International, entrepreneurial spirit and many new ideas - Viadrina alumni met in Berlin

Christine Bräunig used the format "Superpowers at Play" to enable alumni from different years and disciplines to get to know each other. Bräunig herself studied International Business Administration (IBA) at the Viadrina from 2008 to 2014 and spent several years abroad during her studies. She completed her double master's degree with a specialisation in management and organisation in France, where she first completed an internship at Airbus in Toulouse and then got her first job at a French management consultancy. Today she works as a coach and trainer, specialising in communication for teams and team-building processes. "I can optimise as many processes as I want, but if there are conflicts, if people don't talk to each other, then the project won't work. I have specialised and trained in this human factor," she explains her career path, which is not self-explanatory for an IBA graduate. Looking back on her studies at the Viadrina, Christine Bräunig says: "I think it's a very special university that gave me a lot more than just university knowledge. I benefited from the Career Center and the Writing Centre, learned languages, lived in the fforst, worked in the Wiwi student council and learned many skills and abilities that go beyond my studies. I like this university and recommend it to others."

Zeeshan Sadiq came to Frankfurt (Oder) in 2020 after completing his Bachelor's degree in Pakistan to study the newly introduced Master's degree programme in Digital Entrepreneurship at the European New School (ENS) of Digital Studies. He had actually wanted to do a doctorate in International Trade, but the ENS Master's programme was a better fit for his future and start-up plans, so he was one of the first to apply for this study course. "During my studies, I learnt many things that I was able to put into practice in my start-up, which I set up during my studies," says Zeeshan Sadiq. Today, he runs his successful company, which brings together start-ups in Germany and other countries with workers from the Global South. His aim has always been to support start-ups in their early stages, as he himself has observed in the past that many start-ups fail at an early stage. Zeeshan Sadiq still has close ties to the ENS and the Viadrina and values the opportunities offered by the alumni network: "I think it's really great to make contacts here, find potential customers and help people."

Lynn Valerie Stehling began her studies at the Viadrina in 2015 with a Bachelor IBA, focussing on Management, Marketing and Finance. This was followed by an IBA Master's degree, specialising in Management. "My time at the university was mega," she says. Lynn lived in Frankfurt (Oder) and was a big part of student life at the time. Among other things, she was chairwoman of the student council for economics for more than two years and organised numerous events for the students in this role. She also performed in the Kleist Forum's Bürgerbühne theatre company. She spent a year in Buenos Aires, where she studied, worked and learnt the language. Lynn already worked for start-ups in various sectors during her studies; entrepreneurial creation was and is an exciting topic for her. She currently works for a management consultancy in the energy industry and advises energy supply companies, municipal utilities and network operators.

Adina Kimpfler has not been an alumna for long. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Law and Business / Business and Law at the beginning of 2025. She used the evening to meet new people and be inspired. Her personal highlight during her studies was attending the Media Law Days twice. Her report on "Journalism in Times of War" was published in the Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht und öffentliche Verwaltung (Journal of Public Law and Public Administration), which she is still really proud of today. After starting her career in a traditional recruitment agency and with start-up experience, she now works as a talent acquisition specialist at the industrial company GEA Group.

André Kalthofen also lived in Frankfurt (Oder) during his studies in Internationale Betriebswirtschaftslehre (IBWL) with a focus on organisation, corporate management and human resources from 2002 to 2008, enjoying student life and the border location. He spent his semester abroad in Colombia and worked as a student trainee at E-Bay - his entry into the field of e-commerce. This was followed by 18 years in digital marketing with various employers, most recently at Amazon. At the same time, he was active in the gaming industry, helping to shape the areas of gaming and e-sports with international tournaments at Amazon Mobile. After this very instructive but also exhausting time, he wanted to do something meaningful and is now building up a new area in service management as a consultant at the Federal Agency for Digital broadcasting: Customer portals for ministries.