Executive Master in Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership (EMDIEL)
Meet the Alumni: Matthias Trummer, Class of 2017
As one of Austria’s youngest lawyers, Matthias has been working as an attorney at law for over 14 years. His interest in Legal Tech and Legal Innovation topics led him to join the EMDIEL in 2017. He has since founded his own law firm, VALFORD Attorneys, where he specializes in technology and digital business, amongst others. We have asked Matthias 5 questions about his EMDIEL experience. Read our interview here:
Why did you choose the EMDIEL? Did you have specific goals or a general idea of how you wanted to evolve?
Besides my current specializations in law, I had already developed a great interest in software and IT law during my law studies. Having advised in many venture capital transactions, from seed financing rounds to large exits, both startups, business angels and investors, I wanted to educate myself in fields that were more unfamiliar or even new to me. The EMDIEL was the perfect match.
Can you share with us a memorable experience from the programme that has impacted your life in the long run?
I don't even know where to start. However, if I have to choose one, I liked the various workshops (e.g. the Improbable Art Thinking Workshop) the most. The impressions gained during the amazing study trips and particularly the learning from my fellow students, have broken up my own thought patterns and thus tremendously evolved my consulting skills.
What are your main takeaways from the EMDIEL? Were you expecting them, or did they come as a surprise?
I knew that the EMDIEL would positively challenge me. If you stay open-minded and try to take as much out of this great programme as possible, it is a game-changer for your working methods and thinking patterns, particularly if you come from a more ‘traditional’ industry.
How did the programme boost your professional success?
Tremendously. Approximately after one-third of the programme I started working at PwC Legal as a Corporate/M&A lawyer. I was able to contribute the skills in digital innovation I had acquired during the EMIDEL directly on the job, which meant that I quickly also became part of the global legal technology of PwC. In this role, I was significantly involved in the roll-out of two AI-based legal due diligence tools on a global level, which again boosted my consulting skills.
Any message you would like to convey to potential participants?
I strongly believe that you have to constantly face new challenges in order to work on yourself and grow in life. The EMDIEL is definitely one of these challenges in a very positive sense.
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