Careers with an MBA. "I Manage the Handel Festival"

[HHL gGmbH - 16.05.2013] Tobias Michael Wolff is a graduate (2009) of the Master in General Management Program (MBA) of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. The 38-year-old says of his career: "After completing a program in Music Studies at Cambridge and orchestral training for viola in Essen, I initially worked at various theatres and festivals, then as a freelance journalist and music critic for the ARD broadcasting network and Leipzig's local newspaper, Leipziger Volkszeitung. In 2006, I became Head Dramaturgist at Theater & Philharmonie Thüringen in Gera and Altenburg. In 2009, I completed the MBA program at HHL and, following a brief interlude as Administrative Director at Theater & Philharmonie Thüringen, I eventually became the Managing Director of the Göttingen International Handel Festival."

In this position, Tobias Michael Wolff works with Artistic Director Laurence Cummings on the program planning for the Göttingen Handel Festival. A great part of work of the HHL graduate, who was born in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, focuses on fundraising in addition to managing the business. When asked what the highlights of his current job are, Wolff answers concisely: "The euphoria after a successful opera or concert performance."

Looking back at his time at the first business school established in Germany, the cultural manager says: "I could not do my job without the knowledge taught to me at HHL. Whether it is accounting, negotiating, human resources management or logistics - which is crucial for a festival performing in about 30 venues each year - I think of my lecturers and the content they taught at HHL a number of times a day."

The Master Program in General Management (MBA) at HHL

The MBA program offered by HHL which is taught in English is considered one of the best independently developed programs of this kind in Germany. The proportion of international students in this HHL program is approximately 80 percent, an outstanding figure in the global comparison of full-time MBA programs. Since its introduction in the year 2000, the 12 to 18-month full-time MBA program has focused on teaching management and leadership skills in a global context. This is supported by an innovative curriculum which is no longer structured in a purely functional manner but also follows an interdisciplinary approach in accordance with the challenges of management (Managing Investors, Managing Society, Managing Customers etc.). The cross-functional, stakeholder-oriented approach combines the content of the individual courses and offers students significant added value. This is ensured by 28 lecturers from seven countries. They provide students with an insight into the latest scientific management approaches in a global context.
The practical relation is ensured by teaching content with practical relevance including case studies, a field project accompanying the program or an optional internship abroad. International Management is not only taught but also integrated into everyday life at HHL thanks to the international background of the students and professors. The international cross-linking of the program is represented by substantial cooperations with universities abroad. From Australia to Uruguay - HHL has more than 110 partner universities worldwide. The students have the opportunity to spend a term at one of these partner universities. The intensive and professional counseling for students from the initial contact to the alumni network must be emphasized. A Career Service accompanies students from the day they are admitted to the program until the successful conclusion of a job search. Further information: http://www.hhl.de/mba

HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management

HHL is a university-level institution and ranks amongst the leading international business schools. The goal of the oldest business school in German-speaking Europe is to educate effective, responsible and entrepreneurially-minded leaders. HHL stands out for its excellent teaching, its clear research focus, its effective knowledge transfer into practice as well as its outstanding student services. The courses of study include full and part-time Master in Management as well as MBA programs, a Doctoral program and Executive Education. In the 2012 Financial Times Masters in Management Ranking, HHL's full-time M.Sc. Program was ranked 1st in Germany and 11th in the world. This renowned ranking also awarded HHL first place worldwide for its focus on Entrepreneurship and second regarding the graduates' future salaries and for its Corporate Strategy specialization. HHL is accredited by AACSB International. http://www.hhl.de

http://www.hhl.de/people/tobias-wolff
http://www.hhl.de/mba
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