Sparkr Podcast

„Die grösste Oper findet neben der Bühne statt“ sagt der heutige Gesprächsgast Matthias Schulz, Intendant des Opernhauses Zürich, und damit herzlich willkommen zu dieser neuen Episode des Sparkr Podcasts. Ein Opernhaus ist ein äusserst spannendes und diverses Gebilde mit hunderten von Mitarbeitenden - vom Ticketverkäufer über die Schuhmacherin und Bühnenbauerin bis hin zur wortwörtlichen Diva. Ein...

Today’s guest is Rory Stewart - a man with an extraordinary biography and a sharp intellect. Drawing on his unusually broad and deep experience, I had an enjoyable and compact conversation with Rory about navigating conflict, dealing with a changing world order and acting as a true leader within it. Rory is a former British cabinet minister and is known globally today as the co-host of the highly...

Anja Blacha is truly exceptional: In the early 2020s she became the first woman to ski solo and unsupported from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole; a feat recognized by Guinness World Records. The expedition covered 1381 km in just 58 days, facing snow storms with winds up to 100 km/h and temperatures down to -35°C while Anja was pulling a 100 kg sledge with everything the explorer needed to s...

In this episode I had the privilege to talk to the leader who enabled hyper complex projects and teams with thousands of people to succeed and literally reach for the stars. I‘m talking of none other than astrophysicist Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen. Till the end of 2022 he was the Chief Scientist at NASA and with that arguably the most powerful scientist on the planet with responsibility over thousands...

Bertrand Piccard is an exceptional person. As adventurer, explorer and psychiatrist he flew around the world with the Orbiter 3 balloon which was the longest flight in human history and outcompeted famous billionaire Richard Branson when doing so. After breaking records with Orbiter 3, Bertrand Piccard set out to push the boundaries of the impossible again and after many years of perseverance and...

Adam is a professor for Marketing at the Stern School of Business at New York University and author of multiple insightful books such as „Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked“ or his latest work „Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most“. In this conversation, Adam and myself discuss how we can create breakthroughs in our pe...

Branding ist ein strategisches Führungsinstrument gegenüber verschiedenen Zielgruppen: von den Kunden bis zu den eigenen Mitarbeitenden. Eine starke Marke dient als Kompass, gibt Halt, Klarheit und Sicherheit. Die Marke weist die Richtung und hilft bei der Prioritätensetzung. Nicht nur Produkte profitieren von einer starken Marke, sondern auch die Organisation an sich. Mit dem Employer Branding kö...

Ottmar Hitzfeld ist die Fussballlegende schlechthin im deutschsprachigen Raum. Als Fussballspieler und Trainer hat er unzählige Erfolge gefeiert aber auch bis heute unvergessene Niederlagen erlitten. Im Sparkr Podcast erzählt Ottmar Hitzfeld was er in seiner 40-jährigen Karriere gelernt hat. Wir reden über seine Führungsphilosophie, die ihm zahlreiche Pokale eingebracht hat, wie er grossartige Tea...

With Facebook being one of the most powerful and valuable companies today, this episode of the Sparkr Podcast examines the values, principles and performance hacks which are essential to the company's success and how it moves forward into the future. I had the great pleasure to talk to Timo Pelz from Facebook about the company's culture and mindsets that empower employees to do their best work and...

Die Swisscom unterhält im Silicon Valley einen Outpost, um neuste Trends zu erkennen und Brücken über den Atlantik zu bauen. Im Sparkr Podcast erzählt Lukas Peter, Chef des Outposts, was zum Erfolgsrezept des Silicon Valley gehört und worauf es ankommt, damit auch Schweizer KMU in der digitalen Welt erfolgreiche sein können. Wir reden über Innovation und Disruption durch Technologien, welche Minds...

Daniel Gutenberg has an amazing track record as a business angel and investor. He invested early in Facebook or super-hot start-ups like Israel's Mobileye which got acquired by Intel for over $ 15bn earlier this year. Daniel Gutenberg can say with confidence that he is specialized in unicorns since has more than 10 of them in his portfolio.   In this episode of the Sparkr Podcast we talk about how...

If you are innovating, working with start-ups or are generally open minded regarding the evolution of business practices, I am sure you’re familiar with the idea of ‘ecosystems’. Sooner or later digitalization transforms every industry as well as its customer expectations; and ecosystems can be a great strategy to face that change and make the most of it. In this episode of the Sparkr Podcast it w...

In the age of Google and other powerful search tools, finding the right answer becomes increasingly easy. What grows as a challenge on the other hand, is asking the right questions to cut through the abundance, the noise, the BS and actually move the needle – be it as an innovative entrepreneur, as a CEO, strategist, team leader or personal friend. Asking the right questions is at the core of Spar...

In this entertaining and insightful episode of the Sparkr Podcast we talk about the power of stories, why they are crucial for your organization and personal life, how you craft a great, persuasive vision and much much more. This episode will inspire you as a professional and as an individual because we are all happier and more successful if we get our storytelling right. Please join me for this c...

“Having ideas is the best thing humans do”, says Horacio “Chacho” Puebla. Chacho is the Chief Creative Director of LOLA – a creative and strategically driven advertising agency with a Latin spirit and global reach. Their clients include top brands such as Burger King, Magnum, Rexona and new kids on the block like 9Gag. As a part of the MullenLoewe agency network LOLA has been winning dozens of awa...

For this latest episode of the Sparkr Podcast I had the opportunity to spend time with Ian Charles Stewart – serial-entrepreneur, investor, photographer, Olympic athlete, art enthusiast and most famously co-founder of the leading tech and innovation magazine WIRED. In our conversation we talked about how he’s been learning new skills and approaching new projects, what his decision-making framework...

Welcome to this special episode of the Sparkr Podcast. It's the first edition of a new series called "Executive Briefings". In these briefings you learn everything you need to know about significant technologies, innovations and more. The first edition is dedicated to the 5G technology. 5G is the fifth generation of the mobile connectivity standard that will power your smartphone and entire econom...

Jean-Claude Biver ist ein Phänomen. Kaum ein Unternehmer ist so charismatisch und energiegeladen wie er, der während vier Jahrzehnten die Schweizer Luxusuhrenindustrie massgeblich geprägt hat. Hublot oder Blancpain sind Beispiele führender Manufakturen und Marken, die Biver zu ihrer heutigen Stärke gebracht hat. Auch Marketing-Coups für Firmen wie Omega mit James Bond oder der berühmten "Moon Watc...

In dieser Episode des Sparkr Podcast, wo spannende Ideen zu Technologie, Innovation, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft diskutiert werden, spreche ich mit Thomas Ramge; einem viel beachteten, einflussreichen und preisgekrönten Technologie Journalisten und Author von Büchern wie "Reinventing Capitalism in the Age of Big Data". Mit ihm habe ich ein philosophisches Gespräch geführt über die Folgen von künst...

Welcome back to this new episode of the Sparkr Podcast where I uncover the mindsets and tactics of exceptional people in innovation, technology and leadership. I had the opportunity to talk to Shailesh Prakash, Chief Information Officer of the Washington Post and one of the most influential minds in tech. The Post is a big institution in journalism – an industry with a huge tradition and importanc...

Globalization, automation, the rise of the gig economy... The way we work and what “work” itself means will change significantly in the years to come and remarkable transformations are up ahead. One person who’s been thinking about and studying the future of work for decades is Prof. Pamela Hinds, Co-Director of the Center on Work, Technology, and Organization (WTO) in the Department of Management...

Der Begriff der Resilienz stammt ursprünglich aus der Materialforschung. Übertragen auf den Menschen oder auf Organisationen kann Resilienz übersetzt werden mit der Fähigkeit, einem Druck oder einem Stress standhalten zu können, allfällige Schäden reparieren zu können oder von vornherein der übertriebenen Belastung vorzubeugen. Eine Koryphäe in der Resilienz Forschung ist Prof. Gregor Hasler – ein...

Die Zirkus-Dynastie Knie gehört seit über 200 Jahren zu den ältesten und führenden Zirkusunternehmen Europas. Seit fast 30 Jahren liegt das Unternehmen in den Händen der Zirkus-Ikone und Gast dieser Sparkr Podcast Episode: Fredy Knie. Fredy Knie wurde u.a. durch seine Pferdedressur weltbekannt und ist heute der Verwaltungsratspräsident der Schweizer National Zirkus AG. Als Vierjähriger stand er zu...

Welcome back dear listeners to this next episode of the Sparkr Podcast where it is my pleasure to talk to bright and inspiring people about their mindsets and insights on important topics from the world of entrepreneurship, technology, innovation or leadership. This time I talked to Ulrike Pfreundt who's a smart and passionate ocean biologist turning social entrepreneur with a lot of insights to s...

In this special episode of the Sparkr Podcast, I set out to find practical self-management methods, productivity tips and other approaches that help me to reduce stress and to cope better with high demands. As Bruce Lee once said: «Don't wish for an easy life, wish for the ability to handle a difficult one.» Usually I'm in conversation with an exciting and exceptional person to unveil their mindse...