"Aya Rbib - Executive Board". Even the sign on the door frame at Brockhaus AG's headquarters bears her name on October 16, 2024. For one day, the student from Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts took over as head of the Lünen-based IT service provider with more than 170 employees. "Be the Boss" is the name of the campaign organized by Brockhaus AG in cooperation with the university.
Students from IT-related and business-oriented study programs at the university were able to apply for the temporary management position. The jury chose Aya, 22 years old. Came to Germany two years ago to study. In her third semester. Business informatics.
Now she sits together with CEO Matthias Besenfelder in his - and now her - office. Review meeting, annual planning, one-on-one meeting: Aya Rbib's day is full and has refocused her image of being a boss. "There are so many challenges and there are always important decisions to be made," the student sums up. "I had expected a boss to delegate more, to set the broad outline. But it goes deep into the details." Brockhaus AG doesn't spare her any tense situations, for example in discussions with employees about management and goals.
There is also the evaluation of customer satisfaction and the next steps for the IT security department. "We jump from topic to topic quite a lot," says Aya in the afternoon. Matthias Besenfelder laughs: "This day is typical of my everyday life."
Give insights - get input
The Brockhaus board member himself studied business informatics at Fachhochschule Dortmund. With the Boss Day, he wants to pass on real insights into the top management activities of a medium-sized IT consultancy. At the same time, he had hoped for input and new perspectives - and was not disappointed. Aya Rbib is able to bring her personal reality to the meeting with those responsible for recruiting and employer branding. On which platforms are job offers from companies worthwhile, where are they disruptive? How should a company present itself online today? What is important to the target group? "These are ideas and impulses that I wanted from outside," says Matthias Besenfelder with satisfaction.
Aya Rbib also takes away more than just management strategies from the Boss Day. "The topic of IT security is very exciting. I'm going to delve deeper into this during my studies," says the FH student. In the meeting, they discussed the right balance between data and hardware security and user-friendliness.
The day in the executive chair at the IT service provider for insurance companies doesn't end until well after 6 pm. Is the stress worth it? "Definitely," says Aya Rbib. "I didn't believe I could do it at first and was unsure," admits the 22-year-old. "But you have to get rid of that fear and just do it! It was a great opportunity and I learned a lot." Perhaps other students will soon get the chance to do the same. "I'll definitely take part again," says Matthias Besenfelder.