Portraits Speakers 2024

When the Business Law degree programme was launched at FH Aachen in the winter semester of 2017/18, Lars Bandau was one of the first students. Even during his studies, practical experience was important to the trained banker. He worked as a student trainee for data protection and compliance at Trianel GmbH and completed a practical semester at Bosch GmbH in Stuttgart. After completing his Bachelor's degree in 2021, he worked in Group Data Protection at Provinzial Versicherung AG, where he was jointly responsible for advising on data protection law in the context of the company merger and auditing new software projects in terms of data protection law. From 2022 to 2024, he is completing an extra-occupational Master's degree in Information Law at the University of Oldenburg.

Since 2023, Lars Bandau has been employed as an external Data Protection Officer and data protection consultant at TIGGES DCO GmbH. There he provides advice on data protection law for all business situations. In particular, his expertise is used for the deployment of new software, IT and company migrations, the deployment and use of AI, third country transfers (standard contractual clauses and binding corporate rules) and contract negotiations.

His tasks also include communicating with supervisory authorities for clients (drafting and defending statements), preparing expert opinions on data protection law, processing complaints for credit agencies and auditing credit agencies with regard to compliance with the rules of conduct. As an external Data Protection Officer, he is also responsible for auditing clients, reviewing contracts and holding training courses.

TIGGES DCO stands for customised data protection, compliance and organisational consulting that is specifically tailored to the needs of SMEs. TIGGES DCO offers comprehensive solutions to meet the legal and organisational requirements of companies and to optimise their data protection standards.

TIGGES DCO is the first accredited monitoring centre under the GDPR for approved codes of conduct. In this context, TIGGES DCO monitors, among other things, compliance with the rules of conduct of German credit agencies.

As a subsidiary of the renowned law firm TIGGES Rechtsanwälte, TIGGES DCO benefits from extensive legal expertise and a strong network. In addition to monitoring and consulting, the company also offers its customers training and workshops to raise awareness of data protection and compliance and to optimise internal processes.

If you take a look at Kathrin Heck's career, it quickly becomes clear where her professional interests lie. Even during her vocational training as a wholesale and foreign trade clerk at Raiffeisen Rhein-Ahr-Eifel Handelsgesellschaft mbH, she worked in accounting, controlling and administration. She also focussed on accounting, auditing and economics during her business studies at FH Aachen. After completing practical training in the Assurance department at PwC Germany, she joined the Assurance, Audit IS department after graduating in 2015. She passed her tax consultant exam in 2019 while working extra-occupationally, followed by her auditor exam in 2021.

At PwC, Kathrin Heck contributes her industry expertise in the areas of retail & consumer goods and industrial production. One of her tasks is to audit the annual and consolidated financial statements of international and listed companies in accordance with HGB and IFRS. She works in the international PwC network and is a member of the PwC Audit Transformation Network (use of audit tools in the audit of financial statements) and a member of the PwC Sustainability Accelerator (audit of CSRD sustainability reporting). As part of the recruiting team, she is also responsible for the recruitment of junior staff and acts as a lecturer as part of the team for university work.

At PwC Germany, a wide variety of people come together to find smart solutions with ingenuity, create sustainable results and build trust in business and society. PwC is characterised by team spirit, a clear set of values and a unique culture.

Our clients face new challenges and seek advice every day. With over 14,000 bright minds and the resources of its network of experts in 155 countries, PwC is at their side, bringing experience, industry expertise, technological understanding and high quality standards to every project. Our innovative strength is reflected in future-proof solutions: from VR technologies in Experience Consulting and AI applications in tax consulting to Halo for SAP in auditing.

During her international business studies at FH Aachen, Charlotte Kreysern spent three semesters abroad in Krakow and Paris and completed her studies in 2012 with a double degree from FH Aachen and Novancia Business School Paris. During her Master's degree in Business Psychology at the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, she was also drawn to study abroad and spent a further semester in Buenos Aires.

After gaining a lot of practical experience during her studies, Charlotte Kreysern joined HRS GmbH as a recruiter after completing her Master's degree in 2016. After holding positions as Senior Recruiter and Team Lead Recruiting as well as a sabbatical, she moved to Shop Apotheke Service GmbH (part of Redcare Pharmacy) as Head of Recruiting in 2020. Among other things, she was responsible for setting up, developing and managing the recruiting team, consisting of up to 15 direct reports and four markets (DE, NL, FR, IT).

Following her parental leave, she moved to the role of Associate Director HR for Germany at the beginning of 2024. In this role, she is currently responsible for all HR-related topics for over 500 employees in Germany and heads up HR Business Partnering and the HR Services team.

Originally founded in 2001, Redcare Pharmacy (previously known as Shop Apotheke Europe) is now the leading online pharmacy in Europe and currently operates in seven countries: Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The company is headquartered in Sevenum, near the Dutch city of Venlo and in the heart of Europe, with additional locations in Cologne, Berlin, Munich, Tongeren, Warsaw, Milan, Lille and Eindhoven.

As the one-stop pharmacy of the future, Redcare Pharmacy offers over 11 million active customers a diverse range of over 150,000 products at fair prices. In addition to over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, beauty and personal care products and an extensive selection of health-related items in all markets, the company also offers prescription medicines to customers in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Redcare Pharmacy N.V. has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard) since 2016. The company has been a member of the MDAX selection index since 19 June 2023.

Before Alen Muljajic studied Business Administration at the Faculty of Business Studies, he completed an apprenticeship as a wholesale and foreign trade merchant at Kerschgens Werkstoffe & Mehr GmbH. His interest in operations management was sparked by his work as a student trainee at Bäckerei MOSS GmbH, where he was directly involved in the production process as a production assistant. After completing his Bachelor's degree in 2014, he went to the Akademie Deutsches Bäckerhandwerk Sachsen, where he passed the examination to become a master baker. A short time later, he started his career at MOSS. He was initially employed there as Head of Quality Management. In 2019, he was promoted to Operations Manager. He completed an extra-occupational Master's degree in Industrial Engineering at FH Aachen, which he successfully completed in 2020.

After another position as authorised signatory and Operations Manager, Alen Muljajic has been Executive Director since the beginning of 2024. In this role, he is responsible for the areas of production, purchasing and facility management. His tasks include the strategic direction of the company as well as the management of production and facility management.

Bäckerei MOSS GmbH is an artisan bakery with its headquarters in Kellershaustraße in Aachen. The company and its 700 employees attach great importance to tradition, quality and innovation. The aim is to offer customers fresh, high-quality baked goods every day.

Thinking in new ways and preserving tradition - these are two of the roots of the craft business, which was founded in Pontstrasse in 1925. The preservation of modern food culture is a particular concern. The philosophy also includes the sourcing of regional raw materials and a clear commitment to craftsmanship, in which machines are only used where manual labour could not do better.

As a craft business that masters the balancing act between tradition and modernity as well as ecology and economy, the MOSS bakery has already been honoured several times. In addition to being honoured with the NRW State Prize for Food and various product awards, the MOSS bakery has been named one of the 600 best bakers in Germany by gourmet magazine DER FEINSCHMECKER.

Torben Wendland's international focus is a common thread running through his CV. He spent semesters abroad in Florence, Coventry and Missouri during his international Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes at the Faculty of Business Studies and obtained a double degree in each case. He also continued his international career after graduating. He joined the TUI Group and completed an international trainee programme. He worked for a further three and a half years as Manager Controlling & Finance Future Markets. He then moved to REWE Group, where he worked as Senior Controller E-Commerce & New Business Models until 2022.

Since September 2022, Torben Wendland has been working as Manager Corporate Controlling for the TUI Group's club hotel brands. As Business Partner, he is responsible for all financial issues relating to the 41 hotels in the TUI Group's club holiday portfolio (Robinson & TUI Magic Life). His tasks include preparing and analysing the monthly and annual financial statements (profit and loss account, balance sheet, cash flow) of the international subsidiaries. On this basis, he derives recommendations for action for the management. He also prepares business cases and governance papers on the basis of which the TUI Group Executive Committee makes investment and financing decisions. This activity is required, for example, for new hotel projects, investments in the area of sustainability or financing measures. He also develops new reporting tools with a focus on automated solutions (e.g. Tableau Analytics) and coordinates the strategic planning and budgeting process for the club holiday business.

TUI Group is a leading global tourism group operating worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany and offers its 19 million customers integrated services from a single source. These services cover the entire tourism value chain and include more than 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands such as RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson as well as 16 cruise ships in the premium and luxury segment. In addition, TUI Group operates leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms across Europe, five airlines with more than 130 modern medium- and long-haul aircraft and around 1,200 travel agencies. In addition to expanding its core business with hotels, cruises and activities in the holiday destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a digital company.

Monika Wirtz focused on internationality in both her Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes at the Faculty of Business Studies. During her Bachelor's degree, she spent a semester abroad at the Krakow University of Economics and the final year at the Novancia Business School Paris, enabling her to complete her studies with a double degree. During her Master's programme, she went to Universiti Sains Malaysia.

After completing practical training in customer experience design at Deutsche Telekom, she joined the company as part of a trainee programme after completing her Master's degree in 2016. She then worked for a further four years as an agile product owner in the area of customer service for various service topics. After a year of parental leave, she returned to her job as a Product Owner for nine months before moving to the Telekom subsidiary congstar in 2023. Since then, she has been working there as a CX Platform Owner and is responsible for the valorisation of the Medallia platform with a focus on customer feedback management and the evaluation of online usage behaviour. Her responsibilities include a variety of different activities: strategic further development of the platform, technical implementation of the existing data platforms, technical management of three development teams and stakeholder management to collect requirements and prioritisation in the logic of agile working methods. All with the overarching goal of creating the best customer experience. Monika also deals with the issue of balancing career and children.

congstar is one of the leading mobile phone providers in Germany with 250 employees and more than 6 million customers. As part of Deutsche Telekom, congstar offers the best of both worlds: A start-up atmosphere combined with the security of a corporate group behind it. In concrete terms, this means short lines of communication, flat hierarchies and plenty of room for manoeuvre. In addition, there is job security, a fair salary and many opportunities for further development and compatibility of family and career at congstar and beyond.