We had a fantastic celebration of our students’ achievements at their graduation event on 13 July 2023! The graduating ILF Class of 2023 comprised 46 graduates from the LL.M. Finance program and 14 graduates from the LL.M. International Finance program. The official graduation ceremony of our students took place in the afternoon in the foyer of the House of Finance with families, friends, ILF board and faculty members as well as ILF personnel.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Cahn, ILF Executive Director, cordially welcomed all our guests who came to mark this special occasion with our graduates and opened the graduation ceremony. During his speech, he noted that the graduation is an opportunity for students to reflect over the preceding academic year and how far they have come since they first met one another. Most students were strangers to each other at the Orientation Meeting on 5 October 2022, but 10 months later, they can boast strong bonds of friendships. He further thanked the lecturers, sponsors and ILF administration for their continuous commitment and support of the ILF.
Prof. Dr. Philipp Lamprecht, Dean of Studies, Law Faculty, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, was also pleased to be at the graduation ceremony and to witness the ILF Class of 2023 graduating from a wonderful and thriving program. He warmly congratulated the graduating class and reflected on their positivity towards life and their professional career paths, which he described as being of openness and curiosity. He thanked the graduating students for making the choice to come to the ILF, Goethe University Frankfurt, in Frankfurt city a year ago, even though for most graduates everything was relatively unknown and that this reflects a particular openness towards life.
Dr. Denise Bauer-Weiler, Head Group Compliance, Regulatory & Governance, and Member of the Management Board, UBS Europe SE, delivered an impressive commencement speech. She congratulated our graduating students and explained that a postgraduate degree from the ILF would certainly fulfil the prerequisites in terms of educational skill- sets that students have in legal, economics and banking studies. A central part of her speech focused on diversity. Dr. Bauer-Weiler emphasized that she was not referring exclusively to gender diversity, but was extending it to nationalities, age, cultural and ethnical backgrounds as well. She stated that this could strengthen independent opinions and facilitate constructive discussions.
Following the opening remarks and commencement speech, Prof. Dr. Philipp Lamprecht, congratulated and proudly presented each graduating student of the Class of 2023 with his/her certificate during the commemorative certificate awards ceremony. These were indeed emotional moments for our graduating students and the guests present who will later look back and reminisce on the various moments of the ILF Class of 2023 graduation at the ILF.
Mr. Basavanagouda Patil, Class President, LL.M. Finance, was next to address his graduating classmates and guests present. He noted that the graduation marked a significant milestone in his classmates' lives and that it was an opportunity to commemorate the time they had all spent together. He highlighted the value of empathy and kindness in his speech and congratulated his classmates. Ms. Chao Wang, Class President, LL.M. International Finance, was next to address the audience. She applauded her classmates for making the choice to come to the ILF, even though for most it meant leaving their respective countries and realities behind. She focused on the German word “fernweh” that describes a desire to go to other places far from home and she proudly stated that she believed that her classmates also felt this way.
The Class Vice-Presidents then presented the Lecturer of the Year Awards 2023. Ms. Duygu Yaldir, Class Vice-President, LL.M. Finance, expressed that the past year was an incredible journey for her and her classmates and that they have created memories for a lifetime. She extended her heartfelt thanks to all ILF lecturers and the staff for their guidance, knowledge, and continuous support and then proceeded to announce the lecturers of the year for the LL.M. Finance Awards 2023:
LL.M. Finance:
Winter Semester: Dr. Frank Herring
Summer Semester: Dr. Markus Burianski
Ms. Na Li, Class Vice-President, LL.M. International Finance, also congratulated her classmates on their accomplishments. She then proceeded and announced the lecturers of the year for the LL.M. International Finance Awards 2023:
LL.M. International Finance:
Winter Semester: Dr. Rüdiger Litten
Summer Semester: Prof. Dr. Andreas Cahn
Once the official ceremony ended, all guests were invited to the dinner and dance held at the Festsaal of the Casino Building on Campus Westend. The celebrations continued late into the evening. During the course of the dinner, our guests enjoyed an exclusive 15-minute video created by Dr. Rolf Friedewald, ILF Managing Director, which recapped the special moments of the Class of 2023.
We are overjoyed that our students had a great day and evening with friends and families present.
Our warmest congratulations to the ILF Class of 2023!
