Alumni Council Nina Schwarting

Nina, in 2014 you graduated from IU with an MBA. Where did you start out and what are you currently working as?

Originally, I come from the field of personnel development. In the previous years I led exciting transformation projects in two main areas: people and learning. I am currently working for the Otto Group, where I am working in the areas of ‘digital learning’. Firstly, I alter the learning culture – creating on-the-clock learning for all. Secondly, I take care of the implementation of suitable platforms which best integrate learning into the working day and continue to develop employees in a way which caters to their individual needs.

You have been active on our Alumni Council since 2021. What motivated you to take an active role?

Access to a large and inspiring group of people. In my life, I have been able to learn from and with so many people, that I see is as a necessity to help others with my knowledge and experiences too. Meeting with other people has always been a gift, enabling you to broaden your horizons and to learn something new. That’s exactly why I also want to use IU’s huge Alumni Network to enable these encounters.

During your engagement, you have always put a focus on establishing thematic networks for  mutually beneficial exchanges. What are you main motives for this?

To give people a space to discuss certain areas, to create valuable new connections, and also to grow together.

You workshop ‘Lifelong Learning – how you nail your professional development in 2022 and how to win (back) your love for learning’ also resonated well with many. What was your motivation for offering this workshop?

My motivation was simply ‘give it a try’ and see if people find the subject interesting. The implementation and the concept for the workshop were both very pragmatic. Interaction and learning with one another took a front seat. I look forward to seeing more interesting workshops with exactly this pragmatism this year.

Digital learning is a passion. What are your current projects that drive digitalisation in learning?

My real passion project at the Otto Group was and still is the implementation of a learning culture for commercial employees in logistics. The goal was to develop a digital learning offer on the topic of digitalisation. Since I couldn't find anything suitable on the market, our team developed our own Otto Group basic course on digitalisation in logistics. I am delighted that we have now been able to reach over 90% of the target group with our 10-hour basic course.

Another project that is very important to me is the Cleer Learning Journal. The workbook and notebook for learning is an example that really anything is possible if you believe in something and are relentless and disciplined in following your dream. I hope that the Learning Journal will bring back the joy of learning to a great many people and help them achieve their professional goals through active learning. Due to the current challenges in the economy, it is still unclear when exactly the Cleer Learning Journal will be available in brick-and-mortar stores or online retail platforms. What I am happy about, however, is that my business partner and I have found a wonderful cooperation partner with whom our Learning Journal will also be available internationally in the future. These two projects have also taught me that anything is possible. I can have a brilliant job in which I am successful and at the same time develop and establish a cool product.

What made you decide to study your MBA with us? What advantages did the distance learning programme offer you?

Thanks to IU International University of Applied Sciences, I was able to combine my studies with my job and, in most cases, I was able to apply what I had learned directly. Compared to other providers, the blended learning approach was an absolute plus at IU. The practical relevance, especially due to the case work, was particularly exciting for me. I also really enjoyed working in peer groups, as I got to meet great people from completely different professional fields and learnt new approaches by working together.

What tips for professional development/continuing education would you like to pass on to students and prospective students?

Learning is not memorising information, but an attitude. So, my tip is to get excited about what you are learning, and you will automatically exceed yourself.