WU’s new Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger has appointed Barbara Stöttinger to take over from Bodo B. Schlegelmilch as Dean of WU Executive Academy, starting on October 1, 2015. The new Dean plans to continue on the successful  path WU has been following in executive education, and strengthen its position as one of the leading MBA providers in the international market and as Austrian managers’ first choice for continuing education programs.

WU Executive Academy’s new Dean Barbara Stöttinger (WU Institute for International Marketing Management) is a highly qualified professor with a strong academic background in marketing and many years of experience in the field of MBA and executive education. “WU has concentrated its continuing educational activities in WU Executive Academy for the past 10 years. Today, the Academy is one of the leading institutions in the field of executive education, and its portfolio is based solidly on the current needs of the labor market. Over the next few years, we plan to strengthen WU Executive Academy’s position on the international market, expand our networks, and continue to guarantee top quality programs. Barbara Stöttinger is the ideal choice to work together with us to achieve these goals. She has been a Program Director at WU Executive Academy since 2007, is the recipient of numerous international distinctions, and has comprehensive experience in business, gained both before and during her academic career. I am happy to put the future of WU Executive Academy into her capable hands,” says Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger.

An Austrian success story

Back in 20015, when the WU Executive Academy was founded, MBA degrees were still uncommon in Austria and much of Europe. Now, WU and the WU Executive Academy’s MBA programs are not only well known but also triple accredited (AACSB, AMBA und EQUIS). The Global Executive MBA is ranked among the 100 best MBA programs worldwide. Barbara Stöttinger plans to pick up where her predecessor left off, and says, “I am grateful for the trust placed in me by the Rector. I realize that the previous Dean Bodo Schlegelmilch has set the bar very high, but that is a challenge I am looking forward to facing. There are several areas I wish to strengthen in the future, for example the international profile of our programs.  Our internationally renowned faculty with teachers from the WU faculty and the extensive WU network, the international field and study trips included in many of our curricula, and the international character of our student body are some of our most important selling points, the ones that place us above the competition. Sustainable quality control plays a very important role here. Achieving triple accreditation was certainly a major milestone, but now we have to make sure we keep it. I also want to further strengthen those areas in our portfolio where WU and the WU Executive Academy are already among the best, especially finance, energy, entrepreneurship & innovation, and our master of laws programs. In addition to our international position, we also see ourselves as Austria’s most important provider of continuing education for managers and executives, a role WU has been famous for for years.”

Barbara Stöttinger

A native of Upper Austria, Barbara Stöttinger (49) got her doctoral degree at WU and was granted a venia docendi in International Marketing in 2003. Before coming to teach at WU’s Institute for International Marketing Management, she worked in the marketing department of an international consumer electronics manufacturer and as a consultant. Her research has resulted in extended stays in the Canada and the USA. In addition, Barbara Stöttinger has worked as a lecturer in the fields of marketing and international marketing for years, teaching in Europe, Asia, and North America, and has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards. She has been the Academic Director of the Professional MBA Marketing & Sales program at WU Executive Academy since 2007.

Contact:

Cornelia Moll
WU Press Relations Officer
Tel.: + 43-1-31336 ext.4977
cornelia.moll@wu.ac.at

Paul Kospach
Head of Public Relations WU Executive Academy
Tel.: +43-1-31336 ext. 5161
paul.kospach@wu.ac.at

WU Press Release WU Rector appoints Barbara Stöttinger as New Dean of WU Executive Academy as PDF