29.09.2025Riccarda Kunz, CAS in Leadership

Riccarda Kunz is 35 years old and lives with her family in Zurich. She currently heads a team of specialists at a food manufacturer, but has been with the same company for over ten years in various roles. She started there as a trainee after completing her master's degree in food science at ETH Zurich and has since worked in various roles in the quality department. Her current job involves a challenging mix of urgent issues that require immediate solutions and strategic projects – an exciting combination that suits her very well. She also appreciates the opportunity to support her employees in their development as a team leader. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, practising yoga and spending time with her family. Riccarda Kunz completed the CAS in Leadership while working full-time. What she particularly likes about this course is its focus on people and the opportunity for exchange.

I see it as my job to spot my team's potential, give them the right support, and offer them chances to grow. At our company, we make a point of focusing on each person's strengths and actively using them when we're assigning tasks and projects. Another key part of my leadership role is bringing my team together. Open communication and shared goals are particularly important to me in this regard. A culture of feedback and a clear shared focus strengthen cohesion and promote cooperation. It is important to me to remain authentic in my role as a leader and to act with integrity. My team knows what they can rely on from me and also what I expect from them.

At the age of 28, I took charge of my first team, a task that initially filled me with awe. During my trainee programme, I was convinced that leadership was not for me. But surprisingly, it turned out to be the area that I enjoyed the most. I graduated from ETH Zurich over ten years ago. In all those years, I never felt the need to go back to school, because I was constantly learning through internal role changes and new tasks. About a year ago, however, I felt that I was ready to acquire new knowledge again. In discussions with our internal HR development officer, it quickly became clear that I am already very well positioned in terms of technical expertise, but my main interest now lies in deepening my skills in the area of personnel management.

I researched online and found out what was available on the subject of leadership; it was important to me to have a people-oriented approach rather than focusing solely on the subject of ‘management’. The modular structure of theCAS in Leadership appealed to me immediately. It was also important to me that the programme took place within a manageable time frame and did not drag on too long, as it had to be compatible with my family and my job.

I gained a very specific insight from the  «Leadership» module: in conversations, it can be extremely effective to consciously allow for pauses and simply remain silent. We were able to try out this technique directly as part of the module. Although these were not real conversation situations, it was very helpful to practise and reflect on this in a safe environment.

I was also very pleasantly surprised by the «AI for Business» module – especially because I hadn't expected this topic to interest me so much at the beginning. Artificial intelligence offers enormous potential, particularly in the field of quality assurance, which is where I work. During the module, I realised that I would like to learn much more about this area.

Thirdly, I take away an understanding of the ‘importance of psychological safety in the working environment’. I wasn't familiar with the term itself before, but I immediately recognised what it meant – for example, talking openly about my own mistakes and successes. It's important to me to show that nobody is perfect. It was also exciting for me to realise that I already apply many of these principles intuitively. The CAS has now given me the appropriate terms and concepts for this.

Another recurring theme throughout the CAS for me was examining my own development potential in the area of leadership. We were repeatedly encouraged to reflect on ourselves, recognise our own behaviour patterns and, ideally, break them down using appropriate methods. This continuous self-reflection has helped me to become more aware of my leadership role and develop it further.

I have actually already implemented some things. For example, I introduced the practice of holding a team debriefing after our annual external audit, as I learned in the «Krisenkompetenz»  module. Although we are not dealing with a crisis, the audit is still a significant and intense event. That's why we talked about it afterwards as a team, discussing what we are proud of, which tools were effective and where we can still improve. The debriefing was well received by the team and there is now internal interest in standardising this for all audits.

I adopted another method from the «Leadership»-module directly into my team meeting: every week, we now share our highlight from the previous week – no matter how big or small. I have noticed that this helps to break the daily routine and consciously focus on the positive.

In addition, the «Change Management» module helped me to change my perspective and see the major restructuring measures implemented by my employer last year in a different light. I began to put myself in our management's shoes and was able to understand why certain decisions were made.

In general, questions such as ‘How do I put this into practice?’ were always welcome in the modules and were answered directly, which I found very helpful.

The «AI for Business» module was an eye-opener for me and sparked my thirst for knowledge on the subject of AI. The whole topic has enormous potential, and I feel that I still don't know enough about it.

I find it challenging to distinguish between the personal and the professional. Until now, I have never consciously pursued specific career steps; rather, I have always done my best, contributed my ideas, and the next steps have followed naturally. For me, personal development is the main focus. The self-reflection and exchange with other managers in the CAS was particularly enriching. Both are often neglected in everyday life. This made it all the more valuable that we were given sufficient space for this.

It helped me to realise that no one is perfect and that many of us experience similar challenges. If I learn something new and make fewer mistakes in my leadership role as a result, my team also benefits. It is important to me to fulfil my responsibilities towards my employees. I see it as my job to support and guide them in the best possible way.

The unfiltered exchange during the breaks was very valuable. I really appreciated the openness among the participants. It was great that we were able to discuss many questions directly in the plenary session. It was also enriching for me that many other working mothers in leadership positions were there, which led to an exciting exchange.

Yes, I would recommend it overall. In my opinion, the CAS in Leadership is ideal for people who already have leadership experience. I believe that leadership experience greatly enhances the benefits of this continuing education programme and allows participants to make more intensive use of the opportunities for exchange. The programme is also suitable for those who value science-based information. As a scientist, I particularly appreciate it when the studies on which a certain theory is based are also presented.

In summary, this CAS is suitable for people who like other people, enjoy working with others and who also focus on this in their leadership role. The ‘focus on people’ is very noticeable in this continuing education programme, which I really liked.

(Further information on the CAS in Leadership can be found athere.)

Text: Linda Betschart