Navigating Change with Adaptability and Authenticity in IT Leadership

Harald Rotter, CIO & CDO, University of St.Gallen (HSG)

Harald Rotter, CIO & CDO, University of St.Gallen (HSG)

Through this interview, Rotter highlights his journey from technical roots to strategic leadership, focusing on adaptability and curiosity. It covers his cautious approach to new technologies like AI and cyber security. He emphasizes teamwork, open communication, and humility as key to effective leadership.

From Carpenter to CIO: A Pragmatic Rise to Digital Leadership

My professional career began in the trades - as a trained carpenter, I learnt the value of precision, structured planning and efficient use of resources from the bottom up. The leap into CNC programming was my first conscious step into the world of computer-aided technologies. From there, I switched to the IT sector, where I initially worked on the service desk and later as a system administrator, acquiring a solid grounding in technical operations.

Over time, my focus shifted to consulting, which gave me valuable insights into the dynamics of organizations and customer expectations. These experiences broadened my perspective and sharpened my understanding of how IT can be a strategic factor. My drive to go beyond the purely technical led to an intensive exploration of business and organizational topics.

A strong customer-centered mindset coupled with a pragmatic approach has been a common thread throughout my career. I have also realized that professional development is not just a question of ability or ambition—the right timing, the ability to recognize and seize opportunities, but above all a large portion of luck, being in the right place at the right time, have played an important role. Certain modesty, great gratitude and a good inner compass are very important. This mixture ultimately led me to my current position as CIO and CDO at the University of St.Gallen.

Exploring what’s next: A Thoughtful Tech Approach

It is not surprising that the topic of AI (GenAI) is also at the top of our agenda. In my perception, the next hype is the topic of ‘Agentic AI’. Personally, I also see quantum computing as an increasingly relevant field, especially when the systems become ‘market-ready’. Even if marketability is still a few years away in this area, we should not lose focus on it. And cyber security remains is still a hot topic on the list of priorities.

“Solutions from outside the industry that don't seem adaptable at first glance can often untie the Gordian knot. This requires openness, curiosity and the ability to think ‘out-of-the-box”

How we deal with these issues varies. Like many other organizations, we are tackling cyber security with awareness training, additional tools/ features and increased use of resources. When it comes to quantum computing, we are currently trying to ‘simply’ stay informed. There are no planned use cases, we just don't want to lose sight of the topic at a high level. Personally, I'm still struggling with the topic of agentic AI. I'm very excited about the possibilities. I still have my doubts as to whether our data, our data protection regulations and our customers are ready. In my opinion, it will take some time to find the right balance here.

Navigating Change: The Power of Forward-Thinking Leadership

I think it's the same here as in all organization’s. Every CIO should generally be curious and communicative and be able to think in a networked way. I don't think it's enough just to have an eye on IT or its IT technologies. Personally, I think a kind of ‘adaptability’ is very important. Solutions from outside the industry that don't seem adaptable at first glance can often untie the Gordian knot. However, this requires openness, curiosity and the ability to think ‘out-of-the-box’.

Values at the Core: Driving Team Success and Collaboration

Every day, we endeavour to ensure that our employees feel comfortable and enjoy their work. This is the only way they can optimally develop their skills. I don't know whether this always has to be harmonious. It would be desirable, but in my opinion it is not always achievable. Or perhaps it's not always necessary. For me personally, a working atmosphere based on values such as fairness, respect, helpfulness, collegiality, personal responsibility, etc. is the cornerstone of a good team atmosphere. These values should be applied and practised in any situations and in my case the brass band was a good learning ground in my earlier life.

Leading with Authenticity: Fostering Communication and Collaboration

My approach to managing and maintaining relationships with various stakeholders at HSG does not fit easily into traditional models. As an extrovert, I strongly believe in the importance of proactively sharing information. I try to be present in various committees and encourage less formal and more informal meetings. This approach not only encourages an agile mindset, but also allows for flexible and direct communication. Although there are still regular meetings with various stakeholders, but I prefer to share information as much as possible 'just in time' as it becomes available. Across topics and silos. This approach helps to make quick and effective decisions and keeps everyone up to date. Through this informal and dynamic exchange, I encourage productive and effective collaboration.

This, together with the other points mentioned above, is a potential backpack for a future career. In addition, every aspiring manager should always be honest and self-reflective about whether his or her self-image and external image match up. Not everyone is cut out for management. Often a specialist career would be a better choice.

It is particularly important not to take yourself too seriously. In my opinion, there are very few people in the professional world without whose contribution the world would really be very different. In general, the organization you work for is important. We managers are generally interchangeable, representer for a period of time in the long history of the organization we work for.