Heinrich spent some 4 years with his AIESEC local committee at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany – this is what he remembers more and draws on still today more than all the professors’ wisdom altogether.

“The first experiences with my AIESEC LC were connected with organizing my traineeship in The Netherlands just at the end of my 2nd year at university. Once in Rotterdam, boy! what a great time I had! Sure, I was lucky with my traineeship, too, but the spirit and the fun amongst all those trainees from all over the world was so inspiring and motivating that there was no doubt to dive into AIESEC head over heels once being back home.”

“In my 4th year then, we were the first LC in Germany to start a project as student consultants to companies which needed help with their exports. After some desk research for our clients and some setting up of contacts in the target country, we headed off to Sweden in the first project and to the U.K. the next time. Our “Initiative Export”  was not only a roaring success in the German AIESEC world thereafter. First and foremost, as the responsible VP for this project, I learned project management, market research, export marketing and P&L management in practice, in a very short time, learning-by-doing, and in a much more relevant way than at university. Still many years after graduating, I had some ‘deja-vue’s’. And later, even in my various CEO positions, I discovered some basics which I experienced first during my time with AIESEC.”

Thru all his career, in whatever country Heinrich was working, he never lost contact with AIESEC. His empathy for an international environment and his ability to work with many different cultures started with AIESEC and was instrumental for his various executive positions. On a personal level, when having been responsible for Procter & Gamble’s on-campus programs in Czechoslovakia right after the velvet revolution, he got to know so many fine AIESECers whom he is proud to call friends still now. Today, being on the Board of Advisors of Czech AIESEC, Heinrich very much enjoys to keep touch not only with AIESEC as an organization but also with students during many events. It is the students’ energy, creativity and motivation which connects so nicely with Heinrich’s clients which he has as an executive business coach. Still today, AIESEC and its students serve Heinrich as inspiration and, last not least, source of fun.