Christian Müller, CAS in General Management

Christian Müller has been leading a team at Suva for the past seven years, where he is committed to preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. After studying Human Movement Sciences and Sport at ETH Zurich and completing a PhD, his career path led him from occupational health management to his current leadership role.

To complement his leadership experience with a solid foundation in management and gain a deeper understanding of strategic, financial, and organizational interdependencies, he completed the CAS in General Management (in German) at the Executive Education of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics at the University of Zurich.

Alongside his professional responsibilities, he is also dedicated to developing others in his private life as an athletics coach. He appreciates the opportunity to combine his leadership role, which he performs at an 80% workload, with family life.

My background is strongly rooted in my professional field, and over the years I have gained extensive leadership experience. At the same time, I always felt that I was missing the other side of management, particularly topics such as finance and strategy. For my further professional development, I wanted to better understand the methods, tools, and approaches used in these areas.

What ultimately convinced me to pursue further education at the Executive Education of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics at the University of Zurich was the modular structure of the program. It allowed me to specifically select the topics in which I saw the greatest need for development. In addition, Zurich was naturally a very convenient location for me.

There was no single insight that completely transformed my understanding of management. However, the change in perspective enabled by the CAS was extremely valuable.

Whether in finance, human resources, or corporate leadership, every function approaches challenges from a different angle. I was already aware of this before the program, but the modules made it far more tangible. Today, I find it much easier to understand decisions within the larger organizational context and to grasp the strategic rationale behind them. Looking back, this has given me a much deeper level of understanding.

I would not say that I make fundamentally different decisions today than before the CAS, but perhaps I make them more consciously.

The biggest difference is that I now have a much better understanding of strategic relationships and can more easily interpret developments within the organization. Especially when new strategies are introduced or leadership changes occur, the broader perspective I gained through the CAS helps me greatly. As a result, I am now better able to explain the reasoning behind strategic decisions and make them understandable for my team.

The module from which I gained the most was Strategic Management (in German). Strategic processes are becoming increasingly important in my role and will likely continue to gain significance in the future. The module introduced me to numerous tools and approaches and showed me how to systematically tackle strategic challenges. I regularly apply this perspective in my daily work.

Another module that had a lasting impact on me was Strategic Negotiations (in German). Negotiations are a recurring part of my work environment, whether during company inspections or in collaboration with industry associations. While these negotiations may not take place on the same scale as the cases discussed in class, I have found the structured preparation and careful consideration that precedes a negotiation to be extremely valuable.

The exchange with other participants was an essential part of the learning experience. The modules deliberately created ample space for discussions, group work, and professional exchange. What I found particularly enriching was collaborating with people from industries I had previously had little contact with. Case studies clearly demonstrated how differently challenges can be viewed depending on one's role, industry, or organizational context. Time and again, I encountered perspectives that I would not have considered myself. Getting to know, discuss, and better understand these different viewpoints was immensely valuable.

At the same time, I was fortunate to meet some participants repeatedly across multiple modules. Despite the modular structure, this created a sense of a small class community, which I greatly appreciated.

Several lasting professional connections emerged from the program, and I remain in contact with a number of participants to this day. In fact, I attended almost all modules together with one participant. This eventually developed into a friendship, and we still meet regularly. That is one of the aspects of the program that has stayed with me the most.

In addition to the interaction with participants, I also greatly appreciated the presence of Program Director Dr. Anıl Özdemir. He was present at almost every module and was always approachable. The fact that communication was so easy not only with the lecturers but also with the program management contributed significantly to the positive learning atmosphere.

My leadership approach has always been strongly rooted in coaching, with people at the center. That has not changed through the CAS. What has changed is my perspective on the organization as a whole. Today, I am much better able to adopt an entrepreneurial perspective and incorporate different viewpoints into my considerations.

Coaching remains a central element of my understanding of leadership, but it is now complemented by stronger strategic and entrepreneurial thinking.

This is actually a question I am currently asking myself.

In principle, I can certainly imagine taking another career step in the coming years, for example into a department head or divisional leadership role. Such an opportunity has already presented itself, but I consciously decided against it. Family, leisure time, and my involvement in sports are important to me, and I want to continue balancing these areas with my professional responsibilities.

At the same time, I increasingly see my future in leadership rather than as a technical specialist. When I joined Suva, my role combined technical and people leadership. Today, my focus is much more on leading people and collaborating with subject-matter experts.

The CAS was not the trigger for this development, but it certainly supported and reinforced it.

Exactly where my professional path will lead over the next few years remains uncertain. I can clearly imagine taking on additional leadership responsibility. At the same time, it is important for me to stay close to people and connected to day-to-day operations. A purely managerial role focused exclusively on strategic issues is not what I envision for my future.

As responsibilities increase, the strategic component of leadership becomes increasingly important. I can certainly imagine deepening my expertise in this area further.

At the same time, I feel that I now know most of the key methods and tools. In practice, the real challenge is often not understanding the theory but applying it effectively. For that reason, I am particularly interested in even more practice-oriented learning formats. Unfortunately, I missed the Business Simulation module (in German), and to this day it is the module I most regret not attending.

In general, I find formats especially valuable when they focus on real-world challenges. For example, I would find it highly beneficial to bring in my own practical cases and discuss them with peers and lecturers, reflecting on them and developing new approaches together. I believe I could gain a great deal from that kind of exchange for my leadership practice.

The biggest academic challenge for me was the two finance-related e-learning modules. I entered the topic with virtually no prior knowledge and initially had very little exposure to the fundamentals. As a result, I had to invest considerable effort in building my understanding. At times, I also found the content rather abstract because it was so far removed from my professional background.

Apart from the academic demands, balancing further education with work, family, and leisure activities was the greatest challenge. The CAS requires a significant time commitment, which needs to be carefully managed alongside everyday responsibilities. Fortunately, I received strong support from my employer. Nevertheless, it requires good planning and a willingness to take on additional commitments.

Yes, I would definitely recommend the CAS. Thanks to its modular structure, it is suitable for a wide range of professionals because participants can tailor the content to their individual needs and development goals.

In particular, I believe the CAS is highly valuable for individuals who already have some leadership experience or who are preparing for a leadership role. For me, the timing was ideal. I had already spent several years as a team leader and wanted to broaden my perspective beyond people management topics. A certain amount of practical experience certainly helps when it comes to contextualizing the content and applying it directly.

Many examples and discussions are based on situations found in larger organizations. However, I never felt that the content was only relevant in that context. The concepts and tools can also be applied successfully in smaller organizations. In larger companies they may be easier to connect to immediately, but leaders from a wide range of industries and organizational sizes can benefit from them. 

In fact, several people in similar professional situations have since asked me about my experience, and I have been happy to recommend the CAS to them.

You can find more information about the CAS in General Management here (in German).