The Berlin School of Creative Leadership announced winner of Euro 53,000 scholarship

The Berlin School of Creative Leadership today announced Collette Wasielewski, Creative Director, FCB Johannesburg, as the winner of the 2017 “Helga and Michael Conrad Scholarship for Women in Creative Leadership.” Wasielewski will receive a full-tuition scholarship (worth 53,000 Euro) to attend the Berlin School’s prestigious global Executive MBA in Creative Leadership Program starting September 2017.

Supported by the IAA, the global scholarship competition was founded by the Berlin School of Creative Leadership’s President Michael Conrad and his wife, Helga, to further the development of women in leadership positions and advocate for greater diversity within the creative industries. The coveted scholarship was promoted by the global IAA community and was open to nominations and applications for any female creative leaders in the advertising industry. The winner was selected from a shortlist that was reviewed and evaluated by a dedicated team of industry experts, Berlin School alumni and donators, including Carla Michelotti and Norkor Duah of IAA, Kitty Lun of Facebook, and Helga and Michael Conrad.

“We are very pleased about the strong response to our joint scholarship announcement. Big thanks to all applicants for their wealth of thinking and ideas to change the status quo on the very issue! We’d love to have all of you at the school and very much hope you can find support. Collette focused her bid on the very special complexity women face in her country of South Africa and offered a promising research and engagement approach. Congratulations Collette! Welcome to Class 21 in September in Berlin!”

      – Helga and Michael Conrad

“The IAA is honored to have an important role in this worthy initiative. Diversity cannot be something people in our industry simply talk about, instead, we all have a duty of active engagement to make a real improvement and a real difference. The IAA aims for diversity itself – in our chapters around the world, and on our own association leadership team. Congratulations to Helga and Michael and all at The Berlin School as always looking ahead, and looking in the right direction!”

     – Felix Tataru, IAA Chairman and World President on behalf of all IAA members

“Winning the scholarship still feels a bit like a dream. Going through the scholarship application process in itself provoked so many new perspectives and thoughts, and I can’t even begin to imagine the new directions and ideas that the entire EMBA course will unlock for me. I am really pleased to be doing the course in my capacity as an employee of the FCB Group – a progressive environment when it comes to female empowerment and diversity and a place where my learnings can be implemented and supported.”

    – Collette Wasielewski

The part-time EMBA program-which Wasielewski will start in September 2017 – is designed for senior executives in the creative industry who have a track record for creative excellence. Comprising of five separate two-week modules spanning over 18-24 months across the USA, Asia and Berlin, the flexible, multi-disciplinary leadership program is the first Executive MBA to be built around the specific needs and challenges of the creative industries.

About the Berlin School

The Berlin School of Creative Leadership is the world’s first educational institute and think-tank dedicated solely to leadership for the creative industries including media, advertising, marketing, design, journalism, entertainment and digital. Its part-time global Executive MBA program in Creative Leadership is the heart of a vibrant global community of senior creative industry executives from over 60 countries. Based in Berlin and operated by a not-for-profit foundation, the school’s mission is to help develop leaders whose innovative ideas can refresh, renew and transform the creative industries.

About the IAA

The International Advertising Association is a one-of-a-kind strategic partnership which champions the common interests of all the disciplines across the full spectrum of marketing communications, from advertisers and media companies, to agencies and direct marketing firms, as well as individual practitioners. Founded in 1938, the IAA has become a brand champion, offering each of its 3,000+ members the freedom required to flourish without unwarranted restrictions. Their unprecedented international network spans over 76 countries. Leaders in professional development and advocacy, they represent a truly global community, acting as both a media and educational platform, and providing international networking opportunities for its diverse and multi-disciplinary members