Frankfurt School Graduation Ceremonies

On Friday, 9 October 2020, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management bid farewell to the graduates of the past semester. Of the 292, around 180 graduates of the Bachelor in Business Administration (BSc) with various specialisations, Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) and MBA in International Healthcare Management (IHM) and a total of 645 guests took part in the celebrations at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt. Due to the Corona Pandemic, the event was divided into several small celebrations this year. Graduates who were unable to attend the ceremonies in person participated via livestream. Professor Jörg Werner, Frankfurt School Vice President Degree Programmes, moderated.

Professor Nils Stieglitz, President of Frankfurt School, welcomed all guests and graduates: “Congratulations to you, your family and friends who have supported you on this journey. You are now entering a changing world. Stay curious, be confident in what you do and take the opportunity of this never-ending learning journey.”

As guest of honour at the MBA graduation ceremony, Alexander Doll, Chairman of Lincoln International AG and FS Alumnus, Class of 1997, emphasised the challenges and opportunities of the Corona pandemic. In his inspiring speech on the subject of leadership, he said: “Leaders can manage crises well but also use the crisis for change for the better.”

This year again, prizes were awarded for outstanding academic achievements and theses. The prizes, which range from €1,000 to €4,000, were presented by Frankfurt School's patrons and sponsors – the Prof. Dr. Karl Friedrich Hagenmüller Foundation and the Interessengemeinschaft Frankfurter Kreditinstitute (IFK).

Dr. Horst Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Prof. Dr. Karl Fr. Hagenmüller Foundation, awarded the Prof. Dr. Karl Friedrich Hagenmüller Prize to Maximilian Richter, best graduate of the year 2019 (Bachelor in Finance & Management). “Last week Maximilian Richter began his Part-time MBA at Frankfurt School with the aim of learning new perspectives and ways of thinking, expanding his management skills as well as his knowledge of capital markets. I am delighted to invite Maximilian Richter on stage today to present him with this award.”

Sarah Schmidtke, Managing Director of IFK, honoured the graduates Ann-Kristin Sieckmann, Bachelor in International Management (1st place), Lennart Offeney, Bachelor in Management, Philosophy & Economics (2nd place), and Adrian Vogt, Bachelor in Business Informatics (3rd place), for their outstanding academic achievements.

After the prizes had been awarded by the company representatives, Professor Jörg Werner presented the best students of the three academic study programmes with a prize for their outstanding academic achievements. The prizes were awarded to Ann-Kristin Sieckmann (Bachelor in Business Administration), Andreas Blomberg Simonsen (Executive MBA) and Daniel Vettiger (MBA in International Healthcare Management).

This year's graduation certificates were sent by post to all graduates in advance of the ceremony. In their subsequent speeches, the graduates Clara Ganssmueller, Bachelor in Business Administration (BSc), Aurelia Zoe Auracher, Bachelor in Business Administration (BSc), Lisa Vocke, EMBA, Senior Specialist HR Community Management at BASF SE, and Daniel Vettiger, IHM, looked back on their studies at Frankfurt School and highlighted some particularly challenging and enjoyable moments. Lisa Vocke said, for example, “Even though it was a challenge, I knew I could do it at any time.” Daniel Vettiger also looked back positively on his time at Frankfurt School: “My class of IHM was extremely international. So part of the journey was to appreciate each other's cultural heritage.”

Finally, Carsten Vogel, Development Director at Frankfurt School, presented the Alumni Network and invited all graduates to continue making valuable contribution to the FS community.