MBA Faculty in the Spotlight
At the International University of Monaco (IUM), innovation isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a core skill you’ll develop with real business leaders. One professor who perfectly embodies this mindset is Dr. Maximilian Rapp, an expert in Innovation Management, Design Thinking, and Corporate Consulting.
Bringing Innovation to Life
Dr. Rapp combines academic excellence with cutting‑edge professional practice. As Managing Director at EY etventure and head of Trend & Innovation Consulting for EY in Europe West, he works at the forefront of digital transformation, strategic foresight, and co‑creation with leading global brands.
Since joining IUM in 2017, he has been teaching Innovation Management & Design Thinking — courses that challenge MBA students to think beyond conventional business models and develop solutions that are both creative and commercially viable. He also leads the annual corporate consulting project, where real companies such as Pernod Ricard, Lufthansa, and CMB collaborate with MBA teams to prototype new business innovations over a three‑month sprint
From Classroom to Boardroom
Students appreciate Dr. Rapp not only for his deep expertise, but also for his approachable style and ability to make complex innovation concepts come alive. His classes are built around hands‑on challenges, real industry cases, and collaborative teamwork, giving future leaders the tools to drive change in any organisation. Whether exploring strategic trend processes, co‑creation with customers, or launching innovation units within established firms, Dr. Rapp inspires MBA students to think like innovators — not just managers.
Learn with Leaders, Innovate for Tomorrow
Choosing the Monaco MBA means learning from faculty like Dr. Maximilian Rapp, whose experience bridges global consulting practice and forward‑thinking academic teaching. At IUM, you’ll gain the skillset to lead innovation, manage change, and shape the future of business.
Apply now to the Monaco MBA and be challenged by world‑class professionals — because the business world of tomorrow belongs to those who innovate today.
Prof. Rapp provided interesting insights when it comes to creating innovation. He is a very approachable professor, which has been great for us students. IUM, again, did a great job choosing someone who is not only knowledgeable but also passionate about his profession.
Lisa Glitz
current MBA student
In consulting, his team has focused (since 2010) on:
1) strategic trend processes and foresight management (anticipating what major trends change business models of the future),
2) innovation management (building focused digital and innovation units at corporates) as well as
3) co-creation (integrating customers or citizens to improve services or products of the future by actively engaging during the development process) for clients across the globe.
Major brands like Bristol-Myers Squibb, Henkel, Merck, Takeda or Lego have worked with their teams to innovate their company or product portfolio holistically. One of the main reasons his team was honored with the Top 100 Consulting award from the former German President two years in a row in 2022 and 2023. Max joined EY in 2017 after spending seven years at HYVE-the innovation company, where he built their Open Government competency and grew their North American business.
Next to his engagement at IUM, Max was a visiting Professor at the Ivy League College William & Mary in Virginia, USA, in 2016, where he supported the Mason School of Business to re-invent ´Tomorrow´s MBA Program´, which jumped under the Top 30 programs in the US afterward. Moreover, he was an Adjunct Professor and supported start-ups in Moscow, Russia, at the MIT partner university in Skolkovo (Skoltech Institute of Science and Technology) between 2017 and 2022. Through his academic footprint with over 50 publications around Open Innovation, Open Government, Co-Creation, Design Thinking, and Crowdsourcing, he additionally lectured in Munich, Germany (Campus M University), Innsbruck, Austria (University of Innsbruck), and Geneva, Switzerland (Crea).
Max studied and finished his Ph.D. at the University of Augsburg (Germany) at the age of 24 about the influence and meaning of political wall paintings in Northern Ireland. During this time, he was back and forth between consulting and joining as a research assistant to the St. Mary´s University College, the Queen’s University of Belfast, and the National University of Galway in the Republic of Ireland.
Next to his passion for lecturing at universities and consulting global corporates, Max can usually be found in the Bavarian Alps or his second home, Canada, on mountaineering and wildlife expeditions with his beloved partner and family.