What have you done, professionally, before you started the DBA?

I have worked for more than 15 years at Yaskawa Electric Corporation, one of the worldwide leading Robotic Manufacturers, as General Manager responsible for Production & Supply Chain within the European Headquarters in Allershausen, Germany.

Why did you decide for a DBA program?

I had completed my MBA a few years ago and next to all the daily business challenges, I asked myself, if there is anything else I could do to broaden my horizon in terms of academic research contribution. After extensive consideration, I decided to spend time and effort on a practice-oriented doctorate. A DBA was the right choice for me.

Why did you decide for Munich Business School?

One reason was that we were the first DBA cohort at MBS in 2015 and the program content seemed well thought out and prepared to me. After an interview with the dean and the DBA program leader, I decided to go on a journey with MBS. But of course, we had to face some early-stage obstacles with the collaboration between two universities.

As I was growing up in Munich, it was also a location that played a part in the decision-making process.

How was your experience?

The doctorate itself was a challenging, intermittently intensive but very interesting process. It took me approx. four and a half years to complete and I was the second DBA graduate at MBS. One of the most important points for a successful DBA study is the choice and definition of an interesting and "long-lasting" research topic that allows you to focus on over a long period of time.

How do you benefit from the DBA now?

In 2014 I founded NV-Consulting, a small consultancy company, currently consisting of 5 employees. We work mostly for the automotive industry, focusing on Quality and Supply Chain Management, Production and Change Processes.

To the question, how I benefit from the DBA, I can answer that you should honestly do it for yourself. Of course, you might benefit later on from your title or further academic research experience but you do not know this in advance and these benefits are not very easy to quantify. From my personal point of view, as a consultant, I think I benefit from the DBA with regards to an increased business reputation.