From newcomer to ICV member

Marcel Michalik was the 2024 Newcomer Award winner. He has now converted the associated temporary free ICV membership into a paid membership. Why?

What memories do you have of the Newcomer Award 2024?
M. Michalik: It was a very special experience for me. The event in Steyr was not only excellently organized, but also offered a very pleasant setting for professional exchange and making new contacts. I was also particularly pleased to meet up with former fellow students and Prof. Dr. Utz Schäffer, who had supervised my master thesis.

I have always been fascinated by combining academic questions with practical challenges and current trends. It was all the more rewarding to see how well received and interested my master thesis on the influence of AI on the role of the controller as a business partner was.

Are you continuing your membership now?
M. Michalik: I have a long and consistently very positive history with the ICV. In 2019, I was able to take part in the ICV conference “Controlling Advantage Bonn” as a bachelor student. At the CAB 2019, the focus was already on digitalization in controlling.

It is probably the best proof of the lasting impact that the event and the ICV had back then that five years later I was given the prize at the Newcomer Award 2024 for my master thesis in this very field. The Award meant a lot to me and led me back to the ICV along the way – which is of course why continued membership is now an absolute must.

Are you involved in the ICV?
M.Michalik: I would particularly like to get involved in the mentoring program and the Young Finance Professionals in order to make exciting new contacts, continue learning and at the same time contribute my own practical and research experience.

If I succeed in enriching discussions with my perspective, I see that as great added value – for me personally and for the ICV network.

How relevant are organizations like the ICV in today’s world?
M. Michalik: More relevant than ever. Especially in a time that is characterized by high dynamics, upheaval and increasing complexity, platforms are needed that offer orientation and enable an exchange between different perspectives.

The added value of the ICV lies, among other things, in the combination of science, business practice and various industries.

Do you have any advice for young people interested in controlling?
M.Michalik: Always stay curious, actively embrace change, see AI as a great opportunity!

While AI-based recommendations for action have of course already been in use for some time, I believe that the human interface between the data and the decision-maker will continue to gain in importance.

Those who can combine technological understanding, professional expertise and strong communication skills will play a central role in the company and its sustainable success in the future. This makes the controller not only one of the most important, but also one of the most exciting roles in any company.