Exciting challenges: Controlling, project management and digitalization

Prof. Cassack, an exciting first year at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences has come to an end for you. You’ve been a professor of business administration at our university since March 2020. How did you experience the “pandemic year”?

The first year turned out differently than I had initially expected. I started in Zittau on March 1. On March 13—a Friday the 13th—we were put into lockdown. Of course, I had prepared everything for in-person instruction. On top of that, there were operational challenges. Many colleagues from the faculty helped us get our bearings, and over time, the process became clearer bit by bit. But unfortunately, a phone call or email can’t replace a face-to-face meeting. A healthy dose of pragmatism remains essential. My stated goal is to ensure that students aren’t put at a disadvantage because of this. With three children of my own at home, life is naturally very exciting as well.

From in-person teaching to the digital space. How did that go for you?

If you want to do it well, it requires a significant amount of extra work as a professor. Using learning platforms and many different digital tools was certainly a challenge in some respects. I teach first-year and upper-level students at our university, as well as IHI students. Studying across borders. I find this international aspect particularly exciting, and that’s what drew me to it.

Personal interaction with students had to be reduced to a minimum during the lockdown. How do you manage to maintain contact despite that?

In addition to traditional office hours, I also offer more consultations as needed. That can get pretty intense. After a lecture, in the evenings, and on weekends, you might find yourself on a video chat for quite a while if someone has a problem. For me, the best part of working with students is clearly the intellectual exchange. You grapple with a topic, try to stay on top of new developments, and find innovative ways to convey content and themes.

Accounting and Controlling are the two main areas of your field. What makes them so appealing to you?

Accounting sounds a bit dry at first. However, both accounting and Controlling have evolved significantly, particularly through digitalization. Today, Controlling serves as a management support function and a guide to achieving goals—essentially acting as a consultant to management. It’s no coincidence that many controllers go on to become CEOs or CFOs, because they learn Corporate Management. Project management is a key skill that I have the privilege of teaching intensively at the IHI.

You earned your Ph.D. in Controlling at the University of Stuttgart. What was your dissertation about?

It was a dissertation in the Collaborative Research Center on Rapid Prototyping. This field focuses on rapid product development. Even 25 years ago, 3D printing was already a topic of discussion; the question was, how can one plan, manage, and control costs and revenues in areas such as 3D printing or virtual prototyping? The traditional Controlling tools I learned back then—such as target costing and activity-based costing—are still part of my teaching today.

In your professional career, you’ve worked in countries such as Brazil, France, India, the U.S., Mexico, and Poland. The world seems to be your home. How did this international career path come about?

I spent my first ten years working for a major automotive supplier. After completing my doctorate, I was initially hired there as an international trainee; I traveled extensively and was eager to work abroad. I’ve always found it exciting to get to know different cultures. At the same time, this also accelerated my professional development in management, all the way up to CFO (Chief Financial Officer). I then had the opportunity to go to France first to work in the border triangle there. That’s why my curiosity about the Germany-Poland-Czech Republic border triangle stems, in part, from that experience. My next assignment was two years in Brazil, and finally, I held an exciting position in Poland for two years as well. After that, at the age of 38, I became CFO of a company with 700 million euros in revenue. This certainly wouldn’t have happened so quickly without my international experience.

In addition to German, you speak English, French, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish. Which came first—your affinity for languages or for finance?

Unfortunately, language skills suffer if you don’t use them. I was very happy to use each of these assignments as an opportunity to learn new languages and get to know different cultures. Learning languages came about as a result of the situations I found myself in, but my affinity for Controlling, IT, and finance ultimately takes precedence.

After all those international assignments, what was your first impression of Zittau and Upper Lusatia?

Zittau itself is beautiful. We’ve already taken a guided tour of the city. The city has a lot to offer tourists. I live in Dresden and commute to my workplace. I find it exciting to be so close to an international environment. I’ve lived in Poland myself. The language is difficult, of course, but I also enjoy “pushing myself” a bit and getting better at it.

Most recently, you served as Chief Financial Officer at ARTS Holding, an industrial services provider that supports companies in high-tech industries worldwide. What motivated you to take on a teaching position as a professor at HSZG?

While serving as CFO at ARTS Holding, I was already teaching part-time at HTW in Dresden. So teaching wasn’t new territory for me. I knew I enjoyed working with young people. What attracted me to the job posting in Zittau was not only the international environment but also the opportunity to teach at the International University Institute (IHI) at TU Dresden. I hope this region will further expand its international focus and avoid thinking in terms that are too narrowly local or regional. That’s what I’d like to see.

Whether it’s Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, today’s business students often look to famous role models. From which prominent figure would you have liked to receive advice during your early academic years?

I was very fortunate to have Péter Horváth as my doctoral advisor, who was also my mentor. He built a management consulting firm that now has over a thousand employees and is considered a co-founder of the academic discipline of Controlling. “Teach and live entrepreneurship” was his motto. He was also the reason I earned my doctorate in Stuttgart.

When you’re not juggling numbers with your students—whether virtually or in the lecture hall—where else might one find you under normal circumstances?

I really enjoy playing handball with my children and have a passion for basketball, soccer, and cycling. Otherwise, family time is our top priority.

The interview was conducted by Cornelia Rothe, M.A.