Graduates & Alumni
Peter Wiedner, 2016 Graduate
Nationality: Austrian
Current Employer: Red Bull
Job Description: Junior Logistics Controller
What I use most…..: The Master’s Program in Supply Chain Management at the WU was a great experience that I can only recommend. The composition of courses comprising topics from Business, Quantitative Methods and IT mixed with the focus on global supply chains reflects what is required in my job now. In addition to the educational value of the Master’s Program I have to mention that also being part of the SCM Network, a student’s organization that fosters the community among the students and alumni, gave me the possibility to exchange and learn from the experience of our fellow alumni.
Professional Responsibilities: In my job, I support the Operations Controlling department by providing detailed reports and analysis of volume flows, stock levels as well as transportation and Warehousing costs of the Red Bull Group and its subsidiaries. In addition to that I am involved in the operational and financial planning process of the company, which requires a close collaboration with all our business partners and the colleagues in our subsidiaries around the globe. Another part of my job is contributing in different cross-functional projects with our IT and Operations business partners to improve our processes, increase data quality and provide a detailed picture of the financial aspects of the Red Bull supply chain.
Thenia Grammoustianou, 2016 Graduate
Nationality: Greek
Current Employer: Austrian Airlines
Job Description: Technical Purchaser
What I use most...: Thanks to continuous group assignments, I learned to cooperate better with other people and respect their opinion and ideas. I would also like to specially refer to Supply Chain Operations subject, which was really useful for my current job. Indeed, units are transported every day from and to Austrian Airlines with agreed Incoterms between suppliers and our company. Knowing all these terms before I started working gave me the chance to understand quickly their importance in a Supply Chain. Last but not least, my cooperation with Vienna International Airport during my Master’s Thesis as well as our visit to Lufthansa Cargo gave me a better insight how Cargo Supply Chain works and inspired me to seek for a job related to this industry.
Professional Responsibilities: I am mainly responsible for supporting the aircraft (FOKKER & EMBRAER Fleet) maintenance organization with part requirements to fulfill planned demands that impact the airline operation. This includes sourcing of aircraft parts, initiating orders, expediting existing orders, manage repair cycle and coordinating logistics to meet immediate needs as well as longer-term requirements. Currently I am also responsible for writing a Purchasing Guideline, which is a “manual” for all Technical Purchasers, where analytical processes being followed in daily routine as well as AMOS Modules (ERP System) are described.
Markus Vejvar, 2014 Graduate
Nationality: Austrian
Current Employer: A. T. Kearney
Job Description: Sourcing Consultant
What I use most…..: The master’s program in Supply Chain Management has equipped me with a well-rounded qualitative understanding of operations management and transportation processes, and the quantitative skills to conduct in-depth analyses in the supply chain management sector – And creative problem-solving skills and the ability to work with large data sets are equally important to succeed in my line of work. Furthermore, the program’s focus on group work with varied tasks in different settings has also prepared me for the daily project work: Frequently switching between different clients, project teams, and industries – which makes each day a little bit different than the last.
Professional Responsibilities: I support our clients in procurement transformations and general sourcing projects - from strategy formation to assessment and analysis of levers, to implementation of identified initiatives. While we source all direct and indirect categories, my personal focus lies on sourcing of logistics and transportation services. As a result, I often support clients in large-scale transportation tenders, collaborative optimization projects, and major supplier negotiations. Apart from client work, I also transform my own project experiences into internal intellectual capital to support colleagues in my area of expertise – strategic sourcing of transportation and logistics services.
Opportunity to study abroad
Thanks to the exchange program at WU Vienna, I was able to complete my third semester abroad, at the City University of Hong Kong in 2013. Apart from the opportunity to expand my knowledge on supply chain and operations management-related topics, I was able to discuss supply chains from a non-Eurocentric perspective, thus seeing them “from the other side”. Furthermore, I got to experience Hong Kong, which is not only a major logistics hub, but also a vibrant and culturally-diverse city.
After finishing my semester abroad, it became clear to me that I had to go back to Hong Kong one day. Thus, when I was offered a full PhD scholarship by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2014 to do research on sustainability issues in transportation management under the supervision of Prof. Kee-hung Lai, one of the most prolific authors in maritime transportation, I did not think twice and took the offer. In my 3-year PhD program, I expanded on the quantitative skills acquired in my master’s studies by taking classes in advanced statistics, game theory and econometric methods for research applications. I also expanded my knowledge on transportation management, with a particular focus on maritime and air transportation.
In my PhD thesis, I explored how transportation companies react to external pressures for sustainability in their sustainability discourse and implementation. In several data-driven studies that were published in a variety of transportation- and sustainability-related journals, I analyzed why some major transportation companies have a strong dedication to sustainability issues, while competitors pay lip-service at best. Coming from a master’s degree with a research component was a significant advantage in my PhD studies, as the familiarity with both the academic process and research methods allowed me to get up to speed quicker than colleagues who did not have this foundation to build upon.