Ann Kathrin Landgraf

IE Business School

“Passionate about diversity, sports management, and self-development.  Life-motto: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Hometown: Würzburg in Northern Bavaria, Germany

Fun Fact about Yourself:  I am a statistical outlier of the MBA: I am 23 years old, whereas the average age of our intake is 29. (However, I do already have 5 years of work experience).

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Applied Sciences Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Bayer AG – Crop Science Division, Regional Product Manager for Central & Eastern Europe based in Warsaw, Poland

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I led the launch of an innovative technology with a completely new business model in nine countries across Central & Eastern Europe. The launch was really successful and resulted in more than €1 Million turnover in the second year of sales. Managing this launch was a career highlight because it was the biggest responsibility I had had to date. Because the technology and business model were completely new to everyone, we couldn’t build on any previous experience or use that experience to fix possible issues. Therefore, daily flexibility, creativity, and strong collaboration across countries, departments, and even management levels (global, regional, and local organization) were required to make the launch successfully happen. It was definitely challenging, but also one of the biggest and fastest learning experiences I’ve had so far.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The willingness to support each other and our “section-spirit” has been amazing. Before starting the IE Business School MBA, I was a little bit afraid of how competitive I imagined students would be with one another. Fortunately, this fear was unfounded.  There is true collaboration in our section and in my working groups. Everyone has an open mind and ear and is willing to support you in all ways imaginable. Here, “Team” doesn’t only mean just a group of people, but also “Together Everyone Achieves More.”

There were a number of people in my particular section who didn’t have much accounting experience at the start of the MBA, so a fellow section member who previously worked as accountant offered voluntarily additional “classes.” We were able to ask any and all kinds of questions and became more familiar with the topics, and improved the overall learning experience for everyone – inside and outside of the classroom.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Most important for me was the internationality and diversity of the IE Business School MBA. I truly believe that diversity makes teams and their work better. Learning how to leverage this potential and cultural awareness are the soft skills that are becoming ever more important and relevant in a globalized world.

I have always been a part of international teams. I have thoroughly enjoyed this because I find it fascinating to try to understand how colleagues approach projects and challenges based on their cultural and professional backgrounds. However, I must say, I have never experienced such great diversity as I have here at IE. I absolutely love it. In my section, S1, we are 52 students from 30 countries, and the daily classroom experience has brought the meaning of “diversity” to a new level for me. Where else would be a better environment for me to train and develop my leadership and management skills? In my opinion, you can learn the hard skills of being a manager in various ways, but what distinguishes an “average” manager from a great manager is his/her soft and intercultural skills.

IE Business School calls itself “An “MBA out of the ordinary.” How has IE’s curriculum and activities been out of the ordinary from what you expected or what you experienced in other educational institutions? The IE MBA is out of the ordinary because at the school you can start anything and change (almost) everything as long as you have the motivation, dedication, and a good rationale for it. Meaning, you can bring your entrepreneurial spirit to life, but also experience it during the “normal” study program. Flexibility, spontaneity and open-mindedness are key not only for entrepreneurs but also for all of us students looking to enjoy and make the most of the MBA experience.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? “How do you, in your current position, contribute to the fulfillment of the strategic objectives of your company?”

What do you see yourself doing in ten years? The MBA has taught me to endeavor to be as open-minded as possible, to stay flexible, to renew and follow my passion, and to make the most of opportunities when they arise. Therefore, I don’t have a definitive career plan, at least for the next 5+ years. Nevertheless, I certainly see myself working internationally – if not abroad, then at least in a highly international and diverse team. Whether I will be working as a classical manager, an entrepreneur, an ambassador, or in a position that does not even exist yet, anything and everything is possible. I am sure that the MBA experience will continue to help me find my way, even 10 years after leaving IE.

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