This week we had the privilege of welcoming Florian Mair, General Manager/Director Apparel at Amazon EU, for a double treat! It started with a fascinating guest lecture as part of our Onboarding Module for more than 800 of our undergraduate students, followed by a dynamic Fireside Chat with our Master's students. With 14 years of experience at Amazon, Mr. Mair brought invaluable insights to our academic community.

Delivering the keynote "Everyday is Day One," Mair emphasized the importance of maintaining a startup mindset in the face of ever-evolving challenges. He outlined Amazon's 16 leadership principles, focusing on the firm’s Customer Obsession, Bias for Action, and Invest & Simplify as fundamental pillars that shape Amazon's DNA. In line with the Onboarding module’s focus on interactivity, Florian Mair left about 30 minutes time for questions, which our fresh(wo)men made strong use of! They explored topics from the hiring process to Jeff Bezos' role in decision-making. Mr. Mair concluded by emphasizing the dynamic nature of his role and the uniqueness of each day - just like this day in Münster!

Florian Mair's next stop was Münster Castle for a subsequent fireside chat with our our late Bachelor, Master and PhD students. Held in a more intimate setting (including a digital fireside! 😉) MCM Professor Thorsten Hennig-Thurau made sure this would be no ordinary chat, but a deep dive into the world of Florian Mair and the Amazon experience. Mister Mair elaborated on what lets Amazon stand out, with a strong focus on putting the customer first. The discussion extended to Amazon's future plans and goals, particularly in the area of Amazon Fashion, but also touched societal issues such corporate responsibility. The session was characterized by a multitude of personal questions, which caused us to run over our allotted time and, amusingly, to be ushered out due to the late hour…
 

It was a great honor to have Florian Mair with us. Thank you so much for sharing his expertise and engaging with our diverse community!