Alumni PMP ISK Wien

Having transferred to Vienna University of Business and Economics from KU-Leuven's master of financial and actuarial engineering program, Martin Koall is currently pursuing a master's degree in Quantitative Finance. Martin attended McGill university in Montreal, Canada where he graduated with a major in finance and minor in computer-science. Having gained work experience in Germany through internships at Gothaer Asset Management and Lupus Alpha Asset Management AG, Martin now seeks to deepen his immersion within the financial markets through the PMP.

Amando Zanderigo is currently undertaking the Master of Science in Quantitative Finance at WU, Vienna. He has a Bachelor of Commerce specialising in finance from the University of Wollongong, Australia, where he graduated with Distinction and as a Dean’s Scholar. He has also completed additional studies in pure mathematics and computer science at the University of Sydney, enrolled in the Dalyell Scholar program.

Georgi Atanasov is currently involved in the Master’s program Banking and Finance at the University of Vienna. He has previously obtained a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the same institution. During the years of his studies Georgi has been engaged as a tutor and teaching assistant in Mathematics and since recently, in Finance. He has successfully completed an internship at the Trading, Listing and Membership Department of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange where he encountered the underlying dynamics of one relatively small yet interesting capital market. For Georgi the Portfolio Management Program is an opportunity to experience the real complexity of the asset management process and to further deepen his understandings of macroeconomics and financial markets.

Kristof Wiedermann is a university assistant and doctoral student in mathematical finance at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). The main reason for his enthusiasm for mathematical finance, which he has already developed at an early age, is the application of mathematically profound concepts for solving realistic, finance-related problems. In accordance with this, he completed several courses of the corresponding bachelor's program at TU Wien throughout his final year of high school. During his master's studies, he developed, in the course of his exchange semester at ETH Zurich and as a part of his diploma thesis, an algorithm which solves the utility maximization problem in portfolio optimization via deep learning. Besides his interest in applying mathematical and financial theory to the financial markets, he considers the PMP as a perfect opportunity for collaborating with highly experienced mentors and similarly motivated fellow students.

Alexander Fregien is currently pursuing an Master’s degree in Banking and Finance at the University of Vienna. Prior to the Master's program, he completed his Bachelor's degree in Economics with a specialisation in Finance at the University of Hohenheim. During his Bachelor’s program, he worked as a working student in the accounting department of the Robert Bosch GmbH and completed an internship at the Allianz Pension Consult GmbH. The knowledge of the financial market acquired during his studies and internship motivated Alexander to gain practical experience in asset management alongside his Master's degree. The PMP is the optimal opportunity for him to apply concepts from the university to the real market. He looks forward to exchanging ideas with other motivated students and to expanding his knowledge of the relationship between financial markets and macroeconomic developments.

Ondřej Michalík is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. Ondřej graduated in Economics and Finance at Charles University in Prague where he wrote his thesis on the effects of Quantitative Easing on the US stock market. Throughout his studies, he gained experience in the Big 4, an e-Health start-up and a private equity company, while leading several freelance projects. He joined the PMP to learn about the processes behind asset management and to improve his understanding of fixed income securities.

Paul Krippl is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance at the University of Vienna. Beforehand, he did obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics at the University of Vienna. His strong interest in financial markets convinced him to use the knowledge and skills he attained during his Bachelor studies and start pursuing an education and career in finance. Portfolio management, especially factor investing, is most intriguing to him. Thus being part of the Quantitative Risk Premia Group of the 19th class of the Portfolio Management Program offers him the perfect opportunity to deepen his understanding of portfolio management, link theoretical knowledge to practice, and exchange ideas with highly motivated and skilled colleagues.

Kamila Shafigullina is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Beforehand, she received her Bachelor’s degrees with honours in Economics at the Higher School of Economics in Russia as well as in Economics and Finance at the University of London under academic direction of LSE. During her studies, she was also admitted to the School of Finance in Moscow State University, where she focused on corporate valuation and retail analysis. Previously, she gathered her practical experience in the Risk Advisory Department at Deloitte & Touche CIS, where she focused on sustainability projects and reporting. Kamila also represented the Higher School of Economics in the 2020 CFA Research Challenge, which motivated her pursuit of gaining practical experience as a portfolio analyst. For her, the PMP offers opportunities to learn more about asset management for future career, improve her understanding of the link between financial markets and macroeconomic events, generate trading strategies for various instruments and exchange ideas with highly motivated colleagues and experienced portfolio managers.

Yuan was born in Wuhan, China. He studied Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance) at Macau University of Science and Technology and moved to Zurich afterward. There he studied a specialized Master program Master of Science UZH ETH in Quantitative Finance (MScQF), jointly by the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. He joined the VGSF program since 2021. His main research interests include Financial Econometrics, Portfolio Management, and Mathematical Finance. Yuan´s hobbies are reading, boxing, and surfing. He also likes to explore the world.

Inyoung Na is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. She completed her Bachelor's degree at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology with a major in Management Engineering and a minor in Environmental Engineering. She spent one semester in Vienna Vienna University of Technology before she studied at WU. During her studies, she participated in a research internship at university, where she researched Robo-advisor for pension portfolio management. She gained programming skills and analytic skills. She decided to study finance after her research experience to create a realistic Robo-advisor. For her, PMP provides an opportunity to understand capital markets deeply and investment ideas for the research of pension planning.

Filip Jakab is currently attending the Master’s Program in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). He has completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Business Economics at the University of Amsterdam and has written his Bachelor thesis on the differences of determinants of CDS premiums in the developed and emerging economies. His practical experience includes an internship at the tax department of Deloitte in Bratislava, Slovakia (12 months and later 9 months long-distance during his BSc), as well as a 14-month-long Junior Equity Analyst internship at the investment fund Odyssey 44 in Prague, Czechia. By participating in the PMP he aims to further improve his skills regarding quantitative financial analysis, and he seeks to work in a company of likeminded peers who share the same passion for finance and investing.

Drini Manjani is currently pursuing MSc in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at Baruch College with a major in finance and minor in mathematics. After his bachelor studies, he completed the Quantitative Studies for Finance postbaccalaureate program at Columbia University. Drini worked as a data analyst at Raiffeisen Bank for 1.5 years. Future interests include options pricing & quantitative trading strategies development. He is looking forward to the opportunity of learning and exchanging ideas with his colleagues at PMP.

Sergey Litvinenko is currently pursuing a master's degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). Previously, he obtained his undergraduate double degree in Mathematics and Economics at the American University in Bulgaria, receiving Outstanding Achievement in Economics award. During his studies, he completed an off-cycle internship at the asset management firm Expat Capital and participated in the 2020 CFA Institute Research Challenge. Upon graduation, he joined the Deal Advisory department of KPMG Ukraine to work on valuation projects and M&A transactions, gaining valuable analytical and research skills. In 2021, Sergey passed CFA Exam Level II. For him, the PMP program offers the excellent opportunity to apply his theoretical knowledge into real-world asset management and broaden his experience with various asset classes.

Tomislav Plesko is currently enrolled in the Quantitative Finance Master Program at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). Prior to the Master program, Tomislav finished his Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics at University of Zagreb. Furthermore, during his studies, he additionally enrolled at Faculty of Economics and Business and successfully completed 3 years. Over the last 2 years, Tomislav had an internship at Deloitte and worked as associate at PwC with focus on financial modelling. He joined the PMP to expand his knowledge of financial markets and find use of theoretical knowledge gained during his studies.

Marcus Pantis is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. He previously completed his bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of Vienna where he focused on quantitative methods applied in the field of economics. In his Bachelor thesis, he studied the effects of monetary policy on asset prices which sparked his interest in Finance. He applied for the PMP in order to enhance the traditional curriculum of his master’s degree by getting hands-on experience in the field of Finance. An important feature of this program that drew him towards it is the fact, that participants have the possibility of making their own decisions by directly participating in the management of the funds. He strongly believes that this skin in the game approach that the program offers is a great way of learning about investing and the complex decision-making process behind different investment strategies.

Ali Özgür Diksöz is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. He previously completed his bachelor’s degree in Economics with a specialization in money and business cycles at the same university and attended St. George's Austrian High School in Istanbul, where he had his first encounters with macroeconomic and financial issues. In his bachelor thesis, he researched the impact of Quantitative Easing on asset prices. He is very clear that the PMP will provide him with the ideal opportunity to understand decision-making processes in financial institutions in the complexity of the global world. He hopes that the program will bridge the gap between theoretical approaches and hands-on experience. He is looking forward to expanding his understanding of financial key figures and evaluating new investment strategies with enthusiastic colleagues. Lastly, he enjoys traveling to Eastern Europe in his leisure time and finding out more about different cultures.

Andreja Đurićis currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Prior to that, Andreja successfully graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in International Economics andFinance at Bocconi University-where he specialized in field of Finance. Whilestudding a rigorous and academically intense course in Finance, Andreja acquired very broad knowledge in Quantitative Risk evaluationsby reading books in forecasting, decision making and risk analysis and following news on Foreign and Stock Exchange markets.He always craved a more practical approach and experience in Risk Management that is valuable for an ambitious career kick start.During the program presentation, Andrejawas instantly drawn by its depth, intense structure and concept of having the opportunity to experience “real-money” investments.PMP’spreparation for career in financial industry was one of Andreja’sreasons for applying to WU.

Artjoms Ogorodniks is currently pursuing MSc in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Previously he obtained BSc in Economics and Business from the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, with merit-based honors and receiving the Best Bachelor Thesis award. Artjoms has more than two years of experience in the field of Financial Planning and Analysis, Mergers and Acquisitions, as well as Forensic Finance from the Big Four. In his free time, he enjoys learning foreign languages and doing sports. For Artjoms, the Portfolio Management Program is an excellent opportunity to receive comprehensive insights into the world of asset management.

Christoph Pelzmann is currently enrolled in the Quantitative Finance Master Programm at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). Prior to the Master program, Christoph finished his Bachelor in Business Administration at WU with specializations in Finance and SMB. Moreover he devoted his Bachelors thesis to responsible investments and the correlation between ESG- and Quant-performance. Since October 2019 Christoph is working at a Vienna based HF (CTA) named SMN. At first he was offered a 9 month internship which was then prolonged indefinitely. His work at SMN includes sales assistance, R&D as well as ESG related matters. Christoph also engages in financial markets privately. He joined the PMP in order to enlarge his knowledge and experiance over different asset classes.

Duarte Murta is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Beforehand, he completed a Bachelor degree in Management at ISCTE in Lisbon. During his BSc. he spent a semester abroad at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. In the year before joining WU for his Master's, Duarte worked as a Fixed Income P&L Analyst for BNP Paribas. For Duarte the PMP is an excellent opportunity to apply the theoretical knoledge he has gained in his previous education into real-world experience.

Felix Mitteregger is currently persuing an MSc degree in Quantitative Finance at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna. During his Bachelor’s studies in Finance and International Business (GPA 1.09 / 6 semesters), also at WU Vienna, he spent a semster abroad at ESSEC Business School. As an investment fund intern and working student at Raiffeisen Capital Management for two years he gained valuable experience in the field. In addition, Felix completed an internship at Amundi Asset Management where he was responsible for a multi asset software development project. For him, the PMP offers a unique opportunity to further strengthen strategic thinking and confidence in taking investment decisions.

Julian Strasser is currently finishing a bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of Vienna. He has gained some experience in the financial sector by completing internships at Berry Palmer & Lyle Limited, an insurance broker in London, Raiffeisen Landesbank Oberösterreich and at KEPLER FONDS KAG, both located in Linz. Besides his internships, he has spent a semester abroad at Carleton University in Ottawa, to experience a different culture and improve his language skills. After his exchange semester, he started working at the sales-team of KEPLER, which allowed him to get a first-hand impression of an investment company. Ultimately, the Portfolio Management Program allows him to gain some practical experience and to pursue his goal of evolving from sales to portfolio managing.

Kiril Petrov is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Economics at the University of Vienna, where he is also employed as a Teaching Assistant in Corporate Finance. Previously, he graduated from the university's Master's program in Banking and Finance with a distinction. During his studies, he completed a summer internship in the Risk Management Department at Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria, where he gained valuable analytical and programming skills. He represented the University of Vienna as Team Captain in the 2020 CFA Research Challenge, which motivated his pursuit of gaining practical experience as a portfolio analyst. For him, the PMP offers the opportunity to work as part of a team, exchange ideas with highly motivated and capable colleagues, and improve his understanding of the link between financial markets and macroeconomic events.

Lukas Sünderhauf is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He graduated from this university in Business Administration with a focus on Finance and Mathematics. His bachelor thesis dealt with “Macro-Factor Asset Pricing”, where he researched about theoretical concepts of factor investing and applied them on financial markets. Furthermore, Lukas had the possibility of gaining international experience during his exchange semester in Boston, USA. Several internships in the financial sector and his part-time job at Raiffeisen Bank International AG at the Investment Finance department equipped him with valuable practical experience. Being part of the PMP puts him in the unique position to gain further in-depth knowledge in portfolio management by combining theory and practice.

Michael Bamford is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. He completed his Bachelor's degree at New York University with a major in Finance and minor in Mathematics. Afterward, he spent four years working in the capital markets division of Societe Generale in New York, where he finished as an Associate working with Sales and Financial Engineering to market structured products and quantitative trading strategies to institutional clients. Through participation in the PMP program he aims to further develop his analytical and mathematical skills, and to have the opportunity to make real-world investment decisions. His interests center on designing quantitative investment strategies that can consistently harvest alpha from the markets.

Nils Eickhoff is currently pursuing an MSc. degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Beforehand, he completed his BSc. in Business Administration at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU), where he specialized in Accounting and Finance. Previously Nils gathered practical experience by successfully completing an internship at Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services. Furthermore, since May 2019, he is working with a Munich based Venture Capital Fund. Outside his academic career, he enjoys playing soccer, the guitar and sailing. For Nils, the Portfolio Management Program represents the perfect opportunity to apply his prior theoretical knowledge and practical experience to the market. He is particularly keen about deepening his knowledge in portfolio management via the discussions with like-minded people and the guidance of the professional mentors and experts at PMP.

Robin Köfer is a passionate sportsman and sports gambler. After his bachelor thesis at WU, in which he set up a profitable quantitative sports betting algorithm in R for the NBA basketball league, it was immediately clear for him to pursue a carrier in the field of Quantitative Finance. Moreover, during the last two years he has gained valuable know-how in Finance. The recent challenges at the OeNB in the Statistics Department and at Erste Group Holding in the Stresstesting & Risk Simulation Department enabled him to enhance his coding skills by simultaneously broadening his view of the world of Finance. Furthermore, due to his creativity and ambition he fits perfectly into the PMP environment. Robin looks forward to further expanding his skillset in Finance and collaborating with experienced motivated colleagues and portfolio managers.

Taisiia Rodzoniak is currently admitted to Finance and Accounting master’s program at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and is enrolled in International Business Administration master’s program at the University of Vienna. Her first bachelor degree is in Business Administration in Oil and Gas gained at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas. The second bachelor’s degree is in Business, Economics and Social Sciences gained at Vienna University of Economics and Business with majors in Finance and International Accounting & Audit. During her studies, she spent a semester abroad in the University of South Carolina in the US, where her courses were mainly focused on International Studies and US Insurance. During her internship in the Division of Budget and Finance at the International Atomic Energy Agency she acquired an invaluable experience in diverse analytical activities. Taisiia believes that Portfolio Management Program is an amazing opportunity to work with other motivated students towards one common goal and learn from each other. She is looking forward to gaining more professional experience in this field and contributing with her current skills and competences to the team.

Balazs Antal is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. Previously he graduated from the Corvinus University of Budapest, where he participated in the Economic and Financial Mathematical Analysis BSc program. During the last year of the program due to his thesis topic, he got engaged in the field of empirical finance and asset pricing. Before coming to Vienna he gained valuable practical experience spending 6 months at Morgan Stanley as a member of the Quantitative Analyst team. During the 2 years of the Portfolio Management Program, as a member of the Quant group, he aims to deepen his analytical knowledge as well as to improve his team-working and presenting skills.

Benjamin Albrechts is currently enrolled in the Master Banking & Finance at the University of Vienna where he focuses on Corporate Finance, supplemented by a combination of banking-oriented electives. Before he took a two-semester academic break to work internships in M&A at KPMG as well as in Business Analysis at Accenture to gain practical experience. Further experience includes the presidency of the Business Consulting Society at the University of Vienna between 2018 and 2019 as well as an ongoing position as Teaching Assistant in Game- and Decision Theory at the Department of Finance, University of Vienna. He considers the PMP to be a great chance for students to experience real-world requirements first hand already before starting a career in Portfolio Management and a welcoming opportunity for upcoming researchers to empirically challenge the methods obtained in academic education. Especially the combination of supervision by academics and practitioners alike combined with the responsibility for one's own actions presents a wonderful way to quickly climb a typically rather steep learning curve.

Carl Lakos is currently enrolled in Banking and Finance master’s program at the University of Vienna with a focus on financial markets. He previously gained first-hand practical experience with an apprenticeship as an investment fund management assistant at Universal-Investment, where he continued working in risk analysis. His academic career started with a bachelor’s studies in Business Mathematics at the University of Mannheim, where he specialized in mathematical game theory and successfully graduated in 2018. During and after his studies, Carl gathered deeper insights as a working student and with internships at the European Parliament, the German Investment Fund Association as well as the Asset & Wealth Management consulting division of PwC Germany. For him, the Portfolio Management Program offers a unique opportunity to apply academic concepts to real-world environments and acquire practical experience from professionals, by simultaneously extending his knowledge about the asset management industry.

Florian Gritzky holds a Bachelor of Science from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien). During his studies, he spent a semester abroad at the University of South Australia (UniSA) in Adelaide, where he improved his understanding of different cultures. At the moment Florian is pursuing a Master’s degree in Finance & Accounting at WU Wien. Prior to joining PMP, Florian regularly discussed the financial markets together with other like-minded people in the student trading and investment society WUTIS. Florian completed internships at KPMG and Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), where he gained valuable skills in risk management and institutional clients banking. Besides studying and participating in PMP, Florian works as a trainee in the Investment Banking and Capital Markets division at RBI. His goal is to become a professional asset manager, therefore PMP is a great opportunity to obtain and deepen the relevant skills for this field.

Elizabeth Rinde is currently pursuing a master’s degree in quantitative finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Previously, she completed her two bachelor’s degrees in finance and German studies at the University of Minnesota in the USA. During her bachelor’s studies, she gained valuable experience working for her university’s financial service team. Before moving to Austria, she worked in risk compliance at U.S. Bank where she developed her understanding of analyzing different business types. Elizabeth looks forward to utilizing the theory she has learned in a real-world context. She sees the PMP as a great opportunity to prepare herself for her professional career.

Florian Gritzky holds a Bachelor of Science from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien). During his studies, he spent a semester abroad at the University of South Australia (UniSA) in Adelaide, where he improved his understanding of different cultures. At the moment Florian is pursuing a Master’s degree in Finance & Accounting at WU Wien. Prior to joining PMP, Florian regularly discussed the financial markets together with other like-minded people in the student trading and investment society WUTIS. Florian completed internships at KPMG and Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), where he gained valuable skills in risk management and institutional clients banking. Besides studying and participating in PMP, Florian works as a trainee in the Investment Banking and Capital Markets division at RBI. His goal is to become a professional asset manager, therefore PMP is a great opportunity to obtain and deepen the relevant skills for this field.

Janos Chaim Raban Füting is a Master´s student in the Quantitative Finance program at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He has a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Heidelberg, where in his bachelor thesis he investigated the predictive power of the Treasury yield curve for US recessions. He has successfully completed internships in credit risk analysis for the aviation and rail transport sector, and in placement agent services in the illiquid alternatives space. He is looking to further his knowledge of financial markets and macroeconomics, by combining insights from practitioners and academia and apply this knowledge directly to investment management.

Maksym Percheklii is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. Beforehand, he finished Bachelor's program in Mathematics at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. During an internship at TA Ventures and self/employed experience, he obtained valuable soft skills. Bachelor's program provided him with valuable analytical computing skills. For Maksym, PMP is a perfect opportunity to link his theoretical knowledge with real-world experience.

Marcelo Pira Beckerling is currently pursuing an MSc. degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Beforehand, he completed his BSc. in Economics and Finance at the University of Amsterdam and graduated with an honorary recommendation letter from the Dean. Prior, he also gained practical experience by successfully completing a 9-month internship in the Investor Relations team at the BMW Group HQ in Munich and a 6-month internship at the State Street Bank in the Goldman Sachs Funds department in Luxembourg. Outside of his academic career, he is an awarded elite athlete in endurance horse racing. He has successfully competed for the German and Guatemalan Olympic teams in the European and World championships. For Marcelo, the Portfolio Management Program constitutes the perfect opportunity to apply theoretical concepts learned in class to the real market.

Nora Bacsfalvi is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. She graduated from the Business and Management program, at the Corvinus University of Budapest. During her studies, she spent a semester in Germany, at the EBS University that turned out to be the most significant period of her life. The professors and her university mates had a great impact on her world view and made her even more interested in international economics, politics and their financial impacts. She believes that the Portfolio Management Program is a very unique opportunity for her to gain a deep insight into the financial markets and how small events influence trades. She would like to make the best of this time to improve her knowledge in this area, and develop her analytical skills, as well as to gain real-world experiences which may also support her on-going master studies. She is looking forward to working with and learn from the other analysts, managers, mentors, and experts at PMP.

Oskar Köller is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics at Vienna University of Economics and Business with specializations in Economics, Strategy and Managerial Accounting and Finance. Oskar worked as an intern in the leveraged finance department of Raiffeisen Bank International in the previous years. His interest to work in the financial services industry was first aroused when he wrote his "high school graduation thesis" about certain forms of financial market analysis, where he attempted to apply trading strategies to the Austrian stock exchange. During his studies, he further fostered his knowledge about monetary policies and currency dynamics, interest rate dynamics, general market dynamics and inefficiencies and especially gained insights into developing countries, emerging markets and contemporary challenges of the economy. He, therefore, considers the Portfolio Management Program as the perfect possibility to constantly apply and refine the knowledge he already has and will acquire in his future academic career.

Taran Laß-Adelmann is currently pursuing an MSc. degree in Banking and Finance at the University of Vienna. Beforehand, he received a BSc. degree in Economics and Business Studies at the Technical University Chemnitz, Germany where he strongly focused on finance-related subjects. In order to enhance his academic knowledge and to benefit from international collaboration, Taran completed a semester at NTNU Trondheim and the University of Ljubljana respectively. After getting to know different firms and industry sectors, Taran regards the Portfolio Management Program as a unique opportunity to experience real-world asset management under academic supervision and thus combine both perspectives to improve on understanding financial markets and the interrelation with global politics and macroeconomic events.

In 2019, Verena Mayr obtained her Bachelor's degree in Tourism Management from Munich University of Applied Sciences. During her studies, she specialized in the field of Tourism Financial Management and gained further international experience during an exchange semester at the Durban University of Technology in South Africa. Currently, Verena is pursuing an MSc. degree in International Business Administration at Vienna University, focusing on banking and finance as well as on European studies. A previous position as a working student in FTI's Controlling department as well as several internships in Germany and France showed her the importance of gaining practical experience. Verena joined the PMP program in order to apply the theoretical knowledge gained in the banking and finance track and thereby deepen the knowledge obtained in her minor.

Wojciech Kulma is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Statistics at the University of Vienna and works as a quant at the front desk of Raiffeisen Bank. He is an alumn of Computer Science with a minor in Economy from the University of Vienna. Previously he has been working at CERN as a software engineer and serving as a member of the CERN Finance Club. For his bachelor thesis he has written a high performance, parallel random forest python library, for the purpose of short-term weather prediction, currently in use by the Austrian Institute of Meteorology. He is truly passionate about complex systems and hopes to apply his analytical skills to the domain of financial portfolio management.

Aleksandar Arandjelovic is currently pursuing a MSc. degree in Financial and Actuarial Mathematics at Vienna University of Technology. Beforehand, he received the corresponding BSc. degree with distinction at the same university, where his thesis focused on modeling and pricing of financial derivatives. During his studies, he gained insights into the application of mathematical, financial and econometric theory to financial markets. Apart from working in the banking industry, he consider the PMP program as a natural next step in his efforts to apply his knowledge and reasoning skills in order to understand the structural laws which govern financial systems worldwide.

Anna Csiky is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. She graduated from the University of Pécs, Faculty of Business and Economics and from the Middlesex University London with Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Management. As a result of working in finance, she decided to broaden her horizon in this field. Anna considers the Portfolio Management Program as a great opportunity to not only enhance her knowledge, but also to gain applicable experience.

In 2017, Tolgahan Memisoglu successfully graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Münster in Germany. During his studies, he specialized in the field of finance and wrote his thesis about the influence of sovereign exposures on bank risk. In order to enhance his academic knowledge and to gain further international experience, Tolgahan completed a semester abroad and studied at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Montpellier in France. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance at the University of Vienna. Tolgahan regards the Portfolio Management Program as a unique opportunity to examine the theoretical side of asset management by applying it under real-world conditions and to further understand the interrelation of global politics and macroeconomics with the financial markets.

Ilia Ozornov is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Previously, he has completed the Bachelor's program in Business Administration with specializations in Finance and Business Mathematics and gained practical knowledge in an internship in Loan Administration and Monitoring Department of the biggest bank in CEE. He feels that university education lacks practical component and thus considers PMP as a great way to apply theory to practice and learn from experienced professionals in the finance industry.

Manuel Peters is currently enrolled in the master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). He graduated from WU with a bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration, focussing on Finance and Business Mathematics. He gained professional experience in Assurance and Asset Management and spent a semester abroad in Madrid, where he specialized in Econometrics and Asset Valuation. The PMP presents a great opportunity to use theoretical knowledge in Finance in an experienced professional environment.

Tetyana Polovenko is currently purcuing the Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. Beforehand, she finished Bachelor’s program in Financial and Actuarial Mathematics at Vienna University of Technology. During internships at Amundi Asset Management, UniCredit Bank and ifb group she obtained valuable skills in risk management and asset allocation. Since 2017, she has been working as a junior actuary at Versicherungsmathematisches Büro. She has also been the leader of the asset management team of the student trading and investment society (WUTIS), where she analyzed quantitative portfolio strategies. Tetyana considers PMP to be the next great step on her way to becoming a professional portfolio manager. She is looking forward to challenge herself and gain relevant skills from experts.

Felix Stubenvoll-Pretschuh is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Financial and Actuarial Mathematics at the Technical University of Vienna. Beforehand, he already obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Graz with specialization in finance and financial markets, which he finished writing his thesis on the comparison of different Hedge Fund strategies’ performance. He had the opportunity to spend one semester of his studies in Reading, UK, during which he not only gathered valuable international experience but also gained knowledge about the interconnectedness of financial markets and international economics. Reflecting his ever-growing interest in the purely mathematical side of finance and investing, he then decided to continue his studies in Financial Mathematics. Felix is convinced that an excellent theoretical education needs the practical application, that is why he has been working part-time throughout his studies and did an internship at a private equity fund in Switzerland, during which he contributed to the closing of two new deals. For Felix, the PMP constitutes a unique opportunity to link theoretical concepts perceived in his studies with real-world applications in asset management and to learn from and actively contribute to a thriving environment.

Matthias Reiner is currently enrolled for the Master's program Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University of Economics and Business after having completed two bachelor degrees in Business Administration and Technical Physics. Lectures about financial markets and investment analysis during his exchange semester at the National University of Singapore have spurred his interest in Finance, leading to an engagement at the portfolio management program where he hopes to deepen his knowledge and meet like-minded people. Besides networking in student societies (e.g. WUTIS) and gaining practical experience at Deloitte or zeb he likes to play the piano and supports a Viennese football club called "Magic Unicorns".

Alexander Sochor is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Finance and Accounting at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Prior to that, he finished his Bachelor’s program in Business Administration also at the WU Vienna with specializations in Finance and SMEs. During his studies Alexander gained practical experience and deeper insights into the banking sector. Based on his fascination for portfolio management and the dynamic behind financial markets, Alexander feels confident that the PMP will provide him with an excellent opportunity to gain additional practical experience and skills to work in the financial profession once he finishes his studies.

Alina Steshkova is a Ph.D. student at Vienna University of Economics and Business. After graduating the WU Master Program Quantitative Finance, Alina decided to put into practice her acquired theoretical knowledge and attend the PMP. Along with her academic research focused on currency markets, she is interested in implementing macro trading strategies. She is convinced that her work experience in risk management in top Austrian banks will help to construct a risk-adjusted portfolio. She believes that the participation at the PMP gives her an opportunity to gather practical experience in portfolio management and improve her analytical skills.

Christopher T. Stockermans Muñoz is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Beforehand, he finished a Liberal Arts and Sciences Bachelor in Politics, Philosophy and Economics in the University of Groningen where he published an discussion paper on stock price formation through the lens of complexity finance. An avid traveler he did a six month exchange in Peru where he gained first hand experience in commodity based economies. With a wide variety of interests, he loves the complex, unpredictable, technical and social aspect of financial markets. The next two years with PMP will provide him with the intuition necessary to tackle financial markets and instruments in a professional manner.

Livia Thury just finished her Bachelor degree in International Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business with specializations in Finance and Financial Controlling. She continues her studies with the master program “Quantitative Finance” in October 2018. Her exchange semester in the US contributed considerably to her language skills and personal experience. Livia worked as an intern at KMPG as part of the bank audit division and is currently employed at a Controlling Consulting firm. For her, the portfolio management program means to expand her knowledge in the field of asset management and to work in a team of experienced and motivated people.

Michael David Wuggenig is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of Vienna with specialization in finance. He already obtained a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and recently spent a semester abroad at Nova School of Economics and Business in Lisbon. Michael’s interest in politics and macroeconomics awoke his curiosity for the interconnection of international financial markets. He chose to join the Portfolio Management Program as it offers a great opportunity to gain practical knowledge and get in touch with professional asset management. Michael intents to gain deep financial knowledge, apply theory to practice and broaden his quantitative skills.

Verena Baumann is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Banking & Finance at the University of Vienna. Beforehand, she finished her Bachelor in Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (2016) and the Bachelor Political Science at the University of Vienna (2015). At the mean time she gained extensive international experience by working and studding abroad, e.g. in Canada, Brussels, Australia, and France. Her passion for portfolio management arises from her fascination for financial markets and the unique interplay of macroeconomics, financial mathematics, and international politics. For her, the portfolio management program poses a great opportunity to strengthen her knowledge and practical skills for a future career in the field of asset management.

Dominic Cervicek is a PhD student at Vienna University of Technology. His research focuses on equity portfolio strategies, particularly in the area of factor investing and long-short strategies. Before his doctoral studies Dominic graduated with honors from Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) in the master's programme Quantitative Finance. Always interested in gathering new experiences, he took an exchange semester in Paris at Université Paris Dauphine and an internship at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. He is very excited to see theory and practice converge at the PMP.

Anna Galkina is currently pursuing Bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business with specializations in Finance and Business Mathematics. One semester of her Bachelor studies she spent at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where Anna gained knowledge on international financial markets, especially emerging Asian markets. Practical experience is of great importance for her that is why Anna gathered working experience in the banking sector. By participating in Portfolio Management Program Anna expects to improve practical work skills and establish professional network.

Alessandro is a PhD student in Finance at the Vienna Graduate School of Finance (VGSF). Before joining this program, he earned a BSc in Maritime, Logistics and Transport Economics and Business at the University of Genoa and a MSc in Finance and Banking at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, both cum laude. During his Master, he had the opportunity to spend five months at HEC Lausanne as visiting student thanks to a scholarship, where he carried out his research on applied time series econometrics, with a particular focus on forecasting financial market volatility over long horizons through Heterogeneous Autoregressive models. Besides his professional interests, he is a classical pianist, with a Master of Arts in Piano Performance obtained at the Conservatory of Rome Santa Cecilia. He is passionate about politics, philosophy and different cultures.

Fabian Meyer is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Business Administration with focus on finance and accounting at the University of Vienna. He completed his B.Sc. Degree in Technology and Management at the Technical University in Munich with majors in Finance and Accounting as well as Mechanical Engineering. During internships at Experteer, BMW, and Siemens he obtained valuable practical experience. Fabian considers the Portfolio Management Program as the ideal opportunity to apply and enhance his knowledge about financial markets as well as to get in touch with renowned experts.

Michael Miliker is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Previously, he has completed the Bachelor's program in Business, Economics and Social Sciences with specializations in Mathematics, Econometrics and Strategic Management as well as the individual Bachelor's program in Business Administration and Chinese at WU. He has also spent time studying abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing and gained practical experience in consulting, banking and venture capital. Michael joined the PMP since it provides him with the opportunity to apply his deep interest in politics, economics and finance. Moreover, it is a great way to apply the skills and theoretical knowledge taught in his Master’s program in practice, learn from experts in the field of portfolio management and gain in understanding of markets and the limitations of theory.

Francisco Prado Moreno is an Industrial Engineer from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business, where became passionate about financial markets and strategies. His particular interests are forecasting, strategy development for investing, data analysis and the use of Computational Intelligence methods. He sees PMP as a great opportunity to learn and put to use the quantitative and programming knowledge he gathered while studying engineering. Over the next two years he expects to broaden his skill set and financial knowledge, getting first-hand experience from the world of finance.

Prior to pursuing his career in Investment Management Artur graduated from the Kharkiv National Medical University with honors and obtained a qualification of a doctor. At some moment during his studies he started researching into Healthcare Industry which led him to the interest in the healthcare investment sector. He believes that any government, any company and any project needs funding to perform its activities, thus the financial flows determine a global development pace. Currently Artur is enrolled in the Bachelor Program in Business Administration with a focus on Banking and Finance at the University of Vienna and he considers PMP as a great way to apply theory to practice and learn from experienced professionals still during his university studies. During the program Artur expects to gain a deep knowledge and understanding of Investment Management and to develop skills of a professional portfolio manager.

After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Business at the University of Vienna in summer 2017 with the specialization in econometrics, Alexander Swoboda is currently a student at the Banking and Finance Master Program and about to finish his second Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. Thus, gaining profound knowledge in statistical analysis and the complex processes of organizational structures lead to his interest of understanding the interconnected backgrounds of economical strategies and therefore allowing a global thinking in a broad context. In the later course of his studies he got several opportunities of collecting scientific aspects of financial theories and monetary policy. He considers the Portfolio Management Program to be a unique chance for his further academic development and thus, gaining practical skills in modern financial market models and strategic decision-making, while at the same time working in a multi-national environment and experiencing an ambitious and highly challenging working atmosphere.

Lyudmil graduated from the University of Mannheim in Germany in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance with a major focus on Financial Economics. During a few optional Internships in the Finance industry, he obtained valuable practical experience in fields like Treasury, M&A and Asset Management. In September 2017 he started with his Master’s degree in Finance and Accounting at the University of Vienna. Lyudmil sees the PMP program as an opportunity to gain first hand real practical experience in the area of financial markets.

Marcel graduated from Vienna University of Economics and Business with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. During his studies he focused on Business Mathematics, Finance and Data Science. In this time he absolved an Industry Lab at the Market Risk department at Erste Bank, where he could apply Data Science methods in practice. He gained practical knowledge in internships in different Risk Management departments of two Austrian banks. In September 2017 he enrolled for the Master’s Program Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Marcel sees the PMP as opportunity to connect theoretical knowledge with practice as well as to get different investment ideas from students of other universities.

Nadzeya Yakimchyk graduated from Belarusian State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. She worked 4 years as a software developer and all this time she was interested in Finance and Data Analysis. The great desire to become a specialist in the new field made Nadzeya become a student of the Quantitative Finance Master program at the Vienna University of Business and Economics. Nadzeya believes that the PMP is a unique chance to gain the practical skills in the financial markets area and receive knowledge from top investment professionals.

Levente Bardóczy graduated from the Corvinus University of Budapest in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting. He also completed the Special Financial Mathematics Program and was a member of the Heller Farkas College for Advanced Financial Studies. Currently he is a student at the Quantitative Finance Master Program at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. During his bachelor program he completed the 20 weeks Bologna Finance Internship at Morgan Stanley in Budapest. Levente sees the Portfolio Management Program as a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience in financial markets and investment strategies, and to enhance both his financial and quantitative skills.

Franz graduated from Vienna University of Economics and Business with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. During his studies he spent a semester at the University of Florida where he gained deeper knowledge in investing and asset management. He complete internships in various fields of banking and management consulting. In September 2016 he enrolled for the Master’s Program Finance and Accounting at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Franz sees the Portfolio Management Program as an opportunity to close the gap between academics and the asset management industry.

Bong Joe Gil received Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with specialization in Management and Consulting in 2016. After receiving the Bachelors degree, he countinued his study and is currently enrolled in the Master Programm in Business Administration at the University of Vienna, as major financial accounting and as minor business law and finance. He is fascinated about the complex aspects of financial world where participants engage with each own´s expectation and interpretation about the current and future outlook of market. Furthermore, it is not only about technical methods to examinate the histroy and attempt to predict the future development based on economic data, but it is also essential how to incorporate numbers of other important factors like politics, environmental issues and cultural differences. Since the main focus of his financial academic programms were laid in theoretical aspects, the Portfolio Management Programm provides the oft desired link between the theory and real facet of the highly complex world of finance.

Elena Kholodova is a student of the Quantitative Finance Master program at the Vienna University of Business and Economics. She achieved Bachelor Degree at the Finance University under the Government of the Russian Federation in Moscow in 2015 with specialization in Financial Markets and continued with a Master Program at the same University, she is currently working on her master thesis there. Elena believes that the Portfolio Management Program gives an opportunity to gain better understanding of the Financial Markets and get practical experience in asset management field.

Natalija Kostic has graduated from the Bachelor of Business, Economics and Social Sciences at Vienna University of Business and Economics (WU) with majors in Finance and Business Mathematics. Furthermore, she has done electives in Research Methodologies and Programming. In 2016 Natalija has enrolled the Master Program Quantitative Finance at WU and started working at the Raiffeisen Bank International. She believes that PMP will provide her with an optimized combination of theoretical background and much needed practical experience in financial markets and macroeconomics, as well as the unique opportunity to work with financial data providers.

Since the autumn of 2013 Melanie Nachreiner is studying Statistic at the University of Vienna. After she visited some lectures in finance, she get a theoretical overview of the fascinating world of finance. The PMP gives her the unique opportunity, work together with high motived students, learn form experts and put the theoretically knowledge into practice.

Richard Neumann is currently studying International Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), majoring in Finance and Mathematical Economics. He early on realized his passion for the financial services industry and has continued to seek out opportunities of increasing his knowledge. During a three-month internship in an investment bank he was able to gain valuable professional experience in the financial services industry. In Richard’s opinion, the Portfolio Management Program is a unique opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge, acquire technical skills, and work with a team of highly motivated students under the guidance of distinguished experts.

Olga graduated from City University New York Baruch College with Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics. Currently she's a student at the Quantitative Finance Master Program at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. During her Bachelor studies, Olga spent one semester abroad in Vienna at the WU. Upon her graduation, she decided to come back and earn her masters at the WU to add more international background to her experience, as she sees Vienna a perfect place to combine learning and social aspects. Olga believes that PMP program is a unique opportunity to broaden theoretical knowledge, acquire technical skills, and gain practical experience in the area of financial markets.

Lukas Rier holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Vienna. During his Bachelor's he went for one semester abroad to Ca' Foscari University in Venice where he came in touch with Finance and discovered his passion for capital markets. In March 2016 Lukas started his Master’s in Business Administration with specialization in Financial Intermediations and Financial Markets at the University of Vienna. He sees the PMP as the perfect program to apply the theoretical knowledge of the financial markets, as well as to work with students from other universities with different qualifications. In the following two years he expects to deepen his understanding and knowledge of the financial markets.

Maximilian Christian Schleritzko is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. Previously he has gratuated with distinction from the bachelor programme in Business, Economics and Social Sciences at Vienna University of Business and Economics with specializations in Business Mathematics and Finance as well as electives in Econometrics and Mathematical Methods. He gathered valuable practical insides during internships in the asset management division of a major Austrian insurance and the market risk divsion of a major Austrian bank. In Maximilian’s opinion the PMP offers an unique opportunity to learn from practioners as well as academics, put the theoretical knowledge acquired at university into practice.

Since March 2016, Carlos Turner is pursuing a consecutive Master's degree in Business Administration with a double-finance specialisation in Financial Markets and Financial Intermediation at the Department of Economic Sciences of the University of Vienna after acquiring his Bachelor's degree in early 2016. Over the course of his studies, Carlos discovered his particular fascination for macroeconomics together with his ability for quantitative analysis. As he is gaining valuable experience while working for a private investment fund and attending the Portfolio Management Program simultaneously, he can associate various models, approaches, ideas and techniques with each other to improve his skills when it comes to Portfolio Management. Therefore, he senses the PMP as a very unique opportunity to connect theoretical concepts with hands-on practice.

Tom Zeissler finished his degree as Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration at Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt in September 2015, with a major focus on Finance and Accounting. During and after his Bachelor’s degree he took the possibility to obtain valuable practice experience and to sharpen his critical thinking skills while working for several companies like ING-DiBa, Deutsche Bank and Sopra Steria Consulting. In that way he gained practice in various fields like real estate finance, sales controlling and reporting as well as credit and liquidity risk management. In September 2016 he eventually enrolled at Vienna University of Economics and Business for the Master’s program Finance and Accounting to enhance his understanding of individual financial decisions, the behavior of financial markets and also the interdependency between both. In his leisure time, when he is not heavily trying to become sportier, he spends his hours with reading books, watching movies, going out with friends and, for sure, enjoying to have this great opportunity as part of the Portfolio Management Program.

Miona Baletic obtained Bachelor’s degree in 2015 at Vienna University of Economics and Business, majoring in International Business Administration with specializations in Finance and Accounting. She completed her last semester at the University of Nova in Lisbon as a participant in the European Erasmus student exchange program. Studying in a multicultural environment broadened her competences, allowing her to understand and work with different mentalities. She thereafter enrolled in Master Finance and Accounting at WU, but decided to take a gap year to gain an essential practical experience, as she believes this will improve her future educational performance. During her studies she worked as an intern in the financial department of two different companies, where she conducted the range of assistant assignments. Miona sees PMP as a unique opportunity to gain an insight into daily operations of financials markets very early in her career and thus to obtain irreplaceable know-how offered through the real-life practice.

Victoria Dobryaskina has a bachelor degree in Economics and Finance from Charles University in Prague. During her Bachelor's she went for a semester abroad to Goethe University in Frankfurt, where the major specialization of the program was Finance and Business administration. There she enhanced her capability of financial markets already at the Master level. Since this year she is studying Quantitative Finance at Vienna University for Economics and Business, Vienna. The Portfolio Management Program is a chance to take the first-hand experience of the other program participants, which were at the same position in the last year and to acquire additional knowledge from the tutors and mentors. In the upcoming years of learning from the PMP she expects to gain a comprehensive understanding of real world finance and sufficient skills - not only specialist and teamwork, but also verbal communication - for the future career.

Christina Draeger is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. Previously, she acquired a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics at the University of Regensburg in Germany and gained valuable research experience in the field of logistics at the University of St. Gallen. During her work for an investment manager in London, she assisted decision-making in matters of asset management and private equity. By conducting market analyses and public relationship campaigns in Madagascar for an international cooperation service provider, Christina got acquainted with the economy and culture of a developing country and formed a particular interest in politics and macroeconomics of emerging markets. The Portfolio Management Program provides a perfect opportunity to deepen her personal interests within an interactive environment and allows her to broaden her knowledge about systematic investment approaches.

Thomas Haindl is currently a student of the master’s program in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Business and Economics. He received a bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics and Social Sciences at WU with specializations in Finance and Business Mathematics. Furthermore, in order to deepen his knowledge in Mathematics and Statistics he chose the electives Mathematical Methods and Econometrics. During a nine months internship at ERSTE Group Bank AG in the department of Risk Information Management he was able to gain first professional experience and broaden his knowledge in Data Science. The Portfolio Management Program not only provides a unique opportunity to put the theoretical framework taught in class into practice, but additionally offers a challenging environment of other highly motivated students, scholars and experienced professionals.

Since the fall of 2015 Lukas Handler is in the graduate program Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Prior to that he did his bachelor studies with a major in International Business Administration, where he specialized in Finance and Business Mathematics. During his semester abroad at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, he was able to gain a deeper, cross-cultural insight in the fields of finance. Approximately at the same time he got really interested in capital markets and therefore he appreciates that the PMP program gives him the chance to get different and more practical insights into various finance related topics.

Heike Hofmann has been studying International Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. She is majoring in Finance and Foreign Trade. She realized her passion for financial markets while still in middle school and has continued to broaden her knowledge through a variety of opportunities. Besides her studies and personal interest, Heike also gained professional experience through internships at the VKB-Bank of Upper Austria. In 2015/16, she studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, gaining first-hand insight into the Asian Financial Market. Heike Hofmann sees the Portfolio Management Program as a unique chance to further broaden and deepen her knowledge. She wants to establish a strong base for her future career in the financial sector. She is also delighted to share this precious time in the Portfolio Management Program with people that share the same interests and therefore can learn from each other.

Gregor Hülbig is studying Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. His passion for the financial services industry - particularly investing - developed during a year abroad at the University of Warwick, where Gregor was actively involved in the Warwick Investment Forum. He gained valuable practical experience during a summer internship in Bank Austria´s Structured Finance Division and multiple Spring Weeks at leading investment banks in London. In Gregor´s opinion, the Portfolio Management Program is a unique program, which combines theory and practice and provides an excellent platform for working with motivated students and learning from distinguished experts.

Michail Michalisis a graduate student from Greece, currently enrolled in the Accounting and Finance Master Programme of the Economic University of Vienna. After finishing his bachelor studies in Accounting in the University of Macedonia in his hometown of Thessaloniki, he chose Vienna as the perfect place to continue his education on his selected field. He is very excited to be part of the Portfolio Management Programme, as it presents a perfect opportunity for him to apply his knowledge in finance and also allows him to further expand his quantitative skills through the PMP technical trainings and the co-operation with his colleagues.

Since 2012 Lukas Milanovich is studying Economics and Business Administration at the University of Vienna. After he got his Bachelor of Science degree, he started studying Economics at the Master´s Level, with specialization in Macroeconomics and Econometrics at the end of 2014. He expects to graduate in June 2016. In September 2015 he also started Business Administration Master with specialization in Corporate Finance and Financial Markets. Since his age of 16, Lukas has been trading equities on his own account. His main interests are value investing and macro based investing. Furthermore, Lukas also works as a Research and Teaching Assistant at the Department of Finance of the University of Vienna. He made several Internships for Austrian Banks including Erste Asset Management where he worked as a quantitative analyst in the field of social responsible investments. In his opinion the PMP is a unique chance to apply theoretical knowledge, acquire practical skills, and work with a team of highly motivated students which share the same passion for Finance.

Magda Mirescu works as a research and teaching assistant at the University of Vienna, Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics, chair for Industry, Energy and Environment (IEE). Furthermore she is enrolled as a PhD student in Applied Mathematics at the Vienna University of Technology, particularly affiliated to the research group Operations Research and Control Systems (ORCOS). In her dissertation she intends to focus on portfolio optimisation applied to the energy sector. She regards PMP as the perfect opportunity to understand and experience first-hand the practical aspects of classical portfolio theory, i.e. applied to the financial sector, which amongst other things, will also be very helpful to her PhD. Magda holds a BSc in Statistics and Mathematics in Economics and a MSc in Mathematics in Economics.

Corina Moza graduated from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania, where she specialized in Finance and Banking. Throughout her studies she participated in various competitions related to financial markets and equity analysis. During these competitions and various internships in finance domain, she gained further knowledge about investments and portfolio management. Hence, her main interest lies in stock analysis and valuation. Corina is currently studying Quantitative Finance at Vienna University for Economics and Business, and she sees the PMP as the perfect opportunity to put theory into practice, as well as gaining experience in this competitive field that is portfolio management.

Giorgio Ottonello was born in Genoa, Italy. After receiving his bachelor degree in Business Administration at the University of Genoa, he moved to Vienna where he obtained the Master Degree in Quantitative Finance at WU. In his spare time he likes reading books, watching movies, running and going to good restaurants and bars.

Florian Pauer is currently studying ‘Quantitative Finance’ at Vienna University of Economics and Business. In 2015 he completed the Bachelor program ‘Business, Economics and Social Sciences’ with a major in 'Information Systems’ at the same institution. During his studies he specialized in mathematics and operations management. He soon realized that the financial world is a very fascinating and interesting topic. The PMP program gives him the unique opportunity to deepen his knowledge in this area, not only in theoretical but also applied aspects. In a sense it allows him to combine his academic interests with his personal interests.

Anna Thurnher finished her Bachelor’s degree in business administration with specializations in finance and accounting at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) in 2014. After her studies, she completed a seven-month internship at a big auditing company in the financial services team. In fall 2015, she started the master in finance and accounting at WU. She regards the portfolio management programme as a unique opportunity and enrichment, because it offers the possibility to apply the acquired knowledge throughout the studies in practice and to gain valuable insights into the whole field of asset management.

Stefan Vincenz is a student of the Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Previously, he studied Mathematics at the University of Vienna and completed his bachelor studies at the FH Wiener Neustadt in Economics. During his bachelor degree, Stefan gathered experience in the field of investment banking at Erste Bank and completed a semester abroad in North Carolina. With regards to the PMP, he greatly appreciates the diversity and the access to such a unique learning environment.

Lukas Zahrer is currently enrolled in the Master’s program Quantitative Finance at the Vienna University for Economics and Business (WU). He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Technical University Vienna with a major in Financial and Actuarial Mathematics. With this technical background, Lukas worked for the risk management department of UNIQA Insurance Group, where he gained insights into the actuarial business and also wrote his Bachelor thesis on methods of claims reserving processes. After his traineeship, he decided to focus more on financial markets and asset management, enrolled at WU Vienna, and joined the Portfolio Management Program. He sees this program as a truly unique way for students to learn from experts as well as other motivated colleagues, and put this knowledge into practice.

Sandra has been studying International Business Administration with majors in Finance & Accounting at the Vienna University of Business and Economics since 2010. Next to university she is working in an auditing company, where she is able to collect work experience in the accounting area. In the past she did two internships abroad, in Spain and Germany, as well as an exchange semester in the US at the College of William & Mary during her bachelor degree. Since fall 2014 she is part of the master program "Finance and Accounting" at the Vienna Business University. She sees the PMP as a unique experience to broaden her knowledge in finance and to get a hands-on experience in the area of Asset Management.

Natasa Celeketic finished her bachelor studies at Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien with a major in Finance and Management in Small and Medium Enterprises. She furthered her education by pursuing a master’s degree in the same subject at the University of Vienna. She is expected to complete her studies next year. Apart from her education, she is employed as a freelancer in the Investment Banking division of Raiffeisen Bank International. She has gained valuable experience in loan origination and syndication sector. The Portfolio management Program is a unique opportunity for her to not only put into practice the theoretical knowledge and skills that she gained, but to also improve them further, gain new knowledge and develop her character for a successful career.

Nikolay Dinev, CFA is a doctoral student at the Vienna Graduate School of Finance. He holds a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Macalester College and an MBA with a focus on finance and strategy from Yale University. Professionally, he worked for two years as an Investment Banking Analyst and Associate at Bank of America and three years as a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. At BCG, he was a member of the Corporate Finance Task Force. Nikolay also is a CFA charter. In his current scientific work he is interested in both theoretical and empirical research. His academic interests led him to participate in the PMP program in order to explore portfolio management at the intersection of theory and practice.

Phillipp Gnan started his bachelor studies in business administration in the fall of 2012 at the WU Vienna. Soon, he discovered his preference for finance and mathematics and chose his specializations accordingly. After the bachelor, he will continue this direction by attending WU's Quantitative Finance master program. The Portfolio Management Program is his first opportunity to apply his theoretical knowledge to the real world of finance. What he appreciates most is working in a team of like-minded students and the constant advice and feedback from other students as well as professionals from the industry.

In April 2014 Magdalena Hiesinger graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration with main focus on Finance and on Management and Organizational Behaviour at WU Wien. From September 2012 to February 2013 she studied at the Universitat de Valencia as an Erasmus exchange student and got the chance to get better knowledge about the financial system of Spain. Currently she is in the master program Finance and Accounting at WU Wien. During her bachelor’s program she started working as a tutor at the Institute for Finance, Banking and Insurance for the courses Non-linear Financial Instruments and Corporate Risk Management. During her internship at Austrian Airlines for several months she had the possibility to gain experience in the department of Revenue Management. The Portfolio Management Program gives her not only excellent unique educational opportunities but also the possibility to put theoretical knowledge into practice. Moreover the group structure and the meetings with the presentations are a great opportunity to gain experience for life for her.

Sebastian Hillenbrand is a student of the Master in Quantitative Finance at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Previously, he finished his bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering and Management at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Next to his studies he is very interested in politics, foreign affairs and macroeconomics, particularly in emerging markets. He has gathered first-hand knowledge during his work for an NGO in Buenos Aires and has furthermore gained practical and academic experience in Australia and Singapore. In June 2015, Sebastian also passed the first level of the CFA exams. In his year as manager, he wants to put the focus on return forecasting, tactical asset allocation and portfolio construction. In his opinion, the PMP program is a unique chance to take on investment responsibility and provides an excellent opportunity to learn from other motivated students, scholars and experienced asset managers.

Tobias Lang has been studying Business at the Vienna University of Business and Economics since 2013 with specializations in Finance and Business Mathematics. During a summer internship at Erste Bank Capital Markets Group he gained first practical insights into foreign exchange trading. His main field of interest is currency carry trades. During an exchange semester at the University of Warwick he hopes to further improve his knowledge in finance. For him the Portfolio Management Programme provides a unique opportunity to practically implement theoretical concepts learned at university.

Florian is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance. He received his BSc in Economics from the WU in 2014, where he wrote his bachelor thesis on “Do Low Prime Rates Cause Asset Bubbles?”. Prior to joining the program he worked as an economic research intern in Frankfurt. Florian is interested in value and macro-based investing and has been managing his own portfolio since he was 18 years old. In his view the PMP offers the unique opportunity to make investment decisions that would otherwise require several years of experience with an asset management firm. Moreover, the program allows him to follow his personal interests and to gain further experience at the interface between Finance, Economics and asset management.

Alexander Millauer has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). His specializations are International Business and Corporate Governance & Management Control. In the course of his studies, he was actively participating in a unique business analysis and forecasting project with Voestalpine AG. As Summer Analyst at a renowned investment boutique in New York he deepened his knowledge in finance and economics. Alexander is currently enrolled in the double-degree master’s program International Management CEMS at WU, with a focus on financial management. With regard to PMP, he appreciates the access to profound expertise, which is not offered at universities in this form and the collaboration with like-minded students and experts in asset management.

After completing his bachelor degree programme in business administration with distinction in 2014, he continued his studies in finance and accounting at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Since 2011 he has been working at the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), where he was part of the personnel department and the department of thematic programmes. In addition, he took the opportunity to work in cross-departmental projects. What is more, since the beginning of 2015 he has been an employee of the institute of finance, banking and insurance at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. At the institute he works as tutor and eLearning Assistant for two different finance courses of the master programme finance and accounting. He is responsible for the preparation and improvement of the learning and communication platform, supports students in case of content-related issues and assists the professor with creating assignments and exams. Nermin believes that the practice oriented PMP is a perfect supplement for the theory-based master programme and a great opportunity to meet motivated colleagues and experts and gather valuable experience.

Arpad Pinter is a Ph.D. student in Financial Mathematics at TU Wien. Additionally, he works as a project assistant at the Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics, research group Financial and Actuarial Mathematics, on a project that is concerned with portfolio optimization under transaction costs. The participation on the Portfolio Management Programme gives him the opportunity to combine his theoretical knowledge with practical applications, to gain valuable experience in professional asset management and to deepen his knowledge in finance. He is looking forward to collaborate with motivated colleagues and highly qualified professionals.

Andreas is currently studying Finance, Strategic Management and Management Control at the Vienna University for Economics and Business. His interest in the financial markets started in 2011 by the age of 17, when he first began to invest mainly in equities and high yield bonds with his own personal portfolio. Following his passion for the financial world he founded the personal finance blog www.diekleinanleger.com in the year 2012. Since the fall of 2013 he is enrolled in the bachelor program at the Vienna University for Economics and Business and since 2014 member of the PMP-Program. He already gained practical experience interning for a big Swiss Investment Bank and further enhanced his finance knowledge in the courses he took at the National University of Singapore during his term abroad. Andreas sees the PMP as an amazing chance to combine theory with practice and as an opportunity to take on full responsibility over a real seven figure investment fund very early in a financial career.

Alex Grossmann studiert Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit den Schwerpunkten Finance und Informationsmanagement an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, wo er auch vor hat seinen Master abzuschließen. Während seines Studiums wurde sein Interesse für die Finanzmärkte geweckt, worauf hin er anfing sich mit Fachliteratur zu befassen sowie auch eigene Erfahrungen im realen Handel zu sammeln. Sein Interesse an Reisen und anderen Kulturen, bewegte ihn dazu Auslandssemester in den USA und Spanien zu absolvieren, was ihm dabei half seine Sprachenkenntnisse zu verbessern. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm bietet ihm die einzigartige Möglichkeit von gleichermaßen motivierten Kollegen, sowie Experten aus der Branche zu lernen und einen tiefgehenden Einblick ins professionelle Asset Management zu bekommen.

Philip Gruber schreibt gerade seine Masterarbeit im Studiengang Finanz- und Versicherungsmathematik an der Technischen Universität Wien. Zusätzlich arbeitet er in einer Beratungsgesellschaft mit versicherungsmathematischem Schwerpunkt. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht er als Chance, auch die andere Seite seines Studiums in der Praxis kennen zu lernen und zusammen mit gleichgesinnten Kollegen einen einzigartigen Einstieg in die Investmentwelt zu erhalten. Einen ersten Eindruck von verschiedenen Praxisansätzen zu diesem Thema konnte er sich auf der Université Paris-Dauphine verschaffen, auf der er im Rahmen seines Auslandssemesters wirtschaftlich orientierte Kurse zu den modernen Finanzmarkt- und Investmenttheorien belegte. Gerade in diesem Bereich sieht er die Kooperation von Technikern mit Wirtschaftlern als große gegenseitige Bereicherung und als eine hervorragende Gelegenheit, auch außerhalb des eigenen fachlichen Horizonts neue Einblicke zu gewinnen.

Anna Maria Holzinger studiert seit 2009 an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Im Jahr 2012 absolvierte sie das Bachelorstudium Betriebswirtschaft mit den Spezialisierungen im Bereich Finance und Wirtschaftstraining. Direkt danach begann sie das zweijährige Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen. Neben ihrem Studium ist sie seit 2012 Studienassistentin am Institut für Finance, Banking and Insurance und zuständig für die Kurse Basics in Finance, Lineare und Nichtlineare Finanzinstrumente. Gleichzeitig mit dem Start des PMP beginnt sie das Masterstudium Steuern und Rechnungslegung. Vom Portfoliomanagement Programm erhofft sie sich motivierte Kollegen kennenzulernen, die bis jetzt gelernten Inhalte in die Praxis umzusetzen und ihr Wissen im Bereich des Asset Managements auszubauen.

Martin Hölzl studiert Betriebswirtschaft mit den Schwerpunkten Finance, Accounting sowie Wirtschaftsrecht an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Während des Studiums konnte er bereits Arbeitserfahrung durch ein Praktikum im Banking & Finance Team eines größeren Steuerberatungsunternehmen und einer nachfolgenden Teilzeittätigkeit neben dem Studium sammeln. Gleichzeitig mit Beginn des Portfoliomanagement Programms absolviert er ein Praktikum bei einer europäischen Großbank. Weiters konnte er durch ein Auslandssemester an der University of Texas at Austin seinem Studium einen internationalen Einschlag geben, wo durch die Absolvierung finanzwirtschaftlicher Kurse sein Interesse an den Finanzmärkten weiter gestärkt wurde. Durch das Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht er die einzigartige Möglichkeit die Theorie mit der Praxis zu verbinden, sowie durch die Zusammenarbeit mit motivierten Kollegen und erfahrenen Experten wertvolle Erfahrungen zu sammeln.

Johanna Hupfauf studiert an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien "Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit Chinesisch" und fokussierte sich im Laufe ihres Studiums vor allem auf die Fächer Finance und Accounting. Nach ihrem Auslandssemester in Shanghai an der "Fudan University" im Sommer 2014 wird sie anschließend ihr Masterstudium "Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen" beginnen. Ihr Interesse gilt vor allem dem "Value Investing" und sie versucht durch die Teilnahme am Portfoliomanagement Programm unter anderem ihr bereits erlerntes Wissen praktisch anzuwenden und weiter zu vertiefen.

Kalina Ivanova befindet sich im Bachelor-Studium der Internationalen Betriebswirtschaft an der Universität Wien mit Spezialisierung im Internationalen Finanzmanagement, Risk & Insurance und Wirtschaftskommunikation auf Russisch. Berufliche Erfahrung hat sie bereits in Sofia, Bulgarien, sowie in Wien im Rahmen von Praktika in den Bereichen Immobilienfinanzierung, Besteuerung und Risikomanagement gesammelt. Von allen wirtschaftlichen Disziplinen sieht Kalina ihren zukünftigen Berufsweg im Bereich der Vermögensverwaltung und des Risikomanagements. Ab Januar plant sie ihre Hochschulausbildung mit einem Master mit Schwerpunkt Finanzmanagement an der Universität Wien zu erweitern. Die Teilnahme an dem Portfoliomanagementprogramm ist für sie eine spannende Bereicherung und grossartige Möglichkeit von erfahrenen Asset Managern und anerkannten Professoren zu lernen und das theoretische Wissen in die Praxis umzusetzen.

Claus Krammer studierte im Bachelorstudium Volkswirtschaftslehre mit den Spezialisierungen „Geld- und Konjunkturtheorie“, „Internationale Wirtschaft“ und „Corporate Governance“. Im Rahmen der jährlichen „Summer School“ der London School of Economics konnte er im Jahr 2011 seine Fähigkeiten im Bereich „International Economics“ weiter vertiefen. Im Herbst 2013 wird er mit einem Masterstudium mit Schwerpunkt Finance beginnen.Seit mehr als drei Jahren investiert er selbst aktiv an den Märkten. Um seine eigenen Erfahrungen und Kenntnisse zu erweitern, hat er im Oktober 2012 die Prüfung zum diplomierten Börsenhändler an der Wiener Börseakademie abgelegt. Praktische Erfahrungen konnte er mittels Praktikern bei Orange Austria, der Industriellenvereinigung sowie der Oesterreichischen Nationalbank generieren. Die Teilnahme am Portfoliomanagement-Programm bedeutet für ihn die einzigartige Chance sein erlerntes Wissen in den Bereichen Volkswirtschaft und Finance in der Praxis anzuwenden sowie von erfahrenen Portfoliomanagern und engagierten Kollegen zu lernen.

Kevin Kurt begann 2011 das Bachelorstudium Internationale Betriebswirtschaftslehre mit Spezialisierungen in Finance und Unternehmensführung/Controlling an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, sowie 2012 den Bachelor in Statistik und Wirtschaftsmathematik an der Technischen Universität Wien. Im Herbst 2013 geht Kevin für ein Semester an die Copenhagen Business School, um so seinem Studium eine internationale Note zu verleihen. Praktische Erfahrung konnte er bereits in einer Bank und im Controlling eines Industrieunternehmens sammeln. Sein Interesse an finanzwirtschaftlichen, sowie -mathematischen Themen wurde bereits vor Beginn seines Studiums geweckt und er konnte seitdem sein Wissen laufend erweitern. Kevin interessiert sich vor allem für die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit Finanzmärkten, wobei er sich freut, im Rahmen des Portfoliomanagement Programms, Theorie und Praxis in einem professionellen Umfeld verbinden zu können und seine Kenntnisse im Bereich der Finanzwirtschaft zu vertiefen.

Robert Lachmayer studiert Betriebswirtschaft mit den Schwerpunkten Finance und Unternehmensführung an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien sowie Mathematik an der Universität Wien. Um seinem Studium eine internationale Ausrichtung zu verleihen, absolviert er im Wintersemester 2013 ein Auslandssemester an der University of Illinois. Neben der modernen Portfoliotheorie interessiert sich Robert für die Ansätze des Value Investing und begann sich bereits in seiner Schulzeit intensiv mit den Finanzmärkten auseinanderzusetzen. Das Portfolio Management Programm sieht er als ideale Vorbereitung für seine zukünftige berufliche Karriere, da ihm hier die Möglichkeit geboten wird seine bisherigen theoretischen Kenntnisse in einem professionellen Umfeld mit praktischen Erfahrungen zu erweitern.

Stephan Moser hat an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien das Bachelorstudium Betriebswirtschaft mit den Spezialisierungen Finance und Accounting im Sommer 2012 abgeschlossen und absolviert zurzeit den Master Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungslegung. Im Herbst 2011 verbrachte er ein Auslandssemester an der McCombs School of Business in Austin, Texas. Des Weiteren versucht er neben seinem Zweitstudium Wirtschaftsrecht durch seine Arbeit im Steuerberatungsbereich bei Deloitte in Wien eine möglichst breit gefächerte Ausbildung zu erlangen. Er erwartet sich durch die Teilnahme am Portfoliomanagement Programm, dass er die erlernte Theorie in einem engagierten und professionellen Umfeld in die Praxis umsetzen kann.

Yihui Ni absolvierte an der WU Wien das Bachelorstudium Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit Schwerpunkt Cross-Functional Management und begann 2013 mit dem Masterprogram Quantitative Finance. Neben dem Studium arbeitet sie bei Constantia Flexibles GmbH und unterstützt dort sowohl die Finanz- als auch die Personalabteilung. In 2011 machte sie ein Auslandsemester an der Fudan Universität in Shanghai. Durch die Teilnahme am PMP möchte sie einen Einblick in die Welt des Portfolio-Managements erlangen und freut sich darauf neue, ehrgeizige und interessante Kollegen kennenzulernen.

Elke Schneider absolviert zur Zeit den Master Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit Schwerpunkt Corporate Finance an der Universität Wien. Neben ihrem Studium und dem Portfolio Management Programm ist sie als Studienassistentin am Institut für Finanzwirtschaft tätig. Weiters konnte sie durch ihre mehrmonatigen internationalen Aufenthalte in England, Spanien und Mexiko ein Verständnis für die unterschiedlichen lokalen Wirtschaften und Kulturen aufbauen und zusätzlich ihre Sprachkenntnisse als auch persönlichen Fähigkeiten erweitern. Am PMP sieht sie die einmalige Chance ihr bisheriges theoretisches Wissen durch die praktische Umsetzung des Programms zu vertiefen und eine fundierte Basis für eine spätere Karriere im Finanzbereich zu legen.

Julian Vahl studiert seit Herbst 2013 im Masterprogramm Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Seinen Bachelor in Economics and Business Administration mit den Schwerpunkten Banking&Finance, Empirical Economics und International Business absolvierte er an der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. Im Jahr 2012 verbrachte er ein Auslandssemester an der University of Miami in den USA. Neben dem Studium absolvierte er Praktika im Bereich Transaction Services bei PricewaterhouseCoopers in Stuttgart und im Bereich DCM Bonds der Commerzbank in Frankfurt am Main. Des Weiteren arbeitete als studentischer Mitarbeiter im IPRI Institute Stuttgart. In der Teilnahme am Portfolio Management Programm sieht er eine großartige Möglichkeit, eine Verbindung zwischen Theorie und Praxis zu erstellen, Wissen im Bereich Asset Management aufzubauen und dabei den Austausch zwischen hochmotivierten Studierenden und Experten zu fördern.

Richard Boulanger macht seit Sommersemester 2012 seinen Master in Betriebswirtschaft mit den Schwerpunkten Corporate Finance und Finanzmärkte an der Universität Wien. Neben seinem Studium und dem Portfolio Management Programm ist er als Studienassistent im Institut für Finanzwirtschaft tätig. In puncto praktische Erfahrung hat Richard Boulanger durch internationale Praktika bereits in verschiedenen Bereichen Erfahrungen gesammelt. Er war in einem Venture Capital Fonds, einer M&A Beratung und in einem Industrieunternehmen in der strategischen Unternehmensführung tätig. Richards Interesse für die Finanzmärkte wurde bereits in jungen Jahren geweckt, was ihn dazu bewegte im Alter von 18 Jahren an den Märkten aktiv zu investieren. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht er als Vorbereitung für sein zukünftiges Berufsleben, da er hier die Theorie aus dem Studium sowie die erlernten Techniken aus seinen Praktika anwenden und mit einem kompetenten Team durchführen kann.

Stefan Buczolich studiert Betriebswirtschaft mit den Schwerpunkten Finance und Accounting sowie Volkswirtschaft an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Während seiner Schulzeit begann er sich intensiv mit finanzwirtschaftlichen Themen auseinanderzusetzen und erste Erfahrungen am Aktienmarkt zu sammeln. Praktische Erfahrungen konnte er bislang in einem großen Versicherungskonzern und einem Consultingunternehmen machen. Von Oktober bis November 2012 hat er im Rahmen eines Volontariates im AußenhandelsCenter der Wirtschaftskammer Österreich in São Paulo gearbeitet und interessante Einblicke in eine Volkswirtschaft mit hohem Zukunftspotenzial bekommen. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm bietet ihm professionelle Infrastruktur mit praxisrelevanten Kursen sowie die Möglichkeit von der Zusammenarbeit mit engagierten Kollegen und erfahrenen Experten zu profitieren.

Sandra Burgstaller studierte im Bachelorstudium „Internationale Betriebswirtschaft“ mit den Spezialisierungen „Finance“ und „Unternehmensführung und Controlling“. Zurzeit absolviert sie den Master „CEMS/ Master in International Management“. Während des Studiums war Sandra immer um einen Bezug zur Praxis bemüht. Sie konnte so wertvolle Erfahrung in der Finanzbranche sammeln, und das nicht nur im Inland. Die mehrmonatigen, internationalen Aufenthalte in Russland, Rumänien, Kanada und Italien gaben ihr nicht nur die Möglichkeit ein Verständnis für die lokale Wirtschaft aufzubauen, sondern auch ihre Sprachkenntnisse zu verbessern. Sandra sieht das Portfoliomanagement Programm als einzigartige Möglichkeit praxisorientiert, in einem höchst professionellen Umfeld ihr Interesse für die Finanzmärkte zu vertiefen. Vom Programm erwartet sie sich zwei herausfordernde und spannende Jahre. Ihr Ziel ist eine internationale Karriere in der Finanzbranche.

Stefanie Buttinger hat 2011 das Bachelorstudium in Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit Chinesisch an der WU Wien abgeschlossen. Im Zuge des Bachelorstudiums spezialisierte sie sich in den Bereichen Finance und Accounting und absolvierte ein Auslandsemester an der Fudan University in Shanghai. Neben zahlreichen kleinen Praktika konnte sie im Herbst 2010 ihre Arbeitserfahrung im Ministerium für Finanzen in der Abteilung für Exportförderung erweitern. 2011 begann sie mit dem zweijährigen Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen an der WU. Mit der Teilnahme am Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht sie die Möglichkeit ihr theoretisches Wissen in die Praxis umzusetzen, sowie wertvolle Erfahrungen zu sammeln und freut sich auf zwei lehrreiche Jahre.

Margarita Bykova wurde 1990 in Moskau geboren. Wegen einer Dienstreise ihres Vaters hat sie 3 Jahre in Wien gelebt, während dessen besuchte sie die Theresianische Akademie im 4. Bezirk. Nach einem erfolgreich abgeschlossenen Magisterstudium mit Schwerpunkt "Finanzmanagement" an der Finanzuniversität bei der Regierung Russischer Föderation in Moskau, zieht Margarita wieder nach Wien um, diesmal selbstständig, wo sie seit Oktober 2011 ihre akademische Laufbahn mit dem Masterstudium Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit Schwerpunkt "Corporate Finance" und einer weiteren Fremdsprache Französisch fortsetzt. Neben dem Studium arbeitet Margarita seit 4 Jahren und ist derzeit bei KPMG AG im Bereich Wirtschaftsprüfung tätig. Durch ein Praktikum in Capital Markets Department in der russischen Außenhandelsbank in Wien VTB Bank Austria hat sie das Interesse an Finanzmärkten und Portfoliomanagement entwickelt, somit sieht sie das Portfoliomanagement Programm als eine logische Fortsetzung ihrer Berufserfahrung und eine einzigartige Möglichkeit neues praktisches Wissen zu erwirtschaften.

Sascha Paul Czerwenka hat an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien Volkswirtschaft studiert und sich insbesondere auf Schwerpunkte wie Geld- und Finanzpolitik spezialisiert. In diesem Bereich verfasste er auch seine Bachelorarbeit, welche sich mit den prozyklischen Wirkungen von Basel II auseinandersetzt. Seit 2010 betreibt Sascha Wirtschaftsrecht als Zweitstudium und möchte dieses in den kommenden Semestern abschließen. Anschließend strebt er einen Master im Bereich Banking und Finance an. Um bereits während seiner vorangegangenen Ausbildung an der Vienna Business School praxisrelevante Erfahrungen zu sammeln, absolvierte Sascha einige Praktika im Bereich des Fondsmanagements der Bank Austria. Seit dieser Zeit wurde sein Interesse an den internationalen Finanzmärkten geweckt. Die Teilnahme am Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht Sascha als einzigartige Chance, bereits neben dem Studium eine umfangreiche Ausbildung in diesem Bereich zu erhalten. Die praktische Umsetzung des erlernten Wissens und die Zusammenarbeit mit Kollegen runden aus seiner Ansicht das Programm ab.

Thomas Desch studiert Betriebswirtschaft und Wirtschaftsrecht mit den Schwerpunkten Unternehmensführung und Controlling, sowie Entrepreneurship und Innovation an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Zeitgleich mit dem Start des Portfoliomanagement Programms beginnt er das Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen. Sein ausgeprägtes Interesse für Finanzmärkte wurde durch ein Praktikum bei der UniCredit Bank Austria AG geweckt. Wissen im Bereich der Finanzmärkte hat sich Thomas vor allem durch die Lektüre von zahlreichen Büchern und Fachzeitschriften erarbeitet. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht er als einmalige Gelegenheit seine praktischen und theoretischen Kenntnisse über unterschiedliche Anlagestrategien zu vertiefen und einen Grundstein für eine spätere Karriere im Finanzbereich zu legen.

Antonio Jose Escobar wurde 1987 in Bogota, Kolumbien geboren. Er hat das Bachelor-Studium Volkswirtschaftlehre an der WU Wien im Sommersemester 2012 abgeschlossen und hat im Wintersemester 2012 den MSc Quantitative Finance, ebenfalls an der WU Wien, begonnen. Außerdem hat er an Veranstaltungen der TU Wien und der Boku teilgenommen, um seine Interessen an Programmieren und Nachhaltiger Entwicklung weiter zu vertiefen. Während seines Studiums hat er auch verschiedene Praxiserfahrungen gesammelt, sowohl als Entrepreneur als auch als Angestellter. Er ist überzeugt, dass das Portfoliomanagement Programm eine großartige Chance ist, sowohl sein Interesse an Finanzmärkten auszubauen als auch seinen Wissensstand weiter zu entwickeln. Weiters ist es eine perfekte Ergänzung für seine Ausbildung und eine wertvolle Erfahrung, die sicherlich eine wesentliche Rolle in seinem zukünftigen Arbeitsleben spielen wird.

Martin Hintner hat nach seinem Bachelorabschluss in Internationaler Betriebswirtschaft im Wintersemester 2012/13 den Master an der Universität Wien begonnen. Im Zuge dessen spezialisiert er sich auf die Bereiche Corporate Finance und Operations Research. Die breite Spezialisierung spiegelt sein weites Interessensspektrum wider. Im Zuge seines Studiums hatte er die Möglichkeit in Frankreich zu studieren und arbeitet derzeit als Studienassistent für den Lehrstuhl Corporate Finance. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm bietet ihm eine einmalige Gelegenheit seine kritische Haltung gegenüber der modernen Portfoliotheorie am realen Markt zu testen und praktisches Asset Management kennenzulernen.

Jonas Hirz hat 2011 das Masterstudium in Mathematik mit Schwerpunkt Finanz- und Versicherungsmathematik an der Universität Salzburg abgeschlossen, wobei er die Masterarbeit an der TU Wien im Bereich Portfolio-Optimierung verfasst hat. Seit Oktober 2011 ist er Doktorand für Finanz- und Versicherungsmathematik an der TU Wien. Aktuelle Forschungs- und Industrieprojekte liegen in den Bereichen Portfolio-Optimierung, Short-Rate-Modellierung und Kreditrisikomodellierung. Neben seiner finanzmathematischen Ausbildung hat er sich während seines Studiums in Salzburg über drei Jahre hinweg intensiv als Gründer und Vorstand einer studentischen Unternehmensberatung in Salzburg engagiert. Er sieht im Portfoliomanagement Programm die einzigartige Möglichkeit sich zusätzlich zu seinem Studium theoretisches Wissen anzueignen und zugleich aus dessen praktischer Anwendung zu lernen. Des Weiteren freut er sich auf die großartige Chance ein Netzwerk an motivierten und engagierten Kollegen aufzubauen.

Hannes Kusstatscher studiert seit 2009 den Bachelor in Volkswirtschaftslehre an der WU Wien, wo er neben den volkswirtschaftlichen Fächern auch die SBWL in Finance absolviert hat. Im Wintersemester 2012 beginnt er den Bachelor in Mathematik und wird anschließend voraussichtlich den Master in Quantitative Economics, Management and Finance an der Hauptuniversität Wien belegen. Über das Portfoliomanagement Programm versucht er erste praktische Erfahrungen am Finanzmarkt zu sammeln und seine erworbenen theoretischen Kenntnisse im Bereich der Volkswirtschaftslehre und Finance zu vertiefen und zu erweitern. Darüber hinaus erhofft er sich interessante Gespräche mit Experten und anderen Studierenden und freut sich auf viele neue Erfahrungen.

Martin Pleischl steht im Masterstudiengang Finanz- und Versicherungsmathematik an der TU Wien kurz vor seinem Abschluss. Sein Wissen im Bereich der quantitativen Finanzwirtschaft konnte er dieses Jahr im Rahmen des englischsprachigen Joint Degree Masters in Quantitative Finance an der renommierten ETH Zürich und der Universität Zürich noch wesentlich vertiefen. Besonders gefallen hat ihm dabei die Zusammenarbeit mit internationalen Studenten, hochangesehenen Professoren und Experten aus der Praxis. Im Moment schreibt Martin an seiner ersten Masterarbeit, dessen ambitioniertes Ziel es ist, mit Hilfe von Stochastik und Zeitreihenanalyse, Finanzmarktblasen entdecken und somit Kurseinbrüche vorhersagen zu können. Sein spezielles Interesse gilt der Entwicklung von ausgeklügelten Investmentstrategien, wovon er hofft, diese im Rahmen des Portfoliomanagement Programms erstmals in die Praxis umsetzen zu können.

Birgit Pomper studiert an der WU Wien Betriebswirtschaft mit den Schwerpunkten Finance und Accounting und plant ihr Bachelor-Studium im Jänner 2013 erfolgreich abzuschließen. Anschließend möchte sie ein Masterstudium im finanzwirtschaftlichen Bereich beginnen. In ihrer Bacholor-Arbeit wird sie sich auf die Portfoliooptimierung konzentrieren. Während ihres Studiums hat sie bereits zahlreiche Praktika im Bankbereich absolviert. Nach dem Abschluss ihres Studiums plant sie eine Karriere im Bereich Asset Management. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm ist für sie eine exzellente Möglichkeit ihr erworbenes theoretisches Wissen zu vertiefen und wertvolle Praxiserfahrung zu sammeln.

Ferdinand Regner studiert seit dem WS 2010 Betriebswirtschaft und Wirtschaftsinformatik an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Seine gewählten Spezialisierungen Finance, Management Information Systems und Informationswirtschaft spiegeln sein Interesse an der Kombination von Wirtschaft und IT wieder. Mit Studienkollegen, die seine leidenschaftliche Begeisterung für die Finanzmärkte teilen, hat er 2010 den 'WU Top League Investment Club' gegründet. Um seinen Horizont zu erweitert wird er im WS 2012/13 ein Auslandsemester in Singapur absolvieren. Vom Portfoliomanagement Programm erwartet er sich insbesondere seine vorhandenen Kenntnisse weiter zu vertiefen, im Team Großes zu erreichen und Erfahrung im Bereich des professionellen Asset Management zu sammeln.

Konstantin Wiemer studiert seit 2010 Internationale Betriebswirtschaft an der WU Wien mit dem Schwerpunkt Finance. Für sein Auslandssemester im nächsten Sommersemester erhielt er eine Zusage an der spanischen Universität Esade in Barcelona. Neben verschiedenen Industriepraktika absolvierte Konstantin letztes Jahr ein dreimonatiges Praktikum im Bereich Corporate Treasury Sales im Investment Banking der Deutschen Bank in Frankfurt und wird dieses Jahr ein zweimonatiges Praktikum in der Wirtschaftsabteilung der Deutschen Botschaft in London ableisten. Nach seinem Bachelor strebt er einen Master in Finance in England oder Frankreich an. Neben seinem Interesse für die Vorgänge auf den internationalen Finanzmärkten, interessiert sich Konstantin besonders für die europäische Integration. Für das Portfoliomanagement wünscht er sich viele interessante und praktische Erfahrungen zu sammeln und das in einem freundschaftlichen Umfeld mit seinen Teamkollegen.

Clemens Bernegger studiert seit 2008 Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit dem Schwerpunkt Finance an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Durch mehrmonatige Aufenthalte in Russland, Kasachstan sowie Nord- und Mittelamerika hatte er die Möglichkeit, verschiedene Perspektiven auf weltpolitische und wirtschaftliche Vorgänge zu bekommen. Nun hat er es sich zum Ziel gemacht eben diese Vorgänge aus Sicht der Finanzwelt kennenzulernen. Clemens strebt eine Karriere in der Finanzbranche an, wo er hofft in einem internationalen Umfeld arbeiten und von seinen umfassenden Sprachkenntnissen profitieren zu können. Zu seinen Hobbys zählt er unter anderem sein Philosophiestudium an der Universität Wien.

Max Bischoff studiert Betriebswirtschaft an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien mit dem Schwerpunkt Finance und Accounting. Während seines Studiums hat er verschiedenste Praktika in der Versicherungs-und Bankenbranche absolviert, die sein Interesse für die Kapitalmärkte immer weiter gestärkt haben. Zuletzt führte ihn ein Praktikum von Österreich nach Asien, wo er für ein multinationales Unternehmen ein Projekt für mehrere Monate begleitet hat. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht er als exzellente Gelegenheit sein Interesse für die Finanzmärkte weiter zu vertiefen, sowie neue Strategien im Asset Management kennenzulernen.

Jorge Francisco Escobar wurde 1988 in Mexiko geboren. Seit Oktober 2009 studiert er Volkswirtschaftslehre an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Nächstes Wintersemester 2011/2012 plant er den Master in VWL aufzunehmen. Neben dem Studium führt er ein Start Up-Unternehmen. Internationale Praxiserfahrungen konnte er in Mexiko-City sowie in Zürich sammeln. Francisco interessiert sich besonders für „Emerging Markets“ sowie für die Investment Strategie “Global Macro”. Im Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht er die einzigartige Möglichkeit, durch das Feedback der Mentoren seine Kenntnisse zu erweitern und praktisch anzuwenden.

Christoph Gadermair studiert seit dem Sommersemester 2010 Betriebswirtschaft an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Er hat vor, sich im weiteren Verlauf seines Studiums auf die Bereiche Finance und Entrepreneurship & Innovation zu spezialisieren. Fachkenntnisse im Bereich der Finanzmärkte hat sich Christoph bisher vor allem in seiner Freizeit durch die Lektüre zahlreicher Bücher und Fachzeitschriften aneignen können. Er hofft nun, im Rahmen des Portfoliomanagement Programms praktische Erfahrungen sammeln zu können und Kontakte zu knüpfen.

Ismail Cetin Gülüm macht den Masterstudiengang Finanz- und Versicherungsmathematik an der TU-Wien und wird im kommenden Herbst das gleichnamige Doktorratsstudium beginnen. Er konnte sich im Laufe des Studiums sehr viel theoretisches Wissen im Bereich Finanzmathematik aneignen, insbesondere als Tutor für die Lehrveranstaltungen 'Finanzmathematik 1: Diskrete Modelle' und 'Quantitative Methoden im Risikomanagement'. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm ist für ihn eine einzigartige Möglichkeit dieses Wissen praktisch umzusetzen.

Maximilian Huber belegt Betriebswirtschaftslehre im Bachelorstudium an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien und hat dieses mit einer Studiendauer von vier Semestern im Sommer 2011 abgeschlossen. Die gewählte Spezialisierung Quantitative BW und Operations Research bildete gemeinsam mit dem vorwiegenden Interesse an Finance die Basis für seine Bachelorarbeit im Bereich der Portfoliooptimierung. Sein angestrebtes weiterführendes Studium ist Quantitative Finance an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, doch auch der Bereich Ökonometrie und Wirtschaftsinformatik sind für ihn von Interesse. Vom Portfoliomanagement Programm erwartet er neben dem Anwenden von theoretischem Wissen auch das Erlernen von Fähigkeiten zur Vernetzung qualitativer und quantitativer Informationen bei der Portfoliostrukturierung.

Jiri Knesl hat das Bachelorstudium der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften im Studienzweig Betriebswirtschaft an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien absolviert. Anschließend hat er sich im Rahmen des Masterstudiums Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien auf die finanzwirtschaftlichen Themen, insbesondere Asset Management spezialisiert. Um diese Kenntnisse weiter zu vertiefen wird er im Sommer an der LSE Summer School teilnehmen und im Herbst das Masterstudium Quantitative Finance in Wien anfangen. Während des Studiums konnte Jiri praktische Erfahrung im Rahmen einiger Praktika sammeln und ist auch Mitglied des Center of Excellence. Er sieht die größten Vorteile des Portfoliomanagement Programms in der Möglichkeit des Wissenserwerbs und Verbindung der Theorie und Praxis.

Martin Osrael studiert Betriebswirtschaft und Wirtschaftsrecht als Doppelstudium an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien mit den Spezialisierungen Finance und Accounting. Dabei verbrachte er ein Semester an der University of Alberta in Kanada und außerdem wird er im Sommer an der renommierten London School of Economics studieren. Praktische Erfahrung konnte er während seiner über 3-jährigen Tätigkeit bei der Volksbank Leasing International in den Bereichen Risikocontrolling und Strategisches Risikomanagement erlangen. Sein ausgeprägtes Interesse an den Finanzmärkten wurde unter anderem durch den Besuch von Vorträgen der Investorenlegende Jim Rogers und der Lektüre zahlreicher Bücher von André Kostolany geweckt. Mit der Teilnahme beim Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht Martin eine einzigartige Möglichkeit sein praktisches und theoretisches Wissen über unterschiedliche Anlagestrategien in einem professionellen Umfeld zu vertiefen und einen immensen Vorteil für den Start einer internationalen Karriere in der Finanzbranche.

Mario Michael Pannagl studiert seit März 2009 Betriebswirtschaft an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien mit Spezialisierungen in Finance sowie Unternehmensführung und Controlling. Im Sommer 2011 absolviert er ein zweimonatiges Praktikum bei einer großen österreichischen Kapitalanlagegesellschaft im Bereich Portfolio Solutions. Ein Auslandssemester an der University of Miami in den USA im Sommersemester 2012 und ein Masterprogramm im Finance - Bereich stellen seine weiteren zukünftigen Planungen dar. Vom Portfoliomanagement Programm erwartet er sich, interessante Menschen kennen zu lernen, seine Soft Skills verbessern zu können, wertvolle Erfahrungen zu sammeln und sein theoretisches sowie praktisches Wissen im Team einzubringen.

Daniel Richter studiert seit 2005 Internationale Betriebswirtschaft mit den Schwerpunkten Bankbetriebslehre und Internationale Finanzierung an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Während seines Studiums konnte er wertvolle Auslandserfahrung während eines Austauschsemesters an der Bordeaux Ecole de Management in Frankreich und eines Praktikums in Hongkong sammlen. Darüber hinaus konnte er sein theoretisches Wissen über Finanzmärkte durch Arbeitserfahrung bei der Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt und der Deutschen Bank AG im Bereich Equity Capital Markets abrunden. Weiters ist Daniel Mitglied der „Center of Excellence„ und „students4excellence“ Förderprogramme. In seiner Freizeit reist er gerne und interessiert sich für Architektur und Design. Er freut sich auf zwei spannende und lehrreiche Jahre gemeinsam mit seinen Kollegen im Portfoliomanagement Programm.

Lingchong Sun wurde 1988 in Shanghai geboren und hat im Jänner 2010 das Bachelorstudium der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften im Studienzweig Betriebswirtschaft in Mindeststudienzeit abgeschlossen – ab dem Wintersemester 2011 wird er mit dem Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen auf der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien beginnen. In Sachen Spezialisierung hat er sich für Finance und Accounting entschieden und verknüpfte das theoretisch angeeignete Wissen mit mehreren einschlägigen Praktika. Zurzeit ist er in der internen Abteilung Bilanz- und Unternehmensanalyse der Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien AG tätig. Die Teilnahme am einzigartigen Portfoliomanagement Programm betrachtet er als wertvolle Ergänzung zum Masterstudium; vor allem freut sich Lingchong auf ein interessantes Expertennetzwerk sowie das Mit- und Voneinander-Lernen.

Sandra Zehetner hat im Juni 2011 ihren Bachelor in Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien abgeschlossen. Aufgrund ihres ausgeprägten Interesses an den Kapitalmärkten wählte sie im Studium der Internationalen Betriebswirtschaft die Schwerpunkte Finance und Betriebswirtschaft des Außenhandels. Während ihres Studiums sammelte sie praktische Erfahrungen durch diverse Praktika und seit März 2011 ist sie Praktikantin im Produktmanagement der ERSTE-SPARINVEST KAG. Durch ein Auslandssemester in Russland konnte sie auch ihre sprachlichen Fähigkeiten erweitern. Im Herbst 2011 plant sie das Masterstudium „Finanz- & Rechnungswesen“ an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien zu starten. Theoretisch Erlerntes in der Praxis anzuwenden und von dem Wissensaustausch mit Experten zu profitieren sieht sie als einzigartige Chance, die durch das Portfoliomanagement Programm ermöglicht wird.

Konrad Adamsmair hat das Studium der Betriebswirtschaft an der Wirtschaftsuniversität mit den Spezialisierungen Finance und Klein- und Mittelunternehmen abgeschlossen und belegt derzeit das Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen. In diversen Praktika im Finanzbereich konnte er wertvolle Praxiserfahrung sammeln. Darüber hinaus hat er eine Sommeruniversität in Costa Rica sowie das Börsehändler-Diplom absolviert.

Andreas Bekos studiert Internationale Betriebswirtschaftslehre mit den Schwerpunkten Finance und Betriebswirtschaftslehre des Außenhandels an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. Seine Faszination für die internationalen Finanzmärkte entstand während seiner Tätigkeit als Praktikant und freier Dienstnehmer in der Raiffeisen Zentralbank. Im Rahmen seines Studiums wird er im Sommer an der London School of Economics studieren und im Anschluss daran ein Praktikum in New York City absolvieren. Andreas ist außerdem Mitglied der High Potential-Programme WU Top League und students4excellence und war bereits als Tutor tätig. In seiner Freizeit ist er leidenschaftlich gerne als Notfallsanitäter im Rettungsdienst des Österreichischen Roten Kreuzes tätig. Im Portfoliomanagement Programm sieht er die einzigartige Chance, zusätzliches theoretisches und praktisches Wissen zu generieren und das Gelernte zur Lösung realer Problemstellungen anzuwenden. Sein Ziel ist eine internationale Karriere in der Finanzbranche.

Katharina Brückl belegt seit Oktober 2005 Betriebswirtschaftslehre und Kunstgeschichte als Doppelstudium an der Universität Wien. Ihre Vertiefung im Magister der Betriebswirtschaft ist Corporate Finance. Während des Studiums studierte Katharina ein Semester an Hanken - Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration in Helsinki. Sie absolvierte bereits ein zweimonatiges Praktikum bei den Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Durch die Teilzeittätigkeit in einer Galerie hat sie wertvolle Arbeitserfahrungen neben dem Studium gesammelt. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm ist für Katharina eine ausgezeichnete Möglichkeit im Teamwork theoretisches Wissen über die Finanzmärkte anzuwenden, auszubauen und Praxiserfahrungen zu sammeln. In ihrer Freizeit spielt Katharina klassische Gitarre.

Clemens Gerdenitsch studiert seit 2007 Betriebswirtschaft sowie Wirtschaftsrecht auf der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien mit Spezialisierung auf Operations Research und Finance. Er wird das Studium der Betriebswirtschaft in Mindestzeit als Mitglied der WU Top League im Juni 2010 abschließen. Anschließend ist ein Masterstudium mit quantitativer Ausrichtung geplant. Neben dem Studium engagiert sich Clemens in verschiedenen Organisationen, beispielsweise für den Club Alpbach Burgenland. Darüber hinaus konnte er Praxiserfahrung im Rahmen von Praktika sammeln, beispielsweise in New York und London.

Martina Glanzer hat im März 2010 das Bachelorstudium der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften im Studienzweig Internationale Betriebswirtschaft an der WU abgeschlossen und wird im Wintersemester 2010 mit dem CEMS Master's Program beginnen. Um praktische Erfahrungen zu sammeln und so eine bessere Verknüpfung zwischen akademischer Theorie und Praxis herstellen zu können, hat sie während dem Studium mehrere Praktika im Bereich Finance und Accounting im In- und Ausland absolviert. Außerdem hat sie im Sommer 2009 an einem Summer University Programm in Yogyakarta teilgenommen. Neben Englisch und Italienisch lernt sie Chinesisch und möchte sich im Hinblick auf ihr Auslandssemester in Sao Paolo auch mit der portugiesischen Sprache vertraut machen. Unter anderem ist es auch der hohe Grad an Internationalität und weltweiter Vernetzung der Kapitalmärkte, der diese für sie zu einem interessanten Umfeld im Hinblick auf einen zukünftigen Berufseinstieg macht. Martina Glanzer sieht in der Teilnahme am Portfoliomanagement Programm die optimale Möglichkeit ihre persönlichen Assets zu diversifizieren und sich neben dem Master in ihrem Interessensgebiet zu spezialisieren. Außerdem freut sie sich auf die Zusammenarbeit und den Wissensaustausch mit den ExpertInnen sowie den weiteren TeilnehmerInnen.

Maximilian König hat letztes Jahr sein Studium der Rechtswissenschaften an der Universität Wien beendet und ist seit Februar 2010 als Student der BWL auch an der WU inskribiert. Sein Interesse an den Finanzmärkten wurde durch die Lektüre einiger Bücher von Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, André Kostolany und Peter Lynch geweckt und er hofft, durch dieses Programm wertvolle praktische Erfahrungen im Umgang mit Finanzprodukten und dem Portfoliomanagement zu sammeln.

Stephan Kranner studiert seit Oktober 2006 Internationale Betriebswirtschaft an der WU Wien. Seine Spezialisierungen lagen im Bereich Finance und Unternehmensführung/Controlling. Zusätzlich ist er seit 2009 als Lehrtutor für Finanzierung zuständig. Ab dem kommenden Wintersemester 2010/2011 beginnt er seinen zweijährigen Master in Quantitative Finance an der WU. Neben seinen Auslandserfahrungen, die ihn zweimal nach Kanada verschlugen – unteranderem an die HEC Montreal – kann er auch Praktika im Ausland vorweisen. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm bietet ihm die Möglichkeit u.a. das theoretische Wissen des Masterprogramms gleich direkt in der Praxis anzuwenden.

Martina Lüdiger-Schlüter ist Studentin des Magisterstudiums der Betriebswirtschaftslehre an der Universität Wien mit den Spezialisierungen Investments und Operations Research. Das Bakkalaureatsstudium der Betriebswirtschaftslehre hat sie im Mai 2010 abgeschlossen, außerdem zählt sie zu den Mitgliedern der Class of Excellence an der Universität Wien. Auslandserfahrungen konnte sie durch einen einjährigen Aufenthalt in den USA sammeln, im Zuge dessen sie an der Fairfield University studierte. Wirtschaftsspezifische Erfahrungen hat Martina durch ihre Tätigkeit als Studienassistentin am finanzwirtschaftlichen Fachbereich der Universität Wien und diverse Praktika sammeln können. Durch das Portfoliomanagement Programm erhofft sie sich, sowohl ihre theoretischen und praktischen Kenntnisse zu erweitern als auch ein Netzwerk für die Zukunft bilden zu können.

Thomas Mroz ist Student des Masterstudiums Finanz- und Versicherungsmathematik an der TU Wien sowie des englischsprachigen Masterprogramms Quantitative Finance an der WU Wien. Neben dem Studium konnte Thomas bereits Praxiserfahrung bei österreichischen und internationalen Finanzdienstleistern sammeln. Seine Interessensschwerpunkte sind Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie und Statistik – besonders deren Anwendung auf Finanzmärkte. Das Portfoliomanagement Programm bietet ihm die Möglichkeit, erworbenes Wissen in die Praxis umzusetzen.

Monika Piros studiert seit 2004 Technische Mathematik an der TU Wien sowie Anglistik und Amerikanistik an der Universität Wien. Im Zuge ihres Mathematikstudiums verbrachte sie ein Auslandssemester an der Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. Sie nahm sowohl in Amerika als auch in Österreich an Mathematikolympiaden teil, und hat außerdem den österreichweiten Bundes-Fremdsprachenwettbewerb Englisch 2003 gewonnen. Privat sowie beruflich beschäftigt sie sich mit Grafik und Fremdsprachen. Das einzigartige Modell des PMP bietet ihr die Möglichkeit, ihr Wissen im Bereich der Finanzmathematik unter professioneller Anleitung zu vertiefen und auch praktisch umzusetzen.

Silvia Platzer studiert seit März 2006 Internationale Betriebswirtschaft an der WU Wien und legt mit der Wahl der Spezialisierung Bankbetriebslehre ihren Ausbildungsfokus auf den Bereich Banking & Finance, dem sie in der Gestaltung der Curricula ihrer Auslandsstudien an schwedischen Business Schools sowie der Wahl ihres Diplomarbeitsthemas treu bleibt. Als Alumna im Center of Excellence der WU Wien weiß sie die Vorteile außerordentlich engagierte Studierende umfassender Netzwerke zu schätzen und sieht im Portfoliomanagement Programm nicht nur eine hervorragende Begleitung und Zusatzqualifikation für den Berufseinstieg, sondern freut sich vor allem auch auf viele interessante Kontakte.

Ioana Corina Popescu wurde 1987 in Bukarest geboren und studiert seit dem Wintersemester 2007 Internationale Betriebswirtschaftlehre an der WU Wien mit Spezialisierungen in Finance und Accounting. Sie wird voraussichltich im September 2010 mit dem WU Bachlor Studium, sowie auch mit dem finanzwirtschaftlichen und bankenspezifischen Studium des rumänischen Bankeninstituts (RBI - Bukarest) fertig und beabsichtigt mit dem Masterstudium in Finanz- und Rechnungswesen der WU Wien anzufangen. Auslandserfahrung konnte sie während der Internationale Sommeruniversitäten in St. Petersburg und Montenegro sammeln. Sie besitzt ein ausgeprägtes Interesse an fremden Kulturen und hat dementsprechend ihr linguistisches Wissen potenziert: sie kann außer Rumänisch und Deutsch, auch Englisch, Spanisch und Französisch sprechen. Im Rahmen eines sechsmonatigen Praktikums an der Credit Europe Bank Romania im Bereich Back-office für Anlageprodukte und des zweimonatigen Praktikums an der Volksbank International Romania im Bereich Corporate Product Development, konnte sie an Berufserfahrung gewinnen. Derzeit schreibt sie an ihrer Bachlorarbeit im Bereich Risikomanagement und hofft durch die Teilnahme an das Portfoliomanagement Programm ihre fachliche und praxische Kenntnisse zu vertiefern, sowie auch sich zu ein wertvoller Mitglied des Teams und ein kompetenter Spezialist weiterzuentwickeln.

Leonhard Riebl studiert seit 2006 an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien und steht kurz vor Abschluss der beiden Bachelor-Studiengänge Volkswirtschaftslehre und Betriebswirtschaftslehre. Im Betriebswirtschaftsstudium belegte er die Spezialisierungen Finance und Accounting. Nach Abschluss der beiden Bachelorstudien plant Leonhard sein Studium mit dem Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen fortzusetzen. Darüber hinaus sammelte er, nach Absolvierung diverser Praktika, Praxiserfahrung im Rahmen seiner seit November 2008 bestehenden Werkstudententätigkeit im Basel II Competence Center der Österreichischen Volksbanken AG. Im Portfoliomanagement Programm möchte Leonhard die durch das Studium erworbenen theoretischen Kenntnisse um weitere Praxiserfahrungen ergänzen.

Alexander Schandlbauer ist Student des Ph.D. Programs an der Vienna Graduate School of Finance. Zuvor hat er seinen Master in Economics an der Stockholm School of Economics (Schweden), seinen Bachelor in International Economic Studies an der Universität Maastricht (Niederlande) sowie ein Auslandsemester an der HEC Montreal (Kanada) absolviert.

Petra Schinnerl studiert seit Oktober 2007 Betriebswirtschaft an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien und steht kurz davor ihr Studium in Mindestzeit abzuschließen. Ihre Spezialisierungen des Bachelorstudiums liegen in den Bereichen Finance und Accounting. Durch das dort erlangte Wissen wurde ihr Interesse am Aufbau und der Entwicklung der Kapitalmärkte geweckt. Dementsprechend plant sie auch das Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen zu belegen. Bei den zahlreichen breit gefächerten Praktika die bei internationalen Konzernen, Banken sowie bei lokalen Mittel- und Kleinbetrieben abgehalten wurden, konnte sie wertvolle Erfahrungen sammeln die sie im Team einbringt. Auch die zusätzlichen Zertifikate schulten ihre sprachlichen und technischen Kompetenzen. Ihr Ziel ist es durch das Portfoliomanagement Programm ihr theoretisch erlerntes Wissen praktisch umzusetzen und dadurch zu erweitern.