The Wise Women of WU mentoring program is entering a new round, once again offering female graduates of WU Vienna University of Economics and Business the opportunity to fast-track their career development. With the support of experienced female top managers, the mentees receive valuable pointers and insights for their professional development. Applications are open from September 1 to 28, 2025.

Wise Women of WU is aimed at WU graduates with at least five years of professional experience who want to further develop their careers and take them to the next level. With this program, WU is working to increase the number of women in corporate management and to secure more leadership positions for WU alumnae.

Ten participants will have the opportunity to benefit from one-on-one mentoring by experienced and successful women executives with executive board, management, or supervisory board experience committed to help advance women in business. This year’s mentors are Silvia Angelo, Elfriede Baumann, Christine Catasta, Karin Exner-Wöhrer, Patricia Neumann, Renate Niklas, Birgit Rechberger-Krammer, Herta Stockbauer, Sonja Wallner, and Katharina Weishaupt.

These top executives, who are WU alumnae themselves, share valuable insights drawn from their extensive experience and support their mentees in mastering professional challenges, preparing them strategically for future leadership roles. Their many years of expertise and strong commitment make the Wise Women of WU invaluable companions who guide emerging women executives in their professional development. In this way, they make important contributions to strengthening equal opportunities and diversity in the business world.

The current situation in Austria illustrates why programs like this one are so important: Despite slight improvements, women are still significantly underrepresented in the management ranks of the country’s leading companies by revenue. Women currently make up around 14 percent of the management board members of Austria’s 200 top-grossing companies and account for around 28 percent of their supervisory board members. These figures show that male dominance is still holding sway in the top echelons of the business world, underscoring the importance of initiatives such as Wise Women of WU.

The program is carried out in one-year cycles and includes regular meetings between mentors and mentees and a networking dinner with all participants. This gives the women involved in the program the opportunity to exchange ideas, make contacts, and gain valuable insights for their professional development.

The application period for the new round of the program runs from September 1 to 28, 2025. Interested WU alumnae can find more information about the program and the application process on the WU Alumni Services website.