“Because Giving Gives Back” – Philipp Leipold on His Commitment to ASIIN

Philipp Leipold holds a degree in psychology, spent many years in research during his studies, and has worked for more than 15 years at the intersection of strategy, people, and technology. After stints in HR and corporate start-ups in the field of Learning & Development, he is now Managing Partner of Simply Rational GmbH, a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. The strategic management consultancy, co-founded among others by the renowned Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer, helps organizations make good decisions — especially in times of the AI revolution.

Philipp Leipold co-founded ASIIN’s Economic Advisory Board and is a member of the Certification Commission. His biography brings together the threads of business, science, and higher education — reason enough to ask him a few questions.

How did you first meet ASIIN?

In December 2019, ASIIN invited me to its Internal Conference in Dresden to talk about my start-up at the time, AW Academy, an IT bootcamp for career changers. I was so impressed by the very open and fascinating international community that I reached out to the management team and asked how I could support them. That eventually led to the founding of the Economic Advisory Board in November 2020.

What is the Economic Advisory Board about, and what motivated you to co-found it?

We’re facing major challenges in the labor market: a shortage of skilled workers and, increasingly, a shortage of workers in general — a trend that will be further reinforced by demographic change. I have the feeling that, in Germany, we’re still mentally resisting this — yet the shift is becoming palpable. You can either sit back and complain or get active and do something. That was exactly the motivation behind founding the Economic Advisory Board.

There are 13 of us, representing companies of different sizes and industries. What unites us is the goal of bringing practical, career-relevant content into degree programs and strengthening the feedback loop between education and business. Quite a bit has already happened, yet I keep seeing that even very well-educated university graduates take a while to get up to speed with business-related questions and tasks.

This isn’t meant as criticism: a classic university education tends to prepare people more for a career in research — and less for practice outside academia. How would a university even know which specific topics are in demand? That’s why it’s good that institutions like ASIIN exist to build that bridge.

What influence does AI have on the Board’s work?

We all notice that jobs are changing. That was already true before the AI revolution. Right now, we’re seeing how AI is dramatically accelerating these changes, like a magnifying glass. To stay competitive, it’s therefore necessary to make educational content and formats more flexible and closer to the concrete needs of today’s and tomorrow’s markets. This is where we, as the Economic Advisory Board, can contribute and share our perspective on the labor market.

Why should a company become an ASIIN member – and how do you convince them?

Three arguments come to mind right away: supporting a good cause, contributing to the country’s future viability, and being part of a special community with genuine peer-to-peer learning.

We’re a group of passionate learners and knowledge-sharers. We want to offer something positive in response to developments in the labor market and to advocate for the opportunities of young professionals.

The ASIIN community is also something quite special: it brings together an extraordinary amount of expertise from higher education, science, and business that you can tap into if you want. Networking is highly valued — at ASIIN in general, and very concretely within the Economic Advisory Board as well. You get to know people who work in different contexts but face challenges like your own. It’s enriching to learn from each other through peer-to-peer learning.

We don’t see ourselves as competitors, but as fellow campaigners for the same cause. We exchange experiences, insights, and challenges from different industries and companies, and discuss how to further advance the connection between business and education. Someone might share their experience with experiments or pilot projects that the rest of us can learn from in discussion; others bring committee experience or insight into political decisions relevant to education and training.

Besides the Economic Advisory Board, you’re also part of the Certification Commission, which deals with the quality and certification of degree and training programs as well as institutions in the continuing education sector.

Yes, being part of this body is also a matter close to my heart! I’m glad that ASIIN is now paying closer attention to non-academic education. That said, I’d like to see private, non-university education providers play an even bigger role. Lifelong learning is becoming ever more important — especially in the age of AI.

While the Economic Advisory Board consists exclusively of business representatives, the Certification Commission brings together a broad range of experts from continuing education. That’s also where the connection to the Economic Advisory Board comes in. Here, though, I contribute more as a former university lecturer, an advocate for good teaching methods, and a psychologist. For example, we discuss whether certain learning outcomes make sense and how they should be taught.

You and your fellow board members volunteer at ASIIN alongside your very demanding main jobs. On LinkedIn, you wrote about volunteering: “Because giving gives back.” What does ASIIN give back to you?

Quite a lot! I feel like I can make a difference — in an environment that’s enriching both personally and professionally. Besides, I find the time and financial commitment required for this volunteer role quite manageable. We don’t always meet in person.

Is there a particular moment from the ASIIN universe that has stuck with you?

Yes — a real defining moment for me was the celebration of ASIIN’s 25th anniversary in 2024. Being part of it made me proud. I found it inspiring to be part of this special national and international community. I spoke with representatives from other countries that are currently on the rise and who no longer have to repeat the mistakes we made in education here in Germany.

Many of our process managers return to ASIIN headquarters in Düsseldorf with special impressions and report on the great appreciation for education that they encounter worldwide.

The wonderful thing is: learning has no downside. Unlike with indulgences, where you might say, “It tastes good, but it’s not healthy.” At its core, education is inherently democratizing. It conveys not just knowledge, but also democratic values and skills. Unfortunately, education isn’t currently an industry that receives much investment — even though there’s so much potential here that we could tap into and use. ASIIN plays an important role in that.

Whether as a reviewer, on one of our expert committees, on the Accreditation or Certification Commission, on the Appeals and Complaints Committee, or on the Ethics and Economic Advisory Board – we look forward to hearing from you: info@asiin.de