Prof. Dr. Julia Thalmann
Wirtschaftsinstitut
Email:
julia.thalmann@hs-ruhrwest.de
Telephone:
+49 208 88254-312
Teaching area: General Business Administration, especially Trade & E-Commerce
Prof. Dr. Julia Thalmann has been Professor of Retail & E-Commerce at Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences since 2019. Following positions in research and teaching at RWTH Aachen University and international management roles at a German consumer goods manufacturer and a US pharmaceutical company, she combines academic excellence with practical experience.
Her areas of focus are e-commerce, retail marketing, user experience (UX), and the digital transformation of retail. She heads the Usability and Interaction Lab (UnI Lab), is a co-initiator of the COMPLETE spaces, and is actively involved in the European university network CHARM-EU. In her teaching, she makes use of VR scenarios, blended learning, gamification, and project-based learning with industry partners to specifically prepare students for the world of work of the future.
As the university’s start-up officer, she supports entrepreneurial ventures and teaches practical skills in negotiation, critical thinking, and intercultural collaboration.
Person
Prof. Dr. Julia Thalmann has been a professor at Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences (HRW) since August 2019. She developed her interest in retail, e-commerce and consumers during her studies at the University of Mannheim, which she completed with a practice-oriented empirical consumer study in the retail sector.
In her doctoral studies at RWTH Aachen University, she laid the foundation for her academic career – with a focus on international research, entrepreneurial thinking and practice-oriented teaching. Already during her PhD, she gained international experience as a visiting lecturer at the renowned Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and helped to shape the course portfolio at RWTH Aachen in the areas of entrepreneurial marketing, negotiation and business skills.
This was followed by several years in management positions at a German consumer goods manufacturer and a US pharmaceutical company. Her international perspective was sharpened in particular during her time as an expat in England, where she was responsible for the strategic realignment of the customer and shopper department and drove cross-country e-commerce projects. Her further training was specifically supported by her employers: she deepened her negotiation skills in several Scotwork seminars and rounded off her profile with the International Management Programme at Cranfield School of Management. In addition, she broadened her expertise through training as a Usability Specialist at the XdI – Experience Design Institut and through further education at Harvard Business School Online in the field of design thinking and innovation.
Her goal at the university is to work at the interface between academia and practice to drive the digital transformation of retail, to prepare students for a future-oriented, international world of work, and, through innovative teaching and research formats, to foster practical skills in user experience, digital marketing, e-commerce and intercultural management. It is particularly important to her to create formats in the COMPLETE spaces she has helped design and in the Usability and Interaction Lab (UnI Lab), as well as with VR learning environments, that strengthen critical thinking, creativity, data-driven decision-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration and communication.
As the university’s start-up officer, she supports entrepreneurial ventures with strategic market and competitive analyses, places particular emphasis on clear communication, and teaches practical skills in negotiation and strategic thinking.
Would you like to get in touch? To arrange an appointment, you can reach Professor Thalmann by e-mail at julia.thalmann@hs-ruhrwest.de.
Work Experience
Since 08/2019
Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences (HRW), Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
Professor of Business, Retail & E-Commerce
04/2016 – 07/2019
Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Neuss, Germany
Customer & Shopper Marketing Lead, Central Europe
Key Account Manager, Discount Channel (Regional & International)
10/2015 – 03/2016
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Düsseldorf, Germany
Brand Manager Taft, DACH Region
11/2013 – 09/2015
Henkel Ltd., Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom
Customer & Shopper Marketing Manager, Beauty Care (expat assignment)
12/2011 – 10/2013
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Greater Frankfurt & Düsseldorf Area, Germany
(Junior) Manager Sales Force & Category Management
Education
02/2009 – 11/2011
RWTH Aachen University, Research Area Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Aachen, Germany
Research Assistant and Doctoral Candidate at the Chair of Prof. Dr. Malte Brettel
Doctoral thesis: Interaction Orientation: An Empirical Investigation of the Antecedents, Outcomes, and Moderating Effects
08/2006 – 05/2007
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Study abroad as part of the “International Business Programme,” funded by the University of Mannheim
04/2003 – 01/2009
University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
Diploma in Business Administration, Specialization in Marketing and Industrial Management
Diploma thesis: Shopping Stress in Retail – A Causal-Analytical Study
Start-up Officer at Faculty 2
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