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KALANI LEIFER

Internship Field: Corporate Development, Logistics, Transportation

Majors: International Relations, Economics, German Studies

Host: Deutsche Bahn AG

Location: Berlin

Duration: 3 months in Summer 2006

 

Description: "All my (many) projects were in some way related to preparing DB for its upcoming IPO.  My most relevant and exciting project was an analysis of three peer companies’ recent IPOs.  I wrote a report on the strengths, weaknesses, pitfalls, and successes of these IPOs, and then projected these “lessons learned” onto our own Börsengang – where are we on the right track, and where do we need to adjust our strategy.  My last few weeks on the job were dominated by this assignment, and my conclusions and recommendations were well received and had a marked effect on the direction my bosses (directly responsible for writing the IPO investor presentation) were taking."

Comments: " The first half was a little slow: I was mostly doing market research and analyzing annual reports of competing and peer corporations.  The second month of my internship was filled with exciting and substantial projects, though.  And in retrospect, the first half was a necessary adjustment period.  The skills I acquired can best be described by the intangible asset of corporate experience. I experienced a unique (and very German) aspect of Germany: Big Business.  It also taught me a lot about what I do and do not want to do after I graduate.  Both are equally important, I believe."

German Language Skills: "My reading has been perfected.  Business German went from zero to proficient.  I can finally THINK in Hochdeutsch when speaking Hochdeutsch… not Schwyzerdütsch (like I used to)."

For further information, please write to kalani08@stanford.edu

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