Hendrik Keith, Frankfurt: DWS Group

Hendrik Keith (24) enrolled in a Business Administration degree programme at Frankfurt School in 2012, studying in tandem with his professional training course. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2016. During his time as a student, Hendrik also worked at Deutsche Asset Management, and continued to work there as an investment specialist after graduating. Having gained experience in the finance sector, Hendrik worked as a strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group until 2018. He then started working at DWS Group, where he currently is Chief Operating Officer & Head of Sales Strategy.

What made you decide to apply for a Bachelor degree course at Frankfurt School?

After my school-leaving exam, I was looking for a degree course with an international outlook that would give me preliminary insights into the world of finance. Frankfurt School gave me the unique opportunity to study at a well-known business school while building up initial work experience in asset management. Right from the start, I found the prospect of being able to apply the knowledge acquired during my course directly to real-world scenarios really appealing. The international flavour of the course, with its English-language lectures and mandatory semester abroad, was an additional incentive.

How well did your academic studies at Frankfurt School prepare you for the challenges of your current job? What did you find especially useful?

My job as a strategy consultant means that I have to quickly familiarise myself with new areas of business, and convince clients that I’m a highly analytical partner and an excellent communicator. The experience I gained during the degree programme help me achieve this in many different ways. By taking various finance modules, I further improved my analytical skills, enabling me to discuss finance-related issues with my customers from a well-informed standpoint. The way Frankfurt School structured the course – in small study groups, with plenty of team projects and lots of presentations – helped me develop my communication skills and gave me a solid grounding in the methodology I need in my day-to-day work as a consultant. What’s more, the parallel demands of studying at Frankfurt School while working in asset management taught me how to work in a structured, efficient manner and how to set clear priorities, all at a very early stage in my studies. Learning this approach to work has stood me in good stead in my current job.

What’s your favourite memory of your time at Frankfurt School?

My favourite moments were undoubtedly the times I spent with my fellow students after passing an exam, submitting a project or making a presentation. But in all honesty, it’s the entirety of the experiences I collected over three and a half years of study that turned my student days into such a pleasant memory. The stressful nights of hard work just before a deadline, the times we spent working together in the library, they’re all just as much part of it as the many extracurricular events, the semester abroad and the graduation ceremony in Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.

What advice would you give to prospective Frankfurt School students?

As a former beneficiary of Deutschlandstipendium and German National Academic Foundation scholarships, I’m keen to encourage potential applicants and future students to apply to study at Frankfurt School irrespective of their financial situation. There are all kinds of sources of funding – scholarships from foundations, student loans, educational funds – that can give suitable applicants the opportunity to study at Frankfurt School. So I’d advise anybody who’s thinking about it to thoroughly research the various funding options available in good time, and then get in touch with Frankfurt School’s educational advisers.