ETH’s Excellence Scholarship Program: Fostering talents while expanding profitability

The more diverse the workforce and more educated the population in general the more globally effective a country becomes across the board. Also, diverse corporate environments, from entry-level to leadership roles, position companies to be more globally competitive and provides a continual resource pool of individuals whom firms see as an asset. As cultural attitudes have changed, federal government, corporations and universities are more and more driven to support talented, high-achieving students. I was talking with Ruedi Wipf about why his company supports ETH’s Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Program by a donation into ETH Zurich Foundation, why businesses should build bridges to today’s students and what qualities they need to succeed in a technology-driven 21st century.

Mr. Wipf, thank you very much for your generous gift to support future talents. While generating revenues and increasing profits are the main goals of most corporations, there is also a philanthropic side of private organizations, isn’t?
Indeed. As company leader, I’m absolutely aware that the competitiveness of a firm depends on the surrounding environment and communities in which it operates. But also the health of a society depends on having those competitive companies that contribute to a prosperous economy and create wealth.

Where do you see the long-term philanthropic incentives in the donation to the department for your company?
In order to maximize the long-term synergy between economic and social objectives, a company needs in my view first and foremost highly skilled employees. They are the ones who create the unique and sustainable competitive position. As a software engineering company, we are keen to nurture and foster talents in computer science. Certainly, the relationship with ETH makes AdNovum more visible. And visibility leads to brand awareness and recognition which improve our employee recruitment and retention. In addition, as Zurich is our corporate headquarter, we have a vital interest in strengthening the city as a center of knowledge, technology, and innovation. That’s the reason why we fully back the eZurich initiative and take an active role there. We strive to also consider local community needs in order to create shared value.

I see. Society benefits. The company benefits. A win-win opportunity.
Absolutely. We try to move from PR and branding to actual social impact, try to really make a difference.

ETH has a rich science and technology heritage, and our department prides itself on excellence, dealing with global challenges of tomorrow. Your donation will help to possibly find a future visionary leader. What qualities and values would you like to discover in these exceptionally bright and gifted students and that make them to become strong leaders?
Well, this is a difficult question. As CEO, I’m continuously confronted with the customer’s question: “Why should I spend my money with you – so what is so unique about you.” So, one leadership skill is the ability to think beyond borders and boundaries, and turn new ideas into innovative products, services and processes. A leader must have a clear vision where his company is going in the long term. All this include the willingness to recognize certain limits and limitations, and collaborate with others to find durable solutions, as today’s challenges cannot be solved by one single person.

So, in your opinion, a good leader has to be a team player, too?
This is absolutely critical: build relationship, build a team and create highly motivated, engaged employees. By the way, the best leaders are also good followers. And last, but not least: perseverance and persistence, keeping your fire burning are fundamental and become even more important in the face of the current economic instability.

In line with the philosophy of the Excellence Scholarship program, our department offers also access to its thriving, diverse and intellectually stimulating community. As the technology market evolves rapidly and new trends catch on, what do you think how our department can contribute to keeping up your company’s spirit and revitalizing it?
There’s no doubt, ETH has access to a great national and international network of universities, research institutes, industry partners, government bodies etc. From this perspective, working together with ETH and the department all along the value chain would give AdNovum a vast pool of know-how to tap into and help to generate fresh ideas and gain new knowledge from technology pioneers. As a business enterprise, we have to constantly keep track of the latest trends and developments in the technology market. So, in return, my company can translate and possibly incorporate them into the contents of the department’s research roadmap. I believe this is the most beneficial cooperation model not only for both of our organizations but also for other industry partners, customers and society. Furthermore, you may know that AdNovum started as a garage start-up. It was founded with the objective of providing high-end software solutions to clients. Therefore, we are extremely keen to build new employee capabilities, to achieve an ideal staff-mix and skill-mix. The relationship with ETH’s excellent scholars helps expand the depth and breadth of talents needed to support the business agenda. I hope to welcome the one or other scholar as new hire in our multi-faceted on-boarding program.