Read more about Ralf's story
Dr Ralf Wilden joined University of Newcastle (UON) after gaining his degrees in Germany and Australia and brings a wealth of experience having worked with multinational organisations such as BMW and O2.
"I gained a lot of industry experience in dealing with long term market issues with customers and technology. I worked in the telecommunications industry with O2 and also with BMW, both major international brands, so my early research focused on employer branding and creating long term visions and brands for organisations – not just for consumers, but how do these organisations find and nurture the right staff?"
Dr Wilden gained his PhD in Australia and is passionate about ensuring that students benefit from his ongoing research.
"Resource management is really interesting so I've gradually moved toward research and teaching in organisational strategy and change, which was also the focus of my PhD. I'm also investigating ways of bridging marketing strategy and practice with business management. "I think it's important as an academic to not only conduct research, but to apply the research with industry projects and then communicate the research."
Based at UON Sydney, Dr Wilden feels the location in the heart of Central Business District (CBD) will give students a boost as they can see the connection between their learning and their future careers.
"UON Sydney is ideally situated to be very close to our industry - we can network easily and it makes it much easier to invite significant guest lecturers."
The world-class education and programs provided at UON Sydney are flexible, which enables students to specialise in different areas.
"We have a great international cohort from China, Indonesia, South America. Through this we learn about different experiences and it means the discussions around strategy and implementation of management theories are always interesting."
The purpose-built facilities at UON Sydney offer state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative learning spaces."The environment allows students to engage with each other more, use shared screens and spaces. The classrooms are much more interactive and there's constant action. I think this new location gives UON the potential to become even more connected with the international business community."
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.