Engineering Leadership Events in Zurich

A practical session for business angels and executives on legal responsibilities, board dynamics, and what it truly takes to join a startup

Taking on a board mandate in a startup can be exciting, impactful, and career-defining. But what does the role truly involve? What are the legal responsibilities? How are board members selected? And what should business angels know before stepping into a formal board position?

This session is designed for professionals who are considering a board mandate, business angels who want to better understand governance structures, and executives who are curious about the realities behind startup boards.

In this in-person session, you will explore what it takes to join a board, what founders expect, and how to assess whether a mandate is the right fit for you. The evening combines legal clarity, practical insights, and open discussion.

Register here

Details:

• Date: 19.08.2026
• Time: 17.30-19:30, followed by Apero and networking
• Location: Wenger Vieli Office (Dufourstrasse 56, 8008 Zürich)
• Speakers:
  Michael Baier, Start-up-, VC- & M&A-Lawyer, Partner at Wenger Vieli
  Kim Johansson, CEO and Founder SalesAhead AG, leading Search Boutique specialised on Salespeople, Advisory Board at VRMandat.com
  Thomas Dübendorfer, President of SICTIC, Angel Investor, Board Member
• Cost: CHF 69 for SSA Premium and Investor members
  CHF 99 for non-members of the SSA

Agenda:
17:30 – Doors Open
18:00 – Welcome
18:05–19:00 – Expert Inputs & Discussion
Legal responsibilities and risks of board members (Michael Baier)
How board members are selected and what founders really look for (Kim Johansson)
The investor perspective: board role vs advisory role, compensation, and expectations (Thomas Dübendorfer)
19:00–19:30 – Open Q&A
19:30 onwards – Apéro & Networking

Session Main Takeaways

• What legal duties and liabilities come with a startup board mandate
• How board seats are actually filled and what increases your chances
• The difference between board and advisory roles
• What realistic compensation and time commitment look like
• How to evaluate whether a specific board mandate is the right fit for you

Register now to better understand what it really means to join a startup board and decide whether a mandate is the right next step for you.

About the Swiss Startup AssociationThe Swiss Startup Association (SSA) is the umbrella organisation and the voice of Swiss startups. As a sector-independent non-profit organisation, the SSA gives startups a strong voice vis-à-vis politics, business and the public and works to improve the conditions for startups in Switzerland.
Beyond its political engagement, the SSA fosters a community for startups, recognizing the unique challenges they face. Through networking opportunities, educational sessions, and practical services, the SSA collaborates with industry partners to offer tailored support and valuable resources to guide founders on their entrepreneurial journey.
Join the Swiss Startup Association! Tap into our member benefits, the comprehensive Investor List and get full access to our events. By becoming an SSA Member you enjoy discounted tickets to our Big Founders Dinners and the SSA Founders Day.

In case you do not have a PayPal account, feel free to contact us at info@swissstartupassociation.ch and request an alternative payment link.

Let’s do something different from the usual meetup format.

We’ll start with a scenic ~1.5h hike from Uetliberg to Felsenegg, with rotating discussion pairs and small groups along the trail. Every 20 minutes, we switch conversation partners and dive into a new topic around product thinking, leadership, team dynamics, facilitation, delivery, career growth, or whatever challenges are currently on your mind.

The goal is simple:

meet interesting people
exchange practical experience
enjoy Zürich nature instead of another conference room.

We’ll finish with a relaxed group dinner at Restaurant Felsenegg overlooking the lake and city.
Start: 17:45 at Uetliberg station
Route: Uetliberg → Felsenegg

Hiking level: Easy/moderate
Hiking time: ~1.5h
Dinner afterward at Felsenegg
Easy return via cable car + train

Bring comfortable shoes, curiosity, and a topic you’d love to discuss.

Four-legged networking companions welcome too.

Das Strassenverkehrsamt kennen die meisten von uns als gut geölte Bürokratie, die ihre Verwaltungsaufgaben mit bemerkenswerter Zuverlässigkeit abspult. Aber hinter der Fassade spielt sich auch hier mehr ab, als wir vielleicht erwarten würden. Denn Change macht auch vor einem etablierten Amt nicht halt.

Seit 2016 arbeiten das Strassenverkehrsamt des Kantons Zürich an einer umfassenden kulturellen, betrieblichen und technischen Modernisierung. Es reagiert damit auf die wachsende Unmöglichkeit, die mehr und anspruchsvoller werdende Entwicklungsarbeit alleine innerhalb der hierarchischen Linienorganisation zu bewältigen.

Prüfer:in und Prüfling müssen zur gleichen Zeit am gleichen Ort erscheinen, der Ersatzführerschein wird rechtlich korrekt innert Minuten ausgefertigt: Die hierarchische Linienorganisation stützt weiterhin zuverlässig die Bewältigung der Massenprozesse im Verwaltungsalltag.

Gleichzeitig erfordert die laufende Anpassung an Veränderungen eine eine wandlungsfähige, mitunter sogar kreative Herangehensweise. Das Strassenverkehrsamt hat daher, ergänzend zur Linie, ein eigenes hybrides Organisationsmodell mit einer neuen, agilen Teilorganisation namens «Dynamix» entwickelt.

In ihrem Beitrag zum September-Breakfast werden Christof, Severin und Martin uns schildern, wie es dazu kam, was sich mit Dynamix veränderte und wohin die weitere Reise noch gehen soll.

•••

Christof Zeller ist Stellvertretender Geschäftsleiter des Strassenverkehrsamts des Kantons Zürich. Zusammen mit einem Team von rund 15 Mitarbeitenden die Teilorganisation entwickelt. Ausserdem degustiert, konzipiert und textet er für eine Online-Weinhandlung. Er ist ausgebildeter Jurist, Weinakademiker und Executive MBA.

Severin Toberer ist Co-Leiter Kommunikation & Entwicklung beim Strassenverkehrsamt und leitet die Teilorganisation Dynamix. Daneben liest er so viel wie möglich und versucht, dabei weniger Kaffee zu trinken. Er hat Politikwissenschaften studiert und einen MAS in Unternehmenskommunikation.

Martin Scherrer ist Office-Manager der Teilorganisation Dynamix und Change-Manager beim Strassenverkehrsamt. An den Wochenenden ist er meist in den Bergen anzutreffen oder bewegt sich auf zwei Rädern, bevorzugt ohne Motor. Früher arbeitete er als Automechaniker, erwarb den FA als technischer Kaufmann und bildete sich weiter zum Eidg. Dipl. Verkehrsexperten, bevor er einen CAS in Change-Management abschloss.

From building a highly available multi-AZ cloud in Switzerland to embedding quality into agile product delivery: two practical talks, experienced speakers, and plenty of networking opportunity. We are very much looking forward to the last DevOps Meetup Zurich of 2026.
Here's what's planned for the evening:
17:30 - 18:00 - Arrival and first drinks
18:00 - 18:45 - How We Build a Multi-AZ Cloud in Switzerland by Matthieu Robin & Mattia Eleuteri
18:45 - 19:30 - Embedding Quality Process in Agile Product Delivery by Geetanjali Bhat
19:30 - 20:30 - Networking, Open Space & More drinks*

How We Build a Multi-AZ Cloud in Switzerland
As a cloud provider, we spent significant time finding a solution to build a multi-AZ IaaS offering. Our goals were to find the best orchestrator, a very high availability system, and a fully secure setup for our customers. We will talk about our journey through different solutions and how we ended up with an Open-Source based stack, with Kubernetes at the core of our IaaS to deliver high availability, security, and resilience.

Matthieu Robin
CEO @ Hidora
Matthieu Robin is a passionate entrepreneur and staunch advocate of DevOps culture. As the CEO of Hidora, he leads companies in adopting cloud and DevOps solutions. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter, showcasing his commitment to community service. Matthieu founded the DevOps Geneva Meetup and DevOpsDays Geneva, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the DevOps community. He teaches at the Haute Ecole de Gestion, where he instructs the "Service Industrialization" course, sharing his expertise to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

Mattia Eleuteri
Cloud Native Enthusiast @ Hidora
Mattia has been at Hidora for 5 years, starting with monitoring and Elasticsearch. Today, he leads the journey to build a multi-AZ cloud in Switzerland, using Kubernetes as the core of the IaaS to deliver high availability, security, and resilience to Hidora's customers.

Embedding Quality Process in Agile Product Delivery
Quality is said to be built in when using agile delivery approaches, thanks to early and ongoing testing without the formal techniques used in traditional approaches. In interlinked projects, however, applying dedicated quality management processes and techniques helps teams consistently deliver fit-for-purpose agile products. Implementing these techniques has defined a new direction in multiple agile projects. In this session, you will learn how to define quality process techniques within an agile framework, and how to apply them across multiple projects, including scrum-of-scrum setups.

Geetanjali Bhat
Process Solution Specialist
Geetanjali is a dedicated quality specialist focused on quality process implementation across agile environments. She is a certified Project Manager (PMP) and Scrum Master (CSM) with strong expertise in QA management using Agile and SDLC methodologies across domains such as CRM, life sciences, and web applications. She has successfully scaled Scrum into multiple agile teams as a Scrum of Scrum Master. Having worked for product companies like Dell and Microsoft, she has led teams delivering quality software and regularly speaks at conferences on bridging quality challenges in agile project implementations.

Many thanks to our sponsors:

• Catering Sponsor: DevOpsDays Zürich https://www.devopsdays.ch/
• Location Sponsor: Digicomp https://www.digicomp.ch/

* contact us min. 3 days prior to the event if you prefer a vegan option.

Product management conference in Zurich, Switzerland