Where I am today
The International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg is a 125-year-old plus organization that is at the heart of keeping Mozart’s heritage alive for audiences today and in the future. This involves not only presenting concerts of Mozart’s music and running the more than 50-year-old Mozart festival known as “Salzburg Mozart-Week” – the annual week-long celebration – as well as a festival with contemporary music called “Dialogues”, but also managing and overseeing two museums (Mozart’s birth house and the house the Mozart family lived in), the archives of Mozart’s body of work, and scientific research involving his music scores.
A passion for the arts
All my life I wanted to work in the arts. After I graduated from university, I worked in opera houses in Munich, at La Scala in Milan and the Vienna State Opera. But I learned that to really run a musical organization, you need to manage it. I viewed management consulting as a natural fit for building these critical business skills.
Finding the right opportunities at McKinsey
The variety of work at McKinsey gave me incredible opportunities to learn. My first engagement at McKinsey was out of the London office with an internet start-up based in L.A.. I then spent time serving clients in the automotive industry, high-tech, banking, and insurance. Especially in working together with great, talented people – both clients and colleagues, McKinsey accelerated my growth. I still remember team members who were role models for me because of their dedication to their clients and their personal strength. It was great to work with and learn from them.
But what really made McKinsey special was that I found opportunities that matched my passions as well. We served an orchestra by helping develop finance tools, better marketing techniques, new ways to attract sponsors and audiences. The work was so exciting, and of course was invaluable in helping me with what I do today.
An offer I couldn’t refuse
When I was a senior associate, I got the proverbial offer I couldn’t refuse: to be the artistic administrator for the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg.
This was a great established platform with leading artists. Great conductors perform at the Salzburg Mozart-Week every year. The Vienna Philharmonic had played there for 50 years. It was a wonderful opportunity at a very special place.
Still in touch
After leaving McKinsey, I really enjoy staying in touch with former colleagues – not only as personal friends but also as businessmen and women who can help around business issues. It is most inspiring for me to meet for example former colleagues who now left the firm and work in new, different business environments, and to exchange ideas and experiences in new roles and fields of business. There still is the McKinsey approach, mindset and language that allows to share new experiences and to exchange clear perspectives on each other’s business topics.
Using McKinsey skills to help Mozart
I left McKinsey with two vital skill sets: analytics, and communication. I can deal with creating the budgets for two festivals and a cycle with chamber music, two museums, the archive of Mozart’s oeuvre, and for all the Foundation’s employees.
In consulting, when you communicate you need to be clear, transparent, concise, and motivating. I need this in so many situations in my position – with authorities, sponsors, and politicians. Sponsors, in particular, don’t normally expect business acumen and good communication skills from cultural institutions, so that has really helped.