Philipp David Drissen 

Cambridge Judge Business School 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less:  Love challenges – and solutions. Endless curiosity. Deep passion for climbing and the outdoors.

Hometown: Krefeld, Germany

Fun Fact About Yourself: When I was a kid I used to create my own board games and force my family to play them with me (to varying degrees of success).

Undergraduate School and Major: 

University of Maastricht, BSc International Business

University of Maastricht, MSc Strategic Marketing

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Fackelmann, Germany, Trainee and Regional Manager

Fackelmann, United Kingdom, Country Manager and Managing Director

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Following a successful first year as a Country Manager despite difficult circumstances, I was promoted to Managing Director of the UK business unit within five years of starting to work for Fackelmann. This made me the youngest Managing Director in the Fackelmann Group to date.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants?  Be selective – visit open days and events, find the one school that feels right for you and that you want to attend more than any other. Apply to that school only, rather than going for two or three schools. Apply early and put all your effort into your application. If you don’t get the place, you can still focus on plan B.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you?  The college system at Cambridge University. Being part of a college that includes people from a variety of faculties provides a great opportunity to broaden your horizon. At every college event, you meet people not only from business school, but from several other disciplines – this means an abundance of interesting conversations and friends.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Apart from my own personal development, I would like to look back at my year in business school and feel that I have had a positive impact on my fellow students. After all, the Cambridge MBA is very much a team effort and if I have managed to contribute to that team, I will count it as success.