New Training Program for Municipal Supervisory Board Members in Cooperation with the WU Executive Academy

As part of the ongoing professionalization of municipal holding management, the City of Vienna is launching a new basic training program for supervisory board members of municipal holding companies in cooperation with the WU Executive Academy.

The City of Vienna holds stakes in numerous companies operating in a wide range of business areas. Together, these affiliated companies fulfill key public service tasks for the people of Vienna. They secure thousands of skilled jobs and make a significant contribution to sustainable value creation and a high quality of life in our city.

Experience with global crises has once again highlighted the importance of professional standards of corporate governance and effective corporate supervision for the management of municipal holdings. With the introduction of the Wiener Public Corporate Governance Kodex (WPCGK) and clearly defined competence profiles for supervisory board members, the City of Vienna has already created new framework conditions for greater transparency and professionalism in municipal corporate supervision. The implementation of a new basic training program for municipal supervisory board members is now another milestone.

Based on a recently concluded cooperation agreement between the City of Vienna and the WU Executive Academy, which is a leader in the field of training and continuing education for Austrian supervisory board members, all City of Vienna employees who are appointed or nominated to the supervisory board of a municipal holding company will in future complete the course “Governance Excellence: Program for Supervisory Board Members.”

This course at the WU Executive Academy is designed as a professional continuing education program for all Austrian supervisory board members and lasts seven to eight half-days. In addition to subject-specific lectures that are intended to prepare participants for their future work on supervisory boards, it also includes informal discussions with experts from academia and practice.

“Especially in light of the generally tense economic situation and the challenging times we are currently facing, we are seeing how crucial qualified and responsible corporate supervision is. With the new training program at the WU Executive Academy, we are ensuring that our supervisory board members are well prepared for future challenges,” says Mayor Michael Ludwig.

Bodo B. Schlegelmilch, Dean of the WU Executive Academy, expressed his delight at the collaboration with the City of Vienna: “We are very proud that the City of Vienna has placed its trust in us for the training and continuing education of its supervisory board members. For 15 years, we have been equipping leaders with the skills they need to fulfill their increasingly complex and strategically central responsibilities on supervisory boards. From the very beginning, we have been able to rely on the expertise of our two academic directors, Prof. Susanne Kalss and Prof. Werner Hoffmann.”

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