Wittenborg Munich Student Highlights Corporate Mobility Experience at Alphabet

30.01.2026

Aya Abdalla Concludes Work Placement Module with Oral Defence in Amsterdam

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences student Aya Abdalla recently travelled from Munich to Amsterdam to deliver her Work Placement Oral Defence, marking an important milestone in her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) journey. Aya is enrolled in the International Business Administration (IBA) programme with a specialisation in financial services, offered through Wittenborg’s partnership with the New European College (NEC). Under the guidance of her supervisor Sascha Liebhardt, Campus Director in Munich, she reflected on her professional experiences during her visit.

Originally from Dubai, Aya is in the final stage of her studies. She used the Work Placement module, compulsory for all IBA, MCI, HBA, and EBA students, to gain hands-on experience in an international business environment. The module enables students to apply academic knowledge in real-world settings and develop skills essential for their future careers.

Aya completed her placement at Alphabet International, a leading provider of business mobility and full-service leasing operating in thirty-eight countries and supported by the global strength of the BMW Group. She described Alphabet as a company that “crafts efficient, innovative mobility solutions that simplify fleet management, drive sustainability and empower businesses globally.”

During her placement within the international sales team, Aya prepared Tender Review Board (TRB) documentation, conducted credit, compliance, and hierarchy checks, maintained tender pipelines, drafted pricing instructions, and produced presentations for internal stakeholders and clients. She also worked with various international markets to collect market insights, pricing information, and updates on active prospects.

Aya highlighted her work on specific projects, saying, “Supporting the new markets team in benchmarking Alphabet’s digital visibility across partner websites and delivering a crisis proposal for BEV blackout response in Spain and Portugal was very interesting.” She reflected that the placement helped her develop skills in strategic and financial reasoning, analytical reporting, process optimisation, business communication, leadership, and intercultural teamwork.

She also noted that working on her thesis and communicating with various stakeholders was particularly rewarding: “Seeing ideas turn into implementable action is one of the most rewarding aspects of my placement. This is still a work in progress, to be finalised in January 2026.”

Aya described the placement as a period of genuine development, during which she became more confident, structured, and proactive. She discovered strengths in data storytelling and strategic thinking and gained experience in analytical reporting, process optimisation, and communication under pressure. Working alongside a team of more than thirteen nationalities enhanced her ability to work interculturally and adapt communication styles for different stakeholders. Her technical skills grew through regular use of tools such as Salesforce, Power BI, COIN, GAIA, Moody’s, Excel, and PowerPoint.

She praised the supportive culture at Alphabet, noting, “The inclusive and collaborative environment, combined with mentorship from experienced professionals, challenged me while providing consistent guidance.” Team activities, including sports sessions in Munich’s English Garden, reformer Pilates, and an Isar river cleanup, contributed to a sense of community among colleagues.

Reflecting on her visit to Amsterdam, Aya said, “It was a short visit of 12 hours. Trying the famous cookies at Van Stapele and strolling around to admire the culture in the city before my flight was quite an experience. Visiting the Anne Frank Museum also gave me some insights into history.”

Offering advice to future students, Aya suggested, “Stay curious, proactive, and emotionally intelligent. Document all learnings and link them to academic theory. Focus on delivering measurable value, learn to prioritise effectively, and don’t be afraid to say no under pressure.”

Looking back on her experience, Aya concluded, “This internship was more than a professional step. It was a transformation. I learnt that impact lies not in doing more but in doing meaningfully. At Alphabet I learnt to see data as a story, people as partners, and challenges as opportunities.”