TUM Alumna Verena Schechner, as CEO of her technology company, places great importance on diversity and equal opportunity. Half of the workforce is made up of women (Copyright: noax, Photographer: die marketingarchitekten).
Verena Schechner made full use of the wide range of seminars and workshops on offer, took part in the TUM Mentoring program and the interdisciplinary Manage and More program run by UnternehmerTUM, spent semesters abroad, and completed several internships. “During my studies, it was very important to me to gain insights into a wide variety of fields and cultures in order to gather as many experiences as possible and get to know different approaches,” she says. “With its broad range of additional seminars and corporate partnerships, TUM made this possible.”
Free Decision-Making
From an early age, Verena Schechner was involved in her parents’ entrepreneurial life. She often accompanied them to the family business on weekends — noax Technologies AG in Ebersberg near Munich. Noax is one of the leading manufacturers of rugged industrial computers and develops digital solutions for networked production. Later, as a teenager, Verena Schechner actively helped out in the family business, whether with preparations for marketing campaigns, stand-in roles, or various holiday jobs.
Her parents, however, placed great importance on Verena Schechner being completely free in her career choice and not feeling obligated to continue the family business. After completing her studies, she initially decided to pursue a career in management consulting. “I wanted to keep learning new things and continue developing in a professional and ambitious environment,” she says.
Over the course of her early career, Verena Schechner became increasingly engaged with the future of the family business. She joined the company in 2009, and just one year later became its CEO. Taking on this role during a global economic crisis proved to be a demanding challenge. Almost overnight, she had to grapple with the associated problems — cost savings, clear prioritization, global supply chains, material shortages, and alternatives to standard semiconductors — while continuing to deliver innovative solutions that were not only reliable but also future-proof.
Yet it quickly became clear that Verena Schechner was a born entrepreneur. Despite the many challenges, she enjoyed her work from the very start. “This demanding period was very important and formative for my later career, as I learned from the beginning that not only consistent decision-making matters, but above all its implementation and communication,” says Schechner. “What I particularly love about my job are the many different topics I get to work on, and the scope for shaping things. The latter I consider a great privilege – one that naturally also comes with great responsibility.”
Picture: Copyright: noax, Fotograf: die marketingarchitekten
In the early years, Verena Schechner’s parents were a great source of support. They stepped back from day-to-day operations and placed their full trust in their daughter. “That helped me enormously in successfully navigating what were not always easy times,” she says. “It also helped me learn to handle the great responsibility I suddenly carried for the company and our 60 employees.”
Today, as a board member of noax Technologies, Verena Schechner confidently shapes the direction of her company, defining the interface between traditional mechanical engineering and modern Industry 4.0 – a field that is crucial to the competitiveness of the German economy. She embodies the innovative drive and leadership strength that grow from a solid education at TUM.
Her studies gave her not only technical know-how, but also the ability to understand complex systems and develop them strategically. “The joy of working with technology and making things happen, the pursuit of excellence, and the methodical approach taught and practiced in various lectures and coursework have stayed with me to this day,” says Verena Schechner. She has particularly fond memories of the lecture “Methods of Business Management” by TUM Professor Dr. Joachim Milberg. “Even though the lecture took place on Friday mornings and ran for over three hours, the hall was always full, because the practical relevance was so compelling and engaging.”
Diversity Is the Norm
Verena Schechner is among the women taking on leadership responsibility in a traditionally male-dominated industry. She demonstrates how diversity and technological competence work together to drive innovation and sustainable change. At noax, diversity is the norm — in terms of both gender and age. The workforce is made up of equal numbers of men and women. “Every person brings their own character. What makes everyday life rewarding is that variety,” she says. c
Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly. That is the only way to be truly successful.
Verena Schechner (Photo: Private).
Diploma in Mechanical Engineering 2007
Verena Schechner completed her studies in mechanical engineering at TUM in 2007. Her first job took her to The Boston Consulting Group in Munich, where she joined as an Associate. In 2009 she joined the family business noax Technologies AG in Ebersberg near Munich, and has been CEO since 2010. The industrial computers made by noax have won several design awards, including the Red Dot Design Award.
Verena Schechner is a businesswoman through and through. She remained professionally active until shortly before the birth of her two daughters and was back in the office just a few weeks later — initially with her babies in tow. Her free time, however, belongs entirely to her family.
