the-art IT and interactive multimedia equipment, allowing us to provide hybrid teaching.

Mastering the coronavirus crisis: The Change Management Tool Kit for executives

With its new 6-part online program “Change Management Tool Kit,” consisting of 6 videos, the WU Executive Academy equips managers with practical expertise in the areas they will need the most to lead effectively in times of crisis: strategy and change, finances and liquidity, digitalization, virtual leadership, personal transformation, and stress management. Complementary individual coaching sessions can also be booked as needed.

Digital game changers – Online workshop for managers

In the online workshop “Digital Game Changer,” executives learn everything they need to know to implement digital transformation and innovation in their companies successfully. Our goal is not only to familiarize managers with the laws of the digital economy, new business models, and best practices of successful tech start-ups, but also to give them the tools and methods they need to put this knowledge into practice, allowing them to make a real difference as digital game changers in their own companies.

New professional master’s program for auditors

Working as a certified public accountant has always been a challenging job, but it is also a very interesting and diverse field, requiring tenacity, economic vision, and extensive professional expertise. A sound education was and still is the basic requirement to be successful in this increasingly complex profession. For this reason, we created the Professional Master’s Program in Accounting, Auditing and Taxation in cooperation with the Akademie der Steuerberater und Wirtschaftsprüfer. The program serves as preparation for the professional exam and is also an academic degree from one of Europe’s leading business and economics universities.

Custom-tailored programs

2020 was a very challenging year for many companies and their employees. This was also reflected in the topics and formats of the custom programs the WU Executive Academy developed for companies during this time. In addition to topics like innovation, leadership, and change, programs also focused on management in times of crisis, paired with different aspects of digitalization. In 2020, our clients included: Porsche Holding GmbH, Porsche Bank AG, Erste Group Bank AG, Talanx AG, OeNB and FMA, Berndorf AG, Kapsch AG, ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4 GmbH, DerStandard, Chiang Mai University, and the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.

WU EA Community Engagement

By building the WU EA community, we are supporting the professional and personal development of the students and graduates of the WU Executive Academy. The EA community currently has close to 4,500 members from 85 countries and includes highly qualified and highly educated managers, executives, and experts who meet regularly at over 40 events, continuing education programs, and networking events each year to socialize and exchange ideas.

In 2020, many of our events had to be moved online. This has led to some exciting and positive changes, because many initiatives have also come from the alumni themselves. The switch to online events has given us more and better opportunities to connect with our international community members. For example, regularly scheduled virtual hub reunions have been established in various regions and will continue to be held once a month.