Julia Ittensohn

Study programmes:  Business Studies (BA (opens in a new window)) / Management and Technology (MSc) at TUM

Employer: Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG

Position: Global Transformation Expert


Why did you decide to study at HNU?
I myself moved south from NRW to study at HNU as an "exotic" back then and am extremely happy with this decision. I was often asked how I became aware of HNU in the first place. There is an accreditation agency called FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation). I used the agency's assessments to help me select degree programmes and universities. The HNU completely convinced me with its high practical relevance, its strong internationality and the possibility of individual design. You find a concept like this more often in private universities than in public ones - an absolute plus. The integrated internship semester and the many projects we carried out with and for companies gave me the opportunity to test my knowledge and build a network. The integration of international students, as well as a semester abroad, gave me an open and global perspective. And finally, the strongest aspect at HNU: individuality. Everyone you meet at HNU is accessible, helpful and interested - the students and the teachers. In addition, I was able to choose the areas of specialisation in the main study programme (from the 4th semester) of my degree programme (Business Administration) that interested me and that would help me personally. The step to study at HNU was one of the most important and valuable decisions for my personal and professional development - a perfect springboard to success for my fellow students and me!


What tips can you give young people who are looking for the right course of study?
First of all, it is important to find out what interests you. If that's far too broad, then you can ask yourself the questions: What should my life look like later? What do I find enthusiasm for right now? When I think of a potential employer I'm absolutely crazy about, who could that be? By answering these questions you get a feeling for your dreams. The important thing is: Never think too small! The only person who is harmed by thinking too small in such questions is yourself. If you're still unsure, but want to "just get started", then I personally find a degree programme that allows you to strongly individualise yourself over time to be absolutely helpful. That's what the Business Administration programme at HNU was like for me. First arrive and start - then individualise. And if you want to switch after all, you can bring extremely relevant content with you and you didn't waste any time - at best, you still made friends.


Exhausting or child's play: What did your internship semester look like and what tasks did you take on?
I completed my internship semester in 2016 at BMW in Munich. I had the advantage that I could already bring experience from other internships with me and therefore had a little bit of an idea of "how things work" in the corporate world. Of course, most of it was still extremely new for me. My team was responsible for product planning for infotainment. As an intern, it was my job to present the planning and thus the basis for decision-making for our team and the other departments. I also got to know a few new tools, for which I carried out TakeRate analyses, for example. In other words, how often was special equipment A ordered at the same time as special equipment B? These insights were very important for the future design of the offers and helped me to understand the connections. I really enjoyed the semester. I still have a friendly relationship with my supervisor and I really enjoy thinking back to that time. Of course, there were some situations in which I was uncertain or sometimes didn't know what to do. In such moments, you have the opportunity to test yourself and just give it a try, because that's what this internship is for. And if you still need help, you can turn to someone experienced. For me, it was extremely valuable to ask a lot of questions and to regularly ask for feedback - but also not to lose myself in the process. For me, this is something that represents personal development, which probably would never have happened like this without this integrated practical semester. The exchange with fellow students during and towards the end of the internship was also very helpful and strengthened our sense of community: somehow we're all in the same situation and in the end just a little bit more experienced: armed for the "real world".


What did your first job look like and how did you find out about it?
In my first job, I worked as a Customer Success Manager at Microsoft. In this role, I supported major German customers with the cultural change that a global implementation of new IT systems entails. During my Master's degree at the Technical University of Munich, I was already a working student at Microsoft in several different departments, which of course made it easier to interact with the people in charge. Here's a tip from me: if you don't yet know exactly where, how and as what you would like to work one day - just try it out. For the position as CSM, I spoke openly with people who are working in this role, asked my questions and shadowed them. In other words, I accompanied them to a few appointments over several days to understand and get to know their daily business and activities. After an informal discussion with the manager, I submitted a regular application. Of course, it's not that easy if you want to join a company as an external person. But nowadays there are also plenty of ways to find out about the people, the culture and the role itself, e.g. via LinkedIn.

Please describe your daily work routine. What projects are you working on and what tasks do you particularly appreciate?
I currently work as a transformation expert in the strategy department at Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG. Our main task is to improve all employees' understanding of strategy and their ability to change during (cultural) transformations. My day-to-day work and the projects I work on are extremely varied and always global in scope. I really enjoy working with and for all levels of the hierarchy. As our topics are strategic by nature, they are initially only intended for employees and are therefore confidential. What I can share is the great success of our strategy board game. Using a gamification approach, an incredibly creative creation process and great teamwork, we at MBM have developed a game that explains our strategy. The global feedback from around 9,000 colleagues was positively overwhelming. We also won two external prizes for it: 1st place German Design Award & 2nd place International Serious Player Award! Such recognition is of course something special for the entire organization. 


How would you complete the beginning of the following sentence?
HNU... "is a place that welcomes everyone and prepares them for their individual future: professionally, practically and personally."