MBA Sustainability Management: Thomas Hülsdau – Chance Transformation

No orders without sustainability. Thomas Hülsdau's calculation is as simple as that. His work as a sustainability manager is based on three pillars: global decarbonisation of the company, sustainability reporting in accordance with EU law and evaluation on global sustainability portals. His employer, the family business Hengst, supplies car filters all over the world: "If we don't fulfil the sustainability requirements, we won't stand a chance in many tenders," explains Thomas Hülsdau.

For the father of two, however, sustainability is not just a professional goal, but also a project close to his heart. The 40-year-old lives with his family on a farm in Münsterland and has been focussing on renewable energies for years. But a sustainable lifestyle alone was no longer enough for him: "The eco-jeans and cheese from the organic shop don't change enough," says Thomas Hülsdau. That's why he decided to take up the part-time MBA Sustainability Management course at Leuphana Professional School, which sustainability management professor Stefan Schaltegger developed 20 years ago at Leuphana's Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM). "I wanted to make a difference at a professional level," explains the industrial engineer.

The opportunity came sooner than Thomas Hülsdau had expected: "I also became Sustainability Manager at Hengst almost at the same time as starting my studies." A job that fulfils him: "I can initiate a lot," reports Thomas Hülsdau, who previously worked in a management position in Purchasing. The content from his studies helps him to drive forward the transformation of the company and fulfil requirements: "I now have the foundation to argue and understand the overarching relationships better. This expertise will also help me to be equipped for new challenges in a few years' time." His employer gives him the freedom to spend time on the MBA and also supports him financially.

Thomas Hülsdau also benefits professionally from the large network of students and alumni: "If I need advice on a problem in the company, I post a question in the forum and immediately get a dozen answers," says the sustainability manager.

Managing today for tomorrow: the MBA Sustainability Management qualifies students to implement sustainable development in an entrepreneurial way. Through professional, personal and behavioural skills as well as a broad network, the MBA opens up paths to management positions and is a springboard into meaningful fields of activity. The programme was founded in 2003 as the world's first MBA course for sustainability management. Today, over 900 students and alumni and numerous practice partners form the largest university network on the subject of sustainability management - its home is the Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), which offers the MBA as part of the continuing education model of the Leuphana Professional School.