Rüthi SG, Switzerland

Proven in leadership. Now choosing technical depth.

With several successful years of CEO responsibility at a Swiss systems provider, I am now deliberately seeking a challenging role where technical depth, hands-on execution and responsibility are central to the work.

I combine executive-level business responsibility with technical systems thinking and current hands-on practice in AI implementation, IT security, automation and resilient operations.

I am open to senior technical specialist roles and positions with technical lead responsibilities. What matters is the opportunity to engage deeply with the subject matter, help shape solutions and take ownership of tangible results.

What I'm looking for Get in touch

Profile

Leadership is a strength. Hands-on technical work is what drives me.

My career began in the skilled trades. As a refrigeration technician, I installed, serviced and repaired complex systems. I later designed and sized refrigeration, air-conditioning and process-cooling systems, managed projects and supported commissioning.

At Kibernetik AG, I progressed within seven years from project manager to head of division, executive management and ultimately CEO. In the CEO role, I held overall responsibility for strategy, P&L and around 100 employees.

My years as CEO were successful and formative. I delivered growth, improved profitability, developed the organisation and led the company through challenging market conditions and crises.

At the same time, it became clear to me which kind of work motivates me most over the long term: understanding complex systems, designing technical solutions, managing risk and turning improvements into working solutions.

For the next chapter of my career, I am therefore looking for a role that combines technical depth, responsibility and entrepreneurial thinking.

Leadership remains a proven strength, but I do not want it to define my entire day-to-day work.

For me, a career is not about holding on to a title for as long as possible. What matters is finding the role in which I can make the strongest contribution, continue to grow and do work I genuinely believe in.

What I'm looking for

A role where technology and responsibility come together.

I am looking for a challenging role in which I do more than coordinate and make decisions. I want to engage directly with the technical substance and actively help shape solutions. I am particularly interested in work in the following areas:

AI implementation and automation

AI-enabled workflows, API integrations and automation that solve real operational problems and deliver measurable value.

Technical product and solution development

Understanding requirements, designing systems, making technical decisions and guiding solutions from concept through to reliable operation.

IT security and resilient operations

Security not merely as policy, but as an operational discipline: access control, segmentation, monitoring, vulnerability management, backup and recovery.

Hands-on digitalisation

Analysing, simplifying and technically improving processes, with an understanding of organisational realities, commercial viability and ongoing operations.

I am open to both senior technical specialist roles and positions with technical lead responsibilities. What matters is not the title, but the substance of the work.

Selected Results

Responsibility backed by results.

Around 100

employees

Overall responsibility for strategy, P&L, organisation and day-to-day management.

35%

revenue growth

Increased revenue by 35% over three years, culminating in a record year in 2023.

4,800+

active service contracts

Standardised the service-contract model and grew it to more than 4,800 active contracts.

790

hours saved per year

Digitalised internal processes, saving around 790 working hours per year.

Technical Practice

This technical focus is more than an intention.

I continue to build and demonstrate my hands-on technical capabilities through my own projects, particularly in AI-assisted software development, systems architecture, IT security, automation and reliable operations.

OpenFolio

Open Source · MIT · openfolio.cc

A self-hosted portfolio tracker for Switzerland

OpenFolio is an open-source portfolio tracker designed for Switzerland. It provides a consolidated view of multiple asset classes in CHF and can be fully self-hosted.

I conceived, architected and built the product with AI assistance using Claude Code. The project combines product development, software architecture, data modelling, security, testing, deployment and technical documentation.

135,000

lines of code

1,624

automated tests

189

API routes

Technology

React & VitePython & FastAPIPostgreSQLRedisDocker

Security

JWT authenticationMFA with TOTPEncrypted secrets & sensitive dataDocumented security auditsAutomated tests

View OpenFolio → GitHub repository

Homelab and Home-SOC

Home-SOC · Blue Team

Applied infrastructure and security practice

My homelab is a controlled environment for building, operating and securing modern IT infrastructure.

The environment is based on a segmented VLAN network with Proxmox, a zone firewall and WireGuard VPN.

Wazuh serves as a SIEM and XDR platform for monitoring, log analysis and security events. Greenbone/OpenVAS is used for vulnerability scanning, NetBox for IP address management and infrastructure documentation.

Backups follow the 3-2-1 principle and are complemented by a documented restore runbook.

More than a hobby project: hands-on operational practice

—Plan architecture

—Segment systems

—Secure access

—Build monitoring

—Detect vulnerabilities

—Structure backups

—Document recovery

—Operate systems reliably

The connection to my technical background is direct: complex systems must be understood, properly designed, operated in a controlled manner and recoverable in the event of failure. Whether it is a refrigeration system or IT infrastructure, the underlying responsibility is the same.

What I bring

Technical foundation

My foundation lies in the skilled trades and systems planning. I am used to looking beyond the abstract and understanding components, dependencies, failure modes and operating conditions.

Executive and business responsibility

Several years of experience as CEO, board director and member of executive management, with responsibility for strategy, finance, organisation, teams and company development.

Digitalisation and process optimisation

Analysing and simplifying processes, then implementing improvements technically. Around 95% of workstations were remote-ready before COVID-19, while optimised workflows saved roughly 790 working hours per year.

Crisis management

Led the response to a real ransomware attack, including crisis-team leadership, internal and external communications, technical recovery measures and disaster recovery.

AI-assisted implementation

Hands-on work with Claude Code, the Claude API, LLM workflows, structured prompting, API integrations and AI-assisted software development.

Security and operations

Practical experience with Wazuh, Greenbone/OpenVAS, WireGuard, network segmentation, NetBox, backup concepts, restore processes and technical documentation.

Technologies and topics I currently work with

Python (learning)FastAPIPostgreSQLRedisDockerGitBashLinuxREST APIsAgentic AILLM workflowsAI governanceIT securityBlue-Team OperationsProcess automation

Career

Kibernetik AG

Buchs SG · 2016–2026

Swiss systems provider for heat pumps, air conditioning, refrigeration and photovoltaics · around 100 employees

Jan 2023 – Present

CEO

Overall responsibility for strategy, P&L and around 100 employees.

—Increased revenue by 35% over three years, culminating in a record year in 2023

—Significantly improved profitability during the growth phase

—Steered the company through the 2024 market downturn despite a 48% decline in heat-pump sales

—Led the response to a ransomware attack, including crisis management, communications and disaster recovery

—Reorganised the company around functional areas: sales, engineering and back office

—Founded Kibernetik Montagen AG for photovoltaic installations

—Standardised the service-contract model and grew it to more than 4,800 active contracts

—Advanced the Kibernetik Academy to Level 2 in the Swiss TOP-Ausbildungsbetrieb programme

May 2021 – Mar 2026

Board Member

Shared responsibility for corporate strategy, digitalisation, organisational development and long-term direction.

Sep 2019 – Jan 2023

Member of Executive Management

Responsible for digitalisation, process optimisation and organisational development. Based on my diploma thesis, internal digitalisation was implemented consistently — around 95% remote-capable workplaces already before COVID, and roughly 790 hours saved per year through optimised processes.

Jan 2018 – Jan 2023

Head of Heat Pump Division

Led the largest division by revenue with people-management responsibility. Responsible for the strategic development of the heat-pump portfolio and the expansion of the company's market position in Eastern Switzerland. Promoted after only two years with the company.

Apr 2016 – Aug 2018

Project Manager, Heat Pumps

Consulting and sales of heat-pump and photovoltaic systems to installers, architects and planners. Responsible for the Grisons region, building a new photovoltaic business line and end-to-end project delivery from quotation to commissioning.

Kibernetik Montagen AG

Buchs SG · 2022–2026

Sep 2023 – Feb 2026

Chairman of the Board

Strategic responsibility for building and developing the subsidiary for photovoltaic installations.

Jun 2022 – Aug 2023

Board Member

Contributed to building the company, structuring its processes and shaping its strategic direction.

NH Immo AG

Buchs SG · 2021–2026

Apr 2021 – Mar 2026

Board Member

Shared responsibility for strategy and entrepreneurial development.

Kälte3000 AG

Landquart · 2008–2016

Foundation: hands-on engineering, systems understanding and systems thinking

Apr 2013 – Apr 2016

Refrigeration Systems Planner

Planning and sizing of refrigeration, air-conditioning and process-cooling systems. Preparation of quotations, tenders, P&IDs, detailed plans and technical documentation. Additional responsibility for on-site project management, installation coordination and commissioning support.

Aug 2008 – Oct 2012

Refrigeration Technician

Installation, servicing, maintenance and commissioning of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Independently handled maintenance, conversions, fault diagnosis, technical documentation and customer support.

Background

Education

Dipl. Wirtschaftsinformatiker HF

Grade 5.3

Swiss professional education diploma in Business Information Technology

Berufs- und Weiterbildungszentrum Buchs Sargans · 2017–2020 · part-time

Focus areas

ICT & project managementAgile methodologyProcess managementBusiness solutionsCorporate management, finance & lawICT security & data protectionBig data & AINetwork system engineeringApplications engineering

Top HF graduate 2020 in Business Informatics · Industry Sponsorship Award, OC Oerlikon Balzers AG

Haustechnikplaner EFZ, Fachrichtung Kälte

Grade 5.5

Refrigeration Systems Planner, Swiss Federal VET Diploma

gibb Berufsfachschule Bern · 2013–2015 · accelerated second apprenticeship

Focus areas

Sizing & calculationSystems planning & schematicsComponent selectionMeasurement & control technologyEnergy efficiency & standardsTechnical drawings

Swiss Champion 2014 · Refrigeration Systems Planner EFZ · SwissSkills Gold

Kältemonteur EFZ

Grade 5.1

Refrigeration Technician, Swiss Federal VET Diploma

gibb Berufsfachschule Bern · 2008–2012 · vocational training

Focus areas

Installation & commissioningService & maintenanceFault resolutionMeasurement & control technologyElectrical & hydraulicsTechnical schematicsRefrigerant handling

Awards

Industry Sponsorship Award · OC Oerlikon Balzers AG · 2020

Top graduate 2020 in the HF Business Informatics programme, HF Rheintal.

Swiss Champion 2014 · SwissSkills Bern

Gold medal and Swiss championship title as Refrigeration Systems Planner EFZ.

Languages

German · native
English · B2, Cambridge Grade A

Certificates

Anthropic · 2026

Building with the Claude APIAI Fluency: Framework & FoundationsClaude Code in ActionClaude 101

Others

ITIL Foundation · PeopleCert · 2019
IREB CPRE Foundation Level · 2019
Cambridge English B2 Grade A · 2020
Quick Start with Linux · LabEx · 2025

Ongoing education · 2026

CS50P – Introduction to Programming with Python · Harvard (CS50) · in progress
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) · in preparation · Professor Messer

Harry Fohmann with a camera on the coast

Personal

Photography as a creative counterbalance

Outside my professional work, I pursue documentary wedding and reportage photography.

Photography is a creative counterbalance for me. It requires careful observation, anticipation, technical understanding and the ability to remain calm and focused at the decisive moment.

My style is documentary, atmospheric and unobtrusive. I photograph a limited number of weddings, focusing on genuine moments, light and atmosphere.

Preparation and reliability matter here as well: redundant camera bodies, dual-card recording, structured backups and an additional backup on the wedding night.

Important moments cannot be recreated.

View photographic work →

Contact

The right role does not need the highest title. It needs substance.

I am looking for a challenging role where technical depth, hands-on execution and responsibility come together.

I want to contribute my experience in executive leadership, digitalisation and crisis management while working directly with technology, products and systems that deliver reliable results.

I am particularly interested in roles involving AI implementation, technical product development, automation, IT security and resilient operations.

I welcome conversations with companies, leaders and recruiters looking for an uncommon combination of technical foundations and executive-level business responsibility.

Rüthi SG, Switzerland

Discuss a suitable role

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