Employment

Report
MBA Graduating Class of 2023
Executive Summary

We are pleased to present the employment outcomes for

our MBA Class of 2023, a cohort that has navigated a
year of ongoing economic adjustments and evolving market
dynamics. Although Germany faced a weak economy in
2023, the labor market has proven its robustness and
has held up quite well. Many sectors – from the chemical
to the automotive industry and manufacturing as a whole –
had to contend with several challenges, in particular high
energy costs, material shortages, and uncertain economic
prospects. Despite these challenges, however, the overall
job market remained favorable to our graduates, allowing
them to embark on their post-MBA careers with promising
prospects.

Several key sectors, such as technology, consumer goods, These exceptional employment results reaffirm the value
and manufacturing, showed significant resilience, driven of a WHU MBA and highlight both the personal and
by digital transformation and an energy transition. This professional growth of our MBA Class of 2023. Our
stability is reflected in the employment outcomes of our students thrive in an environment that emphasizes superior
graduates, with over 80% of our students securing job management knowledge, self-awareness, emotional
offers within three months of graduation. We are proud intelligence, and other essential soft skills. The Career
to report that our students experienced a substantial Center’s comprehensive support, combined with the
total increase in their earnings post-MBA of 127%. The strong alumni network and intimate learning environment
previous average pre-MBA salary of €33,163 rose to (i.e., our small classes of up to 50 students), ensures
€75,331. that our graduates are well-equipped to achieve their
professional goals and make significant career advance-
The industry distribution for the MBA Class of 2023 is ments. We remain committed to developing future-ready
diverse, with the highest concentrations in technology/start- leaders who can navigate and succeed in a dynamic
ups & IT (22%), consumer goods (15%), and manufacturing global landscape.
(11%). Other significant sectors include energy (9%),
consulting (9%), and healthcare (6%). Geographically, the Miriam Kraneis, Director MBA Career Center
majority of our MBA graduates began their post-MBA
careers in Germany, which maintains a strong and stable
market. Specifically, 79% of graduates secured employ-
ment within Germany, while 11% found opportunities
elsewhere in Europe, 6% in Asia, and 4% in other regions,
including Russia and Mexico.

Employment Report // MBA Graduating Class of 2023 3

Class Profile –
Graduating Class 2023
Our students
- Combine academic excellence with a solid grounding in the real business world
- Possess several years of work experience at MNEs, SMEs, or start-ups
- Have in-depth industry knowledge and up-to-date customer insights
- Are equipped with new frameworks to tackle problems and create opportunities
for igniting growth
- Add value and make a positive impact

59
Students
29
Average Age
87% 39%
International Women
23
Nationalities
6
Average Years of
Students Work Experience

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Geographical Background

22% 35%
1%
17%
5%

20%

Industry Background Academic Background

Other (e.g. Automotive, Research) 22% Business & Economics 29%

IT/Telecommunications 19% Arts & Humanities 22%
Finance/Banking 17% Other 16%
Electronics/Technical/Products 12% Engineering/Technical 14%
Energy/Chemicals/Pharma 12% Computer Sciences 12%
Consumer Goods 10% Natural Sciences 4%
Consulting 5% Law 3%
Transportation/Logistics/Tourism 3%

Functional Background

Sales & Marketing 27%

Finance 18%
Project Management/Engineering 12%
Business Development 12%
Other 10%
Consulting 8%
Operations & Logistics 5%
General Management 5%
IT 3%
Employment Report // MBA Graduating Class of 2023 5
Employment Statistics –
MBA Graduating Class 2023

The MBA marks an important and exciting point of We provide an individualized and tailored approach in
transition in our students’ career. Whether they aspire supporting our students, and we are proud that our
to change industry, job function, location or to become students made a 127% salary increase this year, which
a successful entrepreneur, our team at the MBA Career proves that the WHU MBA program truly offers value
Center is dedicated in supporting our students to define for money.
their career vision and turn this into reality.

Salary

€ 33,163 € 75,331 € 7,500 Average Sign-On Bonus

Average Pre-MBA Salary 127% Average Post-MBA Salary
Salary excluding Bonus payments
Increase Minimum: € 45,000
Median: € 75,000
Maximum: € 162,500

€ 82,750
Average Post-MBA Salary
including Bonus payments
Median: € 82,500

Career Changers Employment by Sector

12% 22%
Changed Location 75% 4% Other* Technology/Startups & IT
Pharma
Changed Sector 71% 4%
Wholesale
Changed Function 49% 4%
Telecom-
Triple Change
(Function, Sector, Location) 31% munications

4%
Insurance

80% received job offers within three

months of graduation 6%
Healthcare
15%
Consumer &

33%
Consumer
MBA students undertook a 9% Goods
(project-based) internship Consulting 9% 11%
Energy Manufacturing

* Other: Hospitality, Retail, Financial Services

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Employers MBA 2023 (Selection) Employment by function

1&1 3% Other 25% Sales &

6% General Marketing
Accenture Management
Action
8% IT
Alcon
Allianz Inhouse Consulting 8% Operations
and Logistics
Amazon
Coca Cola HBC
11% Project
Deutsche Bank Management/
EON Inhouse Consulting Engineering

EY 11% Finance
Henkel 13% Business & 15% Consulting
Development
Infineon Technologies
KraftHeinz
Procter & Gamble Employment by region
Reckitt
79%
RWE Germany
Sky Deutschland
Struktur Management Partner 11% Europe
(outside Germany)
Tesa
TUI 2% China
Uniper 2% Myanmar
Vasconia
2% Japan
2% Russia 2% Mexico

“Looking back on my MBA experience, the Career Center has been there
for me every step of the way, offering comprehensive assistance from the
very beginning with extensive resources, workshops, and insightful advice
in advancing my career and uncovering my unique skills for personal
growth. Their guidance in navigating the German job market proved
invaluable, particularly to international students new to Germany.
The Career Center seamlessly became indispensable to my MBA journey,
creating a lasting impact on my professional and personal growth.”

Chuqi Zhang
Senior Manager Tax Planning & Strategies at Fresenius Medical Care

Employment Report // MBA Graduating Class of 2023 7

Examples of Recruiting Companies over the last three years

Accenture Google PwC

adidas Heineken Reckitt
Advario Hello Fresh Roche
Alibaba Henkel Retraced
Allianz Horn & Company Roland Berger
Amazon HRS RWE
Ambev Infineon Technologies Salesforce
Aptiv Infosys Santiago
BCG Inverto Siemens Energy
Bearing Point KraftHeinz Signal Iduna
Boehringer Ingelheim Lieferando Simon Kucher
Coca-Cola HBC Marley Spoon Sky Deutschland
Continental Mazda Strategy&
Delivery Hero McKinsey Struktur Management Partner
Deloitte Merck Trivago
DHL Consulting Metalshub TUI
Eon Inhouse Consulting mm1 Consulting & Management Uniper
ERGO Group AG N26 Vaillant
Ernst & Young Oracle Vodafone
ESG Porsche Consulting WMC Healthcare
Fresenius Procter & Gamble Zalando

“WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management‘s robust alumni network and

strong industry connections significantly enhance the student experience and
career opportunities. The WHU Career Center facilitated crucial connections
and provided valuable insights, helping me achieve a triple change in my career
and secure an impactful role at E.ON as a strategy consultant. The numerous
company and networking events, along with personalized career coaching,
made me well-prepared and confident throughout my job search. My MBA
experience at WHU has been truly enlightening and transformative.”

Suyash Agrawal
Senior Consultant at E.ON In-house Consulting

8
Recruit at WHU

We are committed to supporting our MBA students in becoming responsible and successful leaders.
We offer several ways of connecting with our students:

Online
Job/Internship/Thesis postings Upload your job or internship offer free of charge to
our Handshake platform

CV/Resume book Browse our CV book and search for relevant

candidates.

On Campus
Company presentations Meet our students after their classes in the evening
to showcase your company. Engage in stimulating
conversations at our networking reception.

Company workshops Discuss current trends and challenges with our

students and explore potential solutions.

Recruiting fairs Get involved in our various career fairs. Meet students
from different programs in an informal setting.

On-Campus recruiting events Browse our CV book to search for relevant candidates
and conduct individual on-campus interviews.

Projects (thesis; case studies) Our students can help you tackle real-life challenges
for your company, providing ideas, analysis and
recommendations.

Recruitment Cycle
Recruitment Cycle Recruitment Cycle
Program Program Start (Internship Positions) (Full-Time Positions)

MBA Full-Time September July onwards From July

(12-month duration)

MBA Part-Time September Ongoing throughout

(24-month duration) the year

Global Online MBA September/March Ongoing throughout

(24/36 month duration) the year

Employment Report // MBA Graduating Class of 2023 9

MBA Career Center
Team

From left to right: Eileen Lehane, Sandra Neumann, and Miriam Kraneis

Miriam Kraneis Eileen Lehane

Director MBA Career Center Manager MBA Career Center
Email: miriam.kraneis@whu.edu Email: eileen.lehane@whu.edu
Phone: +49 211 44709 571 Phone: +49 211 44709 579

Sandra Neumann
Manager MBA Career Center (External Relations)
Email: sandra.neumann@whu.edu
Phone: +49 211 44709 577

About WHU
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a as well as through leading positions in national and
privately financed business school based in Vallendar international rankings resulting in WHU being Germany’s
and Düsseldorf. It has an outstanding national and most renowned business school. WHU students profit
international reputation not only within Germany but also from a large diverse international network of partner
internationally. This excellent standard has been certified universities, companies, and alumni.
by accreditations from AACSB, EQUIS, and FIBAA For more information please visit www.whu.edu.

10
 WHU – Otto Beisheim
School of Management

MBA Career Center

Erkrather Str. 224a
40233 Düsseldorf
Germany

Phone: +49 211 44709 571

whu.careercenter@whu.edu
www.whu.edu
07/2024

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