It was with immense pleasure that we celebrated our students’ achievements at their graduation event on 18 July 2024! The graduating ILF Class of 2024 comprised 49 graduates from the LL.M. Finance and the LL.M. International Finance programs in total. The official graduation ceremony took place in the afternoon, at 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, warmly welcomed all our guests who came to mark this special occasion and opened the graduation ceremony. He noted that the students met for the first time at the Orientation Meeting on 5 October 2023 and now he observes a group of friends. Prof. Cahn noted two central trends that the graduates will deal with during their professional lives. The first are environmental and social issues that have increasingly become predominant not only in politics, but in finance-related law as well and the second area is digitalization. The ILF has taken into account these factors and has included such courses in its curriculum. 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, proceeded with the opening remarks by congratulating the Class of 2024 and affirmed that they should be proud of themselves. He praised them for their attitude of “openness and curiosity”. He reflected on the students’ decision to come and study at the ILF, Goethe University, Frankfurt and that this reflects a willingness to get involved in the “unknown”. He also stressed that the graduation is a testament to their achievements. He acknowledged all the individuals who contributed to the success of both programs and who also made it possible to celebrate the successful academic year.
Prof. Dr. Chiara Zilioli, General Counsel, European Central Bank, delivered an inspiring commencement speech. She stated that being a professor at the ILF is a great privilege for her and reiterated that the ILF was founded on the principles of academic excellence and that it is not simply an educational institution. She noted that over the past 20 years an impressive number of over 995 students from 89 countries graduated from the ILF. Prof. Dr. Zilioli further mentioned how moved she was about the passion, the curiosity and the drive of the students and that this speech permitted her to underscore the significance of their achievements within the broader context of the ILF mission. She congratulated the graduates and highlighted that their achievements are a result of their hard work, dedication and passion. She emphasized the significance of the guidance provided by the ILF faculty and staff, as well as families and friends who were all committed in supporting the graduates to achieve their full potential. She further analyzed the demographics of the graduating class and stressed that whilst not wishing to take something away from the graduating males, she wished to highlight the significance of the “staggering” percentage of female ILF graduates and what this means in a male dominated world such as that of finance.
Following the opening remarks and commencement speech, Prof. Dr. Philipp Lamprecht congratulated and presented each graduating student of the Class of 2024 with his/her certificate during the commemorative certificate awards ceremony whilst family, friends, ILF personnel and lecturers proudly applauded and bore witness.
Ms. Alessandra Montemarà, Class President, LL.M. Finance, was next to address her graduating classmates and guests present. She reflected on the past year at the ILF and the unique experiences that she and her classmates gained after having been brought together from many different countries across the globe. Ms. Montemarà highlighted that in many positions of power, and especially within the field of finance, women are still a significant minority. She thus hopes that through her role in this small community, she was able to make a meaningful contribution by also being a representative of women in her graduating class.
Ms. Siyi Li, Class President, LL.M. International Finance, then spoke to the audience. She encouraged her classmates to continue building self-awareness before developing adaptability. She stressed the need for competitive skills since the real world does not “operate in straight lines”. Ms. Li highlighted to her classmates that they would have the opportunity to make a difference, no matter how small it may appear and that they should keep “learning, keep growing, and stay adaptable.”
The Class Vice-Presidents then presented the Lecturer of the Year Awards 2024. Mr. Uğurcan Sağir, Class Vice-President, LL.M. Finance, in turn also addressed the audience and then proceeded to announce the lecturers of the year for the LL.M. Finance Awards 2024 which he handed to the following lecturers:
LL.M. Finance:
Winter Semester: Dr. Frank Herring
Summer Semester: Dr. Rüdiger Litten
Ms. Siyan Liu, 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 2024 and presented the awards:
LL.M. International Finance:
Winter Semester: Mr. Oliver Dreher
Summer Semester: Dr. Till Kosche
When the official ceremony ended, all guests were invited to the dinner and dance held at the Festsaal of the Casino Building on Campus Westend which continued late into the evening. During the course of dinner, our guests thoroughly enjoyed an exclusive 20-minute European Football Championship Cup themed video created by Dr. Rolf Friedewald, ILF Managing Director, which recapped the special moments of the Class of 2024 with football vibes.
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 2024!
