Student Portrait: Marc-Daniel Rexroth - Without raising a warning finger

2020-08-31 The Cologne native is managing director of the sustainability association "dasselbe in grün e.V.", lecturer for marketing, and studies the part-time MBA Sustainability Management at the Professional School. He has known Leuphana for a long time.

Marc-Daniel Rexroth ©www.kreifels.com
Marc-Daniel Rexroth

Managing today for tomorrow: The part-time continuing education programme "MBA Sustainability Management" qualifies students to implement sustainable development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in an entrepreneurial manner. Through professional, personal and action competences and a broad network, the MBA opens up paths into management positions and new career options. Over 670 students and alumni and numerous practice partners form the largest network on the topic of sustainability management - their home is the Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), which offers the MBA as part of the Professional School's continuing education model.

Applications can be submitted online until 30 September.

Sustainability yes, sense of mission no: Marc-Daniel Rexroth wants a healthy dose. "If we all consumed more responsibly, a lot would already be achieved," says the managing director of dasselbe in grün e.V. - association of sustainable companies. The association is committed to the sustainable transformation of the economy and is the mouthpiece of green companies. "Together we can achieve more, which is why we network sustainable companies, but also create opportunities for those who want to become one," says Marc-Daniel Rexroth. For example, the Sustainable Round Table conference is planned again for the autumn in Cologne.

For ten years he was himself an entrepreneur, producing furniture from old oak barrels, used army sacks or single-use pallets, to name some: "The term 'upcycling' was not known at the time". Rexroth was not only founder and entrepreneur, but also developed the prototypes. "At some point, I realised that I wanted to work more strategically," the Cologne native recalls. He sold the company. Since October last year, he has been managing director of dasselbe in Grün e.V. He had already been a member of the association since the beginning of his business and over the years he has also been involved on a voluntary basis.

Parallel to the career change, he also opted for the Master's programme. Rexroth had a Bachelor’s in business administration and studied in China, among other places. There he also worked for a well-known auditing company. "A sound entrepreneurial background and a good understanding of the market are very helpful when setting up a company. I have seen many green start-ups with great ideas. Unfortunately, some fail because they lack the business administration background". Marc-Daniel Rexroth does not perceive a contradiction between successful entrepreneurial activity and sustainability: "To be able to consume, we also have to produce. The emphasis is on how we do both."

He decided to expand his professional expertise in the field of sustainability. He applied for admission to the part-time programme "Sustainability Management": "I enjoy processing and classifying the contents scientifically. I also look forward to a lively discourse with experts". In February, he began his studies at the Leuphana Professional School. "I have known Leuphana for quite some time and attended the Utopia Conference and the Cradle to Cradle Congress, among others," recalls Marc-Daniel Rexroth. The student had also known Stefan Schaltegger, head of the study programme and professor for sustainability management, before. "If you engage more deeply with the topic of sustainability in your career, you come across this name," says Marc-Daniel Rexroth. In autumn, his second semester begins. He has already been able to benefit a lot from the seminars on academic work, presentation and rhetoric, and to apply what he has learned in his professional life.

In addition to achieving the professional qualification, he primarily wants to deepen his specialist knowledge. "An MBA can open new professional doors, too, but I study the programme primarily for myself," says Marc-Daniel Rexroth. He wants to do something meaningful for himself and others.

Marc-Daniel Rexroth is studying the part-time MBA Sustainability Management.