Guest Lecture by Dr. Nicolas Rücker in the WHU MBA Program

With his legal expertise and illustrative practical examples, Dr. Nicolas Rücker enriched our part-time MBA course “Sustainability & Profit: Turning the Trade-Off into Synergy” at the WHU Campus in Düsseldorf on April 13, 2025. In his guest lecture, Dr. Rücker focused on the legal aspects of sustainability management a topic of growing relevance for both businesses and society.

His presentation focused on the various legal challenges that companies face in the context of sustainability efforts - from greenwashing accusations to climate litigation. Dr. Rücker highlighted both the perspective of civil society actors and that of the companies concerned. At the same time, he emphasized that the evolving legal landscape also creates significant business opportunities, such as access to state subsidies and the development of innovative business models.

A key takeaway from the session was the understanding that sustainability cannot be treated as an isolated topic for individual units. Instead, it requires close collaboration across departments such as Legal, Finance, Strategy, and Marketing to identify legal risks early and leverage emerging opportunities effectively.

Our students benefited not only from the depth of legal knowledge shared, but also from lively discussions on real-world cases.

We sincerely thank Dr. Nicolas Rücker for his visit and the insightful exchange – it is a strong reminder of how much practical expertise enriches our academic learning.