All Smiles at the Graduation Ceremony for WHU’s 2025 Cohort

The 2025 graduating class of WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar had their big day on September 19. In a festive atmosphere, the graduates of the bachelor, master, and doctoral programs gathered with family, friends, educators, and professional staff members to celebrate all they had achieved. They looked back at their many years of focused studying before turning their attention to the future and all it will bring.

Best equipped to jump into the working world

“It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time can go by. That after what only feels like a few minutes, my colleagues and I are once again here to send off another amazing group of students out into the world,” said Professor Christian Andres, Dean of WHU, in his opening speech at the bachelor’s ceremony. He continued, proudly, “Graduates, you and your skills are what we, as a community, need right now. We need both your positive energy and your intellectual curiosity to help identify and implement solutions to the problems that are plaguing our society at the moment.” He gave thanks for the fact that not only the students, but also the school had grown over the past few years. “You, our latest graduates, and indeed all of our alumni, are evidence of the good we can achieve when we are united and open to new ideas and new perspectives. Now is the time to act and be a part of the change you want to see.”

Meinhard Weizmann, CEO of Bucerius Law School, also shared encouraging words with the audience, speaking in particular to those who had earned the supplementary certificate in business law, the result of a joint collaboration between the two universities first established in 2006.

The stage was then handed over to Professor Christian Hagist, who introduced the day’s commencement speaker Dr. Jörg Kukies, the country’s former Minister of Finance. Dr. Kukies emphasized how well equipped the students are to start this next chapter of their lives. In his speech, he had three pieces of advice for them to take on their journeys: setbacks are not defeat, but chances to learn; always keep in mind the greater good; and actively care for your network. He called upon the students to act according to “a clear moral compass,” to stay curious, and to take on responsibility, whether societally, economically, or politically.

Graduates Pauline Frohn and Justus Scheper (both BSc 2025), the bachelor class’s student representative, then addressed the audience with a look back on their time at WHU.

A call for life-long learning

Celebrations continued with the subsequent master’s graduation ceremony held later that day. “You have come from many different walks of life: You have different interests and different areas of expertise. Yet here you stand, united as one group,” said Dean Andres. He made special note of how the graduates had developed their “ability to keep your ears and minds open”—a trait he said they should all work to maintain throughout their lives. “Because life will always have something new to teach you.”

Professor Carl Marcus Wallenburg then introduced the audience to WHU alumna Alexandra Heraeus (MLB 2012), the co-founder of ALERA Capital and Chairwoman of the Management Board at the Heraeus Bildungstiftung. In her speech, she underscored that curiosity is a “superpower” that will continue to open doors for them for a whole lifetime. She encouraged those latest alumni to actively make use of their network—especially in these times of uncertainty and ambiguity and to accept the responsibility of applying one’s talents to help society. 

Eglantine Gilch and Jan Gawehn (both MSc 2025), class representatives from the master’s cohort, then offered positive words to their classmates. Christian Schilling, Vice Chairman of In Praxi – WHU Alumni Association and himself a WHU alum of the class of 2007, invited the students to join In Praxi. He then handed the award for Outstanding Master Thesis to Alexandra Romanova for her work “Reframing Corporate Digital Responsibility: A Strategic Entrepreneurship Perspective.”

Following the master’s celebrations, the school’s doctoral students came into focus. Professor Tillmann Wagner, Deputy Chair of the Doctoral Committee, emphasized in his address that the doctoral graduates can be proud of having successfully mastered the doctoral process with all its challenges. With the title Dr. rer. pol., they now hold the highest academic degree awarded by WHU. Professor Wagner warmly congratulated them on this special achievement and wished the doctoral graduates every success as they continue their professional careers in academia or business.

Afterwards, the primary advisors introduced their doctoral graduates and honored their academic achievements and individual research paths. The ceremonial proceedings thus combined academic recognition with a very personal touch.

A symbolic conclusion

WHU congratulated all and wished them every success in their professional careers and personal lives. The school’s management also thanked everyone who contributes every day to the strength of its programs, from the academic directors to each managing program team. 

And with that, the students tossed their caps into the air, a show of their pride and strength that brought the day to a powerful end. WHU’s latest graduates are starting the next era of their lives, knowing that, with all they have learned, they can look to their future with confidence.