Graduation Speech to ebs Class of 2023

?Thank you President Oettinger, esteemed members of faculty, distinguished alumni, proud parents, excited siblings, devoted friends. Congratulations to all of you. But especially, congratulations to the fantastic class of 2023!?

?It is my absolute pleasure to be here with all of you today. I never thought I would be standing on stage at my alma mater and have the honor of addressing you on your special day.

?You have embarked on a journey with countless roads and paths to choose from. Sleepless nights, that last paper to send off, the presentations to give. The good grades. The not-so-good grades. The tears. The laughs. The friends you made that will last a lifetime. The roommates you want to forget. The teachers who inspired you, or made you fall asleep. The classes that surprised you, and challenged you.??

?A series of ups and downs. A twisted, winding road requiring courage, hope, passion, heart. With each curve on the path, you are tested. Tasked with making a decision and charting your course.??

?All of these moments have led you to this one. And in this moment you should feel absolute pride in your accomplishments.?

?No matter where you started, you now have almost boundless opportunities in front of you. Endless choices to change the world and make it yours.??

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So, what are you going to do with it? What in the world needs to change, and what part do you want to play in changing it??

?When I think back to the world I graduated into back in 1999, things were quite different. The Internet. Smartphones. Social Media. The dot com bubble didn’t burst yet. The Internet was still new enough, still slow enough, certainly not ChatGPT and AI. Google was still in BETA version. The iphone wasn’t invented yet. The first iPod wasn’t released.

?You are now in a world of instant access to information right at your fingertips. You are living in a world that is made up of the physical and the digital. You have one life online and one life offline. We are living in a time of simultaneous networks of thoughts and groups.

?Yet, we are also living in a world where turmoil feels ever-present. Whether it is how quickly and swiftly information is communicated, or the ferocity of global online outrage: we are feeling the presence of intense turbulence more than ever before spanning topics from the geoploitical, societal, environmental, economic and beyond. I have to admit the world you are embarking into is much more complex and insecure than the one I started my career in.

?It’s clear there is work to do for the betterment of our countries, of our planet, and for each other. What do you do in the face of such a great and important challenge? Everyone will approach their goals differently, finding new ways of thinking, of working, of acting, of BEING.?

What I’ve learned is that whatever that path may be, the way forward is best chartered with the power of creativity.?

?And that’s what I want to share with you today. There is not one way of finding your place the world. There are many. What I’ve learned is that whatever that path may be, the way forward is best chartered with the power of creativity.?

?When the term creativity is thrown around, the initial interpretation of the idea is that is has to do solely with the arts. Your musicians, painters, writers, artisans, designers and so on. But it’s not.??

?Creativity is a mindset. It is a way of existing in the world. It is a way of approaching complex issues both personally and professionally. It is a lens to add on top that allows you to see even further than before.?

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What do I mean by this???

I am personally driven by bringing the power of creativity to the boardroom. To knock down doors and barriers. It is a privilege that I find myself sitting at tables with CEOs of fortune 500 companies.

I listen to the issues different organizations are facing. I am told of the massive geopolitical challenges and looming threats to the businesses. I hear the complex challenges within the organizations themselves. I hear buzzwords – so many buzzwords. I hear the numbers, the KPIs, the trajectories.?

So often, the same piece of the puzzle is missing. Creativity.?

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No matter the industry, the company, the size of the company, or the size of the project. We need a solution to a problem.??

?And they are hitting a wall.??

?How do you solve a problem without thinking outside of a box? If evolution has shown us anything it is that we must adapt to new ways of living to do more than just survive. What kind of life is that??

?We want to thrive in life, in business.??

?Being creative is a fundamental part of the human experience. It is how we discover who we are. It is how we can overcome adversity. It is how we find ways to inspire hope in tough times.?

Creativity is a means of seeing problems in a new light, and finding solutions that are beyond the traditional

Creativity is a means of seeing problems in a new light, and finding solutions that are beyond the traditional. In business, it is no secret that thinking outside of the box can risk careers and success. This then means that we stick to what we know is possible, copy competitors, make tiny steps forward with nominal improvements.??

?If we have learned anything from the pandemic, it is the importance of creativity. During times of transition, expanding to new markets, in economic downturns when we need inspiration and resilience – settling for the status quo is just not an option anymore.?

?Creativity is a growth driver. We’re talking using innovating thinking to shape how entire ecosystems are designed. We’re talking challenges that are converted into opportunities. We’re talking about uncovering the untapped – or even hidden – potential of creativity from surprising sources. Reaching across the aisle, across departments, across industry, across the world. We have wellsprings of creative ideas just waiting for us to explore - if we aren’t afraid to look, to ask, and to listen.?

That this worked out like it did, I also have to thank EBS. And my mother, who – as a single parent – made this education possible for me. I wasn't the typical EBS student. Not from an entrepreneurial household. No parent in a board position. Not aristocratic.

And at this university, I had the great fortune to experience that these things don't matter. That my gender doesn't matter either. Instead, it's about performance. Whoever performs, wins. Whoever takes things seriously has the chance to truly make a difference.

Until I had my degree in hand. And then ventured out into the real world. Into the icy waters of the business world. Here, I had to learn: Not everywhere works like it does at EBS. As a woman, it is still nearly impossible for us women– especially in traditional, technical fields – to take the same steps at the same pace as our male colleagues.

Therefore, I want to address all the women in this room. Sheryl Sandberg coined this phrase, and I won't tire of repeating it: Lean in. Throw yourselves into it. You can achieve anything. I won't create the illusion that it will be easy. But it's achievable. And above all, it's worth it.

We talk extensively about equality. But the reality is also this: We are far from fully living it. Among the many female friends I still have from my time at university, only a few have pursued full-time careers. I can count them on one hand. It's different for my male classmates. Amazing careers. Textbook-style.

Therefore, I want to address all the women in this room. Sheryl Sandberg coined this phrase, and I won't tire of repeating it: Lean in. Throw yourselves into it. You can achieve anything. I won't create the illusion that it will be easy. But it's achievable. And above all, it's worth it.

With every step you take, especially the steps not many women have taken before you, you pave paths that future women can follow more easily. My motivation has always been to leave a world for my daughter Julie – who is also in the audience today (points at Julie) – where she finds female role models. Who show her that it is possible. And that she doesn't have to be afraid to do it herself. A world in which she trusts herself. Because other women before her could do it just as well. And they haven't failed – they've succeeded.

Therefore, to the men in the room. Half of the success of equality depends on you. Be the colleague, partner, supervisor who opens doors. Who isn't afraid of a changing world. It will change anyway. But you can shape it. You must, actually. Dear men, let's together create a world where both genders have equal opportunities. And with that, bear equal risks. And responsibly handle them together.

Let's finally play on the same team. And not against each other. Where we learn from our strengths and complement each other in our weaknesses. Because in the end, both sides are needed. One won't work without the other. And that's a good thing.

I've come to know and love EBS as a place where this works wonderfully. Where people are genuinely interested in the matter. Where intelligent, creative minds come together. And make the most out of their knowledge. Let's use this knowledge responsibly. Because knowledge without values is worthless.

That's why I'm infinitely grateful to have studied here at EBS, even to this day.

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I started my career in automotive at BMW. For 7 years I worked and learned. I had the pleasure of meeting brilliant people and traveling to beautiful places. Of learning marketing with one of the most beloved global brands. I learnt what hierarchie means. Political acting. Chaning. But looking back on it now, it’s clear that what I loved most at this time was leading and guiding conversations on transformation journeys. It wasn’t one industry I wanted to be a part of. It was all of them. It’s the reason that today I am working at Deloitte. I have the opportunity to reach these industries and make a lasting impact.??

?With my time at BMW came my own growth. As I learned more about who I was, I started to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I came to the realization that I needed to create the job and life that I wanted. At the time, I wasn’t living and breathing my passions in the way I wanted to.?

?So, what did I do? I had to get creative.??

?I quite literally jumped into nothingness, hand-in-hand with an equally ambitious – and maybe also just as crazy – colleague and we built a company. We had no clue what we were doing, but we knew we were loving it. We knew we had no income or cookie-cutter path ahead of us – and we had no choice but to succeed. And so we did.??

It was here, where everything was uncertain and everything seemed impossible, that we found out what was possible. When you start, you have no idea what you’re doing. If you don’t know it is impossible, suddenly it is easier to do. And because no one else did it before, there aren’t rules stopping you from doing it again.?

My passion is supporting companies, brands and people communicate major transformations. The way I see it, at the end of the day, if we can’t talk to each other with empathy and common understanding, we cannot succeed.?

?Powerful communication creates value, moves people, and drives the ‘new’. I also wanted to drive the ‘new’ in my life. Because creativity also requires challenging yourself, lifelong learning, and daring to try something you may be afraid of doing. Running a business transforming brands and marketing strategies with campaigns was just the start for me.??

?So what did I do? I had to get creative - again. I believe that we are at the cusp of a great transformation in the world. And to take the lead with solving some of the biggest challenges of our time, we need a lot of people. And we need to do it together. So I searched for those who were just as eager – just as creative – and said to myself: Virginie, build a Creative Consultancy. The first of its kind. And do it at Deloitte. One of the largest service companies in the world. And so I did.?

?Creativity gives us this freedom to think and to act.??

?To communicate in times of information overload, privacy concerns, security breaches, and billionaires challenging each other to a cage fight – the responsibility of truth, of fact, of empathy, of courage falls to us as communications experts.?

?In a world where absolute truth is no longer the foundation and fabric of societies, it is now more than ever that creativity holds the spotlight. We must seek out and understand truth from lie from AI. And how do we do this when every day it is harder and harder to separate fact from fiction? What do we do when connectivity not only brought the world together, but is dividing us just as rapidly???

?No one has all of the answers. But what we need are creative ideas to help us, to help each other, face the rapidly changing world with bravery.

?Today, the most successful companies in the world are creative forces. Apple propelled us into the future from the moment Steve Jobs held up that iPhone. Netflix completely changed the media & entertainment industry. AirBnB upended the hospitality business in front of our eyes. What it comes down to is finding a unique – creative – ?place in the market.

?As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an interview: “It’s our own ability to have an idea and go after the idea and make it happen. That’s what at the end of the day defines us. If you don’t jump on the new, you don’t survive.”

?EBS is a place intelligent and creative minds come because they dare to see the world differently. You are drawn here, together, because of a shared understanding that to make a difference, we must have leadership grounded in our values: courage, responsibility, and backbone. Because as is our creed: knowledge without values is worthless. I am so grateful that I had the privilege to study at EBS. This special place gave me the confidence, the intercultural competence and experience, the discipline, and the network to thrive.

?This is why, when I look out at all of you, I am filled with hope and with excitement for all of the creativity you will bring into the world.?

?To all of you graduates: I wish you luck, joy, and success as you find your path. Make mistakes, break the rules, make new rules, open doors, raise up your peers, share your ideas. Be kind, be daring, be bold, be loving. Treat others with respect. Act with empathy.?

?And most of all: be creative.?

Thank you.?

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