Women in Business
Empowering Women in Business
We at HHL are convinced that diversity within companies is an essential key to mastering the current and future challenges of the globalized economy.
In addition to promoting intercultural diversity, strengthening the role of women in the economy is particularly important to us. With our “Empowering Women in Business” initiative, we want to inspire, enable, encourage and support female students to find and pursue their own career path together with HHL, be it in management consulting, medium-sized companies, international corporations, academia or even in your own startup. Realize your dream, with us!
Get inspired by our numerous, successful alumnae and their personal journeys. Discover how our Women in Business Networks and initiatives support business women and female founders and the individual encouragement you will receive with us, to develop your potential and find your professional passion. Start your educational journey at HHL now and become part of our active and diverse network!
46 %
of our full-time MBA students are women
HHL Student Statistics 2024
43%
of those in the HHL New Leipzig Talents Program are women
HHL New Leipzig Talents Statistics
30 %
of our doctoral students are women
HHL Student Statistics 2024
44%
of the New Leipzig Talent coaches are women
HHL New Leipzig Talents Statistics
Womens’ Success Stories
Every woman has a story to tell that is worth hearing. Let the numerous life paths of our HHL alumnae inspire you and discover unknown, exciting new trajectories!
Vero Celis Vergara, Founder | EnlightAID and HHL alumna
Veronica Celis Vergara is the CEO of EnlightaAID, a Tech4Good company focused on bringing transparency to social and environmental work. As part of our Women in Business interview series, she talks about everyday life as an HHL student, what hybrid learning has been like for her and why remote studying has actually made it easier to run her business.
Sina Maria Nöding, Full-time Master in Management Student
Sina is currently studying the full-time Master in Management program and was elected Head of the Energy Conference. In this interview she opens up about the importance of trusting her gut, how her friends encouraged her to lead one of HHL’s initiatives and why having a mentor has pushed her out of her comfort zone.
Sarah Berger, Founder | Die Biberei
Sarah Berger has a background in computer science and has spent her career working in IT, security consultancy and developing digital products for companies such as Mercedes Benz. After a successful career path in tech, she realized it was time to start a company of her own to tackle the challenges her clients had been facing.
Maria Fernanda Hernández, Associate Product Manager | Forto
Full-time MBA alumna Maria Fernanda Hernández spent the first few years of her career in El Salvador, before deciding to pursue her higher education in Germany. In this video interview she talks about managing the cultural transition and pursuing new opportunities.
Shivangi Garg, Business Development & Strategic Projecs | Continental AG
It wasn’t long after her graduation from the full-time MBA program that Shivangi Garg noticed an entrepreneurial drive that kept creeping up. She describes it as “HHL’s entrepreneurial spirit kicking in” and it made her think back to her first contact with entrepreneurship in her home country India. She had been part of a team that was developing a social start-up and had loved the work. While the idea ultimately wasn’t pursued, it lit a fire in her.
Jolanta Talaga, Head of Supply Chain Operations DE/CH | Henkel
As a mother of two and a successful businesswoman, Jolanta knows the struggle many women face before starting a family. Today she understands that motherhood taught her to prioritize and actually helped her to further develop at work. A firm believer that we have the choice to decide where we work and what we do, Jolanta hopes more women will make courageous career choices.
Binh Vu, Venture Capital Analyst | Brandenburg Kapital
As a Venture Capitalist, Binh has had the privilege to work with many different founder teams. Over the years, she has noticed a particular tendency with female founders. In her experience, women are more likely than men to wait for the perfect moment to start something. This perfectionism can lead to missed opportunities and general discomfort with visibility.
Sravya Maturu, Senior Consultant | E.ON Inhouse Consulting GmbH
Sravya Maturu is a Senior Consultant at E.On Inhouse Consulting. With a background in chemical engineering, she moved to Germany to extend her skillset with a degree in general management. Today she is able to combine her professional expertise in her consulting work. Sravya is passionate about empowering women in business to see their full potential and bring their unique strengths to the workplace.
Sina Warnecke, Executive Assistant to the Management Board | Mister Spex
Sina Warnecke recently started her new job as Executive Assistant to the Management Board at Mister Spex. Her former employer was hit by the pandemic, leaving her with some unexpected time to think about a career change. As an alumna of the part-time master program, she reached out to her HHL network, getting in touch with alumni who were happy to share their experiences with her.
Stephanie Ziolko, Large Deals Sales Executive | IBM
With HHL’s part-time master’s program and her consulting work at IBM, Stephanie Ziolko quickly learned to sharpen her project management, analysis and methodological skills. Since October 2020 she has been working in management, as a Large Deals Sales Executive at IBM, proving that women are forging successful career paths, even in male-dominated domains.
Conny Wuppermann, Co-founder and CFO | Palero Capital GmbH
From an early age, Conny Wuppermann had the goal of solving complex business problems and pursuing managerial roles. After studying at HHL she began her impressive career in the finance sector, ultimately co-founding the private equity company Palero Capital GmbH in 2010.
Sina Warnecke
Executive Assistant Management Board | Invia Group Germany
My studies at HHL marked the gateway to a seemingly endless wealth of personal experiences other students and alumna gained along their career paths. Everyone`s inner conviction to genuinely share these valuable insights and constantly empower other (female) members of the community is what makes HHL outstanding!
Luisa Haxel
Co-Founder/Business Operations | Evernest
I try to get better every day, learn from mistakes and listen to the people I care about. When you work in a start-up environment, you never feel like you’re done.
Agata Reichel-Tomczak
CEO Swiss/Co-Owner | DREBERIS International Strategy Consultants
The HHL footprint is a strategic, visionary, and very ethical approach to business that was the basis for the extraordinary development of my career and company. Doing the MBA program was the best investment I ever made. It gave me an extra boost of confidence in what I do, structured and enriched my knowledge and organizational skills, and inspired me with new insights from other colleagues. To sum it up: HHL made me excel!
Fatima El-Khatib
Associate Director Research | Hotspex
Having a plan can be useful, but you should always be flexible and adapt to changes in your career and personal life. As long as you follow your passion you are on the right path.
Annemarie Heyl
Co-Founder | Kale&Me
I learned how important it is to give back, and provide mentorship to the next set of HHL
entrepreneurs.
Irene Klemm
Co-Founder | Edurino
Studying at HHL provided me with a reliable network and numerous role models and continuously challenged me to develop both professionally and personally. Being part of the HHL family not only accompanies you through your studies but far beyond.
Dr. Susanne Goldammer
Business Lead Onsite & Bulk Region South | Linde AG
As a woman in business and with a technical background in a male dominated company environment I experienced different challenges during my career, however, most I missed female role models. Today I try to be one and to foster diversity and inclusion in my teams. For me, it does not mean only gender, but also age, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, education, language, geography and physical or mental disability.
Career Development
Inspire
The exchange with our alumnae can ignite a real fire in prospective candidates and open opportunities through career paths that you were previously unaware of.
Let the experiences of other HHL members inspire and encourage you to go your own way. We regularly offer talks with alumnae and other inspiring personalities. Many alumnae perceive these events as their home base, a place where they can recharge and get inspired to take their next steps!
Empower
For women in particular, self-confident presentation and targeted self-marketing are particularly important, as scientific studies have shown that male colleagues practice this behavior to a much greater extent. These factors are decisive for the perception of competencies – even if the performance is clear on a factual level. Ambitious women have better opportunities for advancement in a business environment that actively encourages women.
With instructions on targeted power priming and information on companies that have clearly positioned themselves to promote women, we charge your career development with more power!
Connect
Positions of high responsibility are often filled through recommendations or similarity bias.
Women in Business networks are a great opportunity to exchange ideas personally and build mutual trust because one thing is very clear: Women who have gained success often pull others up the career ladder behind them or ensure a gender-friendly operational framework as part of the working conditions.
Network
There are numerous networks that offer themselves as a neutral or protected space for people to test out their own leadership skills, e.g. as a spokesperson. Career fairs for women also offer the ideal opportunity to quickly gain a market overview of the current companies wanting to fill positions with women specifically.
We will inform you, support and further your building of a reliable network.
Chat with our students
Want to know more about what it’s like to be a student at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management? Find out more from one of our current students through our online chat and messaging system. Our female student ambassadors are here to share their experiences of HHL and to answer any questions you may have about your chosen program.
Get inspired
Our HHL alumnae reflect on their individual career paths, share their experiences and give advice.
Scholarships
We are confident that investing in your education, your personal development and your professional network will pay off! And our numerous success stories confirm this. HHL has set itself the goal of actively supporting ambitious and qualified women in achieving their academic and professional goals and offers various Women in Business Scholarships. Successful applicants benefit from a reduction in tuition fees of up to 50%.
Benefit from HHL´s Women in Business Scholarships
Please include the following requirements:
- High academic performance in undergraduate studies
- High GMAT or HHL Entry Test result
- A completed scholarship questionnaire or essay
- Successful application to a master’s program at HHL
- Academic and other awards, as well as non-university achievements, are an advantage
The scholarship application can be submitted in parallel with the application to a HHL master’s program. Contact us if you are unsure whether you meet the requirements. We would be happy to advise you!
Questions about our scholarship program? Please feel free to contact us at any time!
Get empowered by HHL’s women initiatives
We support young women in business and female entrepreneurs
Become a part of our community!
Do you want to be part of the HHL community and experience HHL’s unique student life? Then start your educational journey with HHL now!