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Porsche Holding Entrusts WU Executive Academy With Training Its High Potentials
August 26, 2019
New Inhouse-MBA Mobility Management
Starting in fall 2019, the WU Executive Academy will prepare Porsche Holding’s high potentials for the change of gear within the automotive industry and the race for new global mobility concepts. At the same time, an accompanying Executive Excellence Program will provide top executives at Porsche Holding with deep insights into the MBA program and the opportunity to actively take part in the development of their high potentials.
The automotive sector is currently undergoing revolutionary changes: electric mobility, shared economy, autonomous driving, etc. Instead of focusing on sharply defined mobility solutions, it has become crucial to implement new strategies to keep up with the increasingly sophisticated demands on an economic, social, and technological level. Against this backdrop, Porsche Holding has decided to invest in the training of its high potentials. In October, 30 employees from group divisions such as sales, business development, and IT will start the first MBA program, which is scheduled to be completed part-time within four semesters.
MBA Mobility Management: Custom-Made for High Potentials
In close cooperation with Porsche Holding, the WU Executive Academy designed the Professional MBA program Mobility Management from scratch to meet the particular needs of Europe’s largest and most successful automotive distributor in the best possible way. With this program, Porsche Holding aims to better prepare itself for the future, having recognized how important it is to not merely react to prevalent challenges like digital transformation or autonomous driving but to actively shape them.
Paul Gahleitner
- Head of HR at Porsche Holding
Training our high potentials in the best possible way is my personal pet issue. When it comes to this topic, we do not leave anything to chance. With the MBA Mobility Management, tailor-made to meet all of our requirements, the WU Executive Academy has created an attractive and comprehensive offer. We value the expertise of the WU Executive Academy when it comes to further education and consider them a vital partner. I am convinced that Porsche Holding will benefit from this cooperation tremendously and succeed in rising to future challenges.
Similar to other Professional MBA programs of the WU Executive Academy, the MBA Mobility Management consists of an integrated, two-tier structure including a Business Core dealing with general management topics, such as leadership, financial reporting, or marketing management, and a specialization. In four consecutive phases, the participants work on all topics that are of central importance to Porsche Holding and the international mobility sector. The focus on “Global Change” (phase 1) deals with the worldwide challenges the automotive industry faces, while “Transforming Business” (phase 2) covers new and innovative business models against the backdrop of modern technologies and rising social expectations. In the third phase, “Performing through Innovation", the participants talk about radical approaches to creating holistic mobility concepts and analyze, among other things, possible ways of cooperating with start-ups to make the company even more innovative. And finally, “Driving the Future” (phase 4) focuses on translating the theoretical concepts into operational structures and processes: in the course of simulations and use cases, the participants put their newly acquired skills to the test and discuss with their peers how to optimally integrate their know-how into their every-day work.
One-week field trips to China and Israel are another highlight of the in-house MBA program. In Shenzhen, one of China’s hot spots for e-mobility, participants receive insights into the newest technological developments in the field and their implications for the future of e-mobility. In Tel Aviv, the Middle East’s high-tech and start-up epicenter, they are introduced to various ways for larger organizations to become more innovative by collaborating closely with start-ups.
Close Cooperation Between High Potentials and Executives is a Recipe for Success
“The MBA Mobility Management deliberately aims for regular contact and the constant exchanging of ideas between the participants and the executives, who will gain comprehensive insight into the contents of the MBA program and actively engage in the development of high potentials in the course of the accompanying Executive Excellence Program,” says Paul Gahleitner. But how do Porsche Holding and the participants benefit from such training? What does the return on investment (ROI) look like? This practice-minded MBA program works on several levels: not only can high potentials improve their skill sets and increase their motivation for future tasks, they also learn how to deal with the challenges of a highly dynamic industry using an even more active approach and how to implement new, bold concepts that differ from those used in day-to-day business. What is more, participants are also prepared for the fact that cooperation will become significantly more important in the future. They will forge an international network within the Porsche Holding Group, thus encouraging the creation of cross-border concepts.
Prof. Barbara Stöttinger, the WU Executive Academy’s Dean, welcomes the cooperation with Porsche Holding: “We are proud that Porsche Holding, Europe’s largest and most successful automotive distributor, trusts in the quality of education at WU Executive Academy when it comes to training its high potentials. The MBA Mobility Management is a unique program that lives up to the high quality standards of Porsche Holding. We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration over many years.”
If you are interested in a custom-made inhouse-program as well, please click here.