Alen Muljajic

From the lecture hall to the craft: Alen Muljajic is now Executive Director of the traditional Aachen-based artisan bakery Moss and combines business expertise with his passion for the craft in his role. Born in Osijek (Croatia), he now lives with his wife in Aachen-Brand. In his free time, he enjoys reading about astronomy or spending time at the cooker himself. What drives him? The smell of freshly baked bread and the joy of making a difference together as a team.

Mr Muljajic, you now live in Aachen and are the Executive Director of a large artisan bakery. How did you get there?

I was born in Osijek in Croatia and lived there until I was 7 years old. I then came to Germany with my parents. Before starting my Bachelor's degree programme, I completed an apprenticeship as a wholesale and foreign trade merchant. I studied at FH Aachen from 2008 to 2013 on the Bachelor's degree programme in Business Studies with a focus on Operations, Controlling, Leadership and Business Law and then from 2015 to 2020 on the Master's degree programme in Industrial Engineering. After the Bachelor's degree programme, I completed the master baker's school and became a master baker. During my studies, I worked as a production assistant at the Moss bakery. It was there that I first learnt how satisfying it can be to work with your own hands.

What did you do after graduating and where are you now?

After graduating, I took over as Head of Quality Management at the Moss bakery. I then became operations manager. Today I am the Executive Director there. We are currently working on expanding digitalisation and setting the course for the future.

To what extent does the content you learnt during your studies help you in your job today?

The content I learnt during my studies enables me to understand complex economic relationships and derive the relevant insights from them. In addition to the expertise I learnt, I particularly benefit from the way of thinking and approaching challenges in my day-to-day work.

What motivates you, what do you particularly like and what challenges do you face in your day-to-day work?

I am motivated by the smell of freshly baked bread. I particularly like the variety, because no two days are the same. One challenge is that the bakery trade, like many other industries, is very much affected by the shortage of skilled labour.

Do you still maintain contact with former fellow students or are you part of the alumni network?

Yes, there is definitely contact, e.g. via Linkedin or XING. I recently became a member of the alumni network.

What is important to you personally in life?

It is important to me that the people close to me are doing well.

How do you spend your free time - do you find a balance to your day-to-day work?

I enjoy cooking and reading books about astronomy.

What makes you laugh and what makes you angry?

My wife makes me laugh. Polemics and shirking make me angry.