On 19 May 2025, our CEO Rainer Keiditsch made his way to the Börsensaal of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria, where representatives from business, the Bundeswehr and politics came together to discuss parallels, differences and mutual learning potential in leadership development.

The event centred on the question: What can companies learn from the Bundeswehr in terms of leadership?

The Bundeswehr has long practised the concept of ‘leadership with a mission’. An approach that is consistently implemented at all levels in the Bundeswehr and could also open up new perspectives in business contexts. The concept is the antithesis of purely hierarchical or micromanaging leadership. It does not specify in detail how a task is to be completed, but rather what is to be achieved. Responsibility therefore begins at the grassroots level.

With Brigadier General Jared Sembritzki as keynote speaker and a prominent panel discussion with Prof Dr Frank Walthes (Lieutenant Colonel, Chairman of the Management Board of Versicherungskammer Bayern), Marc Zizmann (Member of the Management Board and Head of HR at MBDA Deutschland GmbH), Dr Nils Kluger (Captain, ret, Head of People Acquisition Germany at BSH Home Appliances) and Prof. Dagmar M. Schuller (Vice President of IHK Munich & Upper Bavaria), it became clear that good leadership requires not only expertise, but also attitude, trust and responsibility!

Many thanks to Dr Manfred Gößl (Managing Director), Christoph Angerbauer (Member of the Executive Board) and Maximilian Epp (Defence Industry and Innovation Officer) from IHK München & Oberbayern and the Munich Working Group of Reserve Officers (MAKRO e.V.) for this inspiring evening with exciting perspectives. Not only for today’s managers, but also for those of tomorrow.