WTT Young Leader Award 2017: Student projects in companies honored

At the age of four he already spoke ten foreign languages, at nine he got a place at Harvard University and at eleven he was the youngest professor. We are talking about William James Sidis, who solved the theory of black holes in his spare time. "He is probably the most intelligent mind of all time, but is intelligence also the basic prerequisite for success?" asks Sebastian Wörwag, rector of the FHS St.Gallen, to the more than 600 guests in the Tonhalle St.Gallen. Sidis taught math, but no one would have understood him. So the U.S. American with an IQ estimated at 250 to 300 spent most of his life as a lowly office worker and died of a stroke at 46. "What he lacked decisively was empathy," says Wörwag. In addition to intelligence, we need rationality, creativity and the ability to reflect on our own thinking, to constantly question ourselves in order to come up with coherent solutions. Only then are we smart.

WTT Young Leader Award: A prize with charisma

The six student teams this evening seem to have these crucial qualities for success. For they have been nominated for this year's WTT Young Leader Award in Market Research and Management Conception. "The lecturers put all their energy into their students. Conversely, the students are prepared to achieve great things so that the FHS Tower remains an indispensable location for Eastern Switzerland," says Alfred Stricker, Education Director of the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, in praise of the FHS St.Gallen. The students have certainly achieved a great deal: they have invested more than 700 hours in the practical projects. "And they did the job with a high degree of excellence," says Peter Müller, head of the KTT-FHS knowledge transfer office.

Dovetailing studies with practice

According to research, 85 percent of FHS students have a job three months after graduation. The figures are much lower for universities. What makes FHS students popular in the market? Roland Waibel, head of the IFU-FHS, is certain: "A greenhorn becomes an expert when he applies a lot, practices a lot and transfers his knowledge. And beyond that, keeps both feet on the ground." The FHS St.Gallen gives the students the sack. That's what it takes, he says, for them to really dig in. In addition, they have the unique opportunity to work closely with practitioners during their studies. Although this can bring some students to the brink of overstraining themselves, it is very rewarding. "The students benefit from this knowledge transfer just as much as the companies in the market," Waibel emphasizes.

Winning project in market research: strategy for young bank customers

But at this moment, everyone is only interested in one thing: Who will win the WTT Young Leader Award 2017 in market research and management conception? The boiling point has long since been reached, curiosity is boiling and tension is sitting on quite a few chairs. Peter Müller pulls out the first envelope. The winning project in market research is: Generation Y and the banking partner - how to foster the bond with youth. Commissioned by Raiffeisenbank Regio Uzwil. "We thought intensively about the target group and conducted umpteen interviews. It was an immense amount of work, but we are overjoyed that we won with it," says project manager Anina Angehrn happily. "The team collected quite a bit of data, analyzed it meticulously and got to the heart of the matter. And delivered an excellent job to the customer," says jury member and award sponsor Christof Oswald, Head of Human Resources at Bühler AG.

Winning project in management concept: Generating attention with social media

Then came the second envelope and with it the answer to the question: Who wins in the management concept? It is the project for Küchler AG in Schlieren: Flooring - into the future with digital marketing power. In addition to meticulous research on the products, the five students launched an online store in just two weeks. "We wanted a solid basis for a clear decision - and the team delivered. And to an extent that far exceeded our expectations," says Tobias Heimpel, Head of Marketing. "For us, this victory is the crowning achievement of a perfect degree," says a delighted project manager Lorena Lütscher.

Lived knowledge transfer

At the latest after the award ceremony, it was clear what they had done better than the 61 other project teams. But one thing unites them all equally: "Our students have once again proven what they are capable of. They are highly motivated, proactive and they live with us the philosophy that we have been cultivating for ten years: namely the transfer of knowledge between business and science," says Peter Müller. And so it was clear why the guiding theme of the tenth WTT Young Leader Award was "knowledge transfer". Or to conclude in Goethe's poetic words: "That I may recognize what holds the world together at its innermost core."

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