In 2022, 91.1% of the managing directors in Austria's top-selling companies were men. It is still more difficult for women to be perceived as suitable. One reason for this is that they still do not penetrate relevant networks. This is where the career and mentoring program Wise Women of WU comes in: Experienced WU alumnae stand by young female graduates and thus form a joint network in the long term. The goal is quite clear: to increase the proportion of women in leadership positions.

"Half of the approximately 3,000 people who complete a degree program at WU each year are female, which means that a great many top-qualified women enter the job market each year. Nevertheless, the management levels in companies and organizations are male-dominated. I would very much like to see our female graduates in appropriate leadership positions in the long term, which is why I launched 'Wise Women of WU'," explains Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger. In this program, 10 female graduates are given the opportunity to advance their careers in a targeted manner. The places are in great demand: the number of female applicants almost doubled from the first to the second round. This fall sees the start of the fourth round of the mentoring program, which is supervised and organized by WU Alumni.

Wise Women: Exchange of experience and knowledge & competence enhancement

The Wise Women program focuses on improving the career opportunities of WU graduates by exchanging ideas with experienced alumnae and building sustainable networks. Each of the 10 participants is supported by an experienced top manager with experience on the board of directors, executive board or supervisory board. Great importance is attached to matching in the selection process, as the duos that are formed will spend a whole section of their future careers together, supporting each other and learning from each other. "It is quite important that female supervisors are made visible and can thus also serve as role models. If I see that other women have made it to the top, if I even get the opportunity to talk to them about their experiences and get tips, then I'll face the competition more broadly in the future," explains the Rector.

Program schedule 2022/23

WU female graduates with at least five years of relevant professional experience can apply online up to and including September 18. After an internal pre-selection, the best female candidates will have the opportunity to pitch for one of the 10 coveted places in the mentoring program at the end of October. The kick-off is scheduled for November 28. The mentees will be assisted by the following mentors this year: Silvia Angelo, Elfriede Baumann, Christine Catasta, Monika Kircher, Patricia Neumann, Renate Niklas, Tatjana Oppitz, Regina Prehofer, Herta Stockbauer and Katharina Weishaupt.

More information about Wise Women of WU.