Wonderboys

Visiting ESMT, the new business school in Berlin. The irony of its location in Honecker's old party headquarters on Schlossplatz is quite intreaguing, and the renovation of the beautiful and amazingly impractical building almost has a religious touch to it (even the advanced machinery that moved all the maps around on the wall in Honecker's battle-like HQ has been kept).
ESMT is a new invention, an attempt from German big-business to create an alternative to the foreign MBA factories like Harvard and Sloane, where Daimler & Co usually sends their protegees. €100M has been collected from 25 companies to create the foundation that hosts the school and an international (and partly still un-proven) faculty has been hired.
The first 1-year MBA class started in January this year, 30 Wunderkinder (hopefully) from 15 countries. Brave youngsters, I'd say, trying out a new, unknown school - an MBA being such a strong personal branding investment (look who's talking, having chosen The Kaospilots myself...). But with the €50.000 fee paid by their employer or by the ESMT foundation itself, the decision is easier.
Since most people who do MBAs are heading for corporate careers, I guess my persona seemed a bit pointless to most of the students, but something interesting might still come out of this. At least, it's great for Berlin that the heavy industrial players build a presence here.
More photos.