“Our lecture hall holds 80 people, and, unfortunately, we cannot accept more registrations,” Serden Özcan clarified in the run-up to the event. He is Professor of Innovation and Corporate Transformation at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, and, together with his colleague Professor Martin Glaum from the Chair of International Accounting, he had invited experienced business representatives to WHU in Düsseldorf for the Campus for Corporate Transformation, heldon October 20, 2022. “We deliberately keep the event small, because we want to create a protected space for an exchange at eye level.” Accordingly, the seats for this year’s CCT, entitled “Succeeding in Corporate Transformation in Turbulent Times,” were in high demand. Thirty-five C-level managers were among the participants, all of whom had gathered from seven different countries at the WHU campus in Düsseldorf.
Eight high-profile keynote speakers shared with their exclusive audience how they are dealing with major challenges, such as disrupted supply chains, the pandemic, inflation and political crises, and positioning their companies for a future under new conditions. “I was impressed that I didn’t hear a single complaint in any of the presentations,” Professor Glaum said, expressing his surprise. “They all seem to see the current difficult situation as an opportunity for the future.”
For example, adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted, who is about to retire, described how the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting growing importance of online business had quickly transformed the sports articles manufacturer from an emotion-driven company into one driven by data. “It is important to always follow your strategy and not be distracted by uncertainties,” Rorsted advised his audience.
