Agility and Resilience in Action: The Story of RoBe

In conversations with founder Claudio Loderer and CEO Petra Joerg, we explore how RoBe has continuously evolved over more than three dec-ades – and why agility and resilience have been critical to its long-term success.

After studying at the University of Rochester in the United States, Claudio Loderer was given the opportunity to establish an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program in Switzerland. The idea prompted him to reflect on what was missing from management education in German-speaking Switzerland at the time. While the prevailing approach focused heavily on models, concepts, and theories, the American approach started with the concrete challenges leaders faced. The goal was not simply to impart knowledge, but to enable participants to make sound decisions and take effective action. This was precisely the educational philosophy Claudio wanted to bring to Switzerland with the launch of the RoBe EMBA.

An incurable optimist, Claudio never seriously considered the possibility of failure. When asked what shaped his personal resilience, he does not have to think for long. Above all, he points to an attitude instilled in him by his mother: “Giving up was never an option.” When he launched the project in 1994, he faced two major challenges: finding a suitable location for the classes and attracting enough participants to fill the first EMBA cohort. With the support of the Foundation Board – and a healthy dose of courage, determination, and perseverance – he overcame these obstacles. This entrepreneurial spirit ultimately paved the way for the first EMBA program to launch successfully at Hotel Seepark in Thun.

Moving Forward Despite Uncertainty

Claudio had to make many decisions along the way, often without having all the information he would have liked. “Having Rochester behind me probably made many things easier,” he recalls. But there was no clear roadmap at the time. So, looking back, was founding RoBe an example of agility? Claudio laughs: “Absolutely. Although agility is always relative to a structure – and back then, we were so agile that we didn’t even have a structure.” RoBe’s agility in those early years was therefore not the result of a formal process or methodology. It was rooted in the willingness to make decisions and keep moving forward despite uncertainty.

Agility as an Ongoing Task

RoBe continues to face new challenges today. For Claudio, the central task is to keep evolving, remain relevant, and hold its own in an increasingly competitive executive education market.

One current example is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. For an executive education program, AI not only challenges traditional forms of assessment; more importantly, it is changing the capabilities leaders will need in the future. Rather than simply producing information – for example, preparing a balance sheet or income statement – the ability to use information will become increasingly important: critically assessing it, putting it into context, and drawing sound conclusions from it.

This development requires teaching methods and curricula to evolve continuously. It illustrates that agility is not a one-time achievement, but an ongoing process. Today, continuously developing new skills and learning formats is just as much a part of agility as establishing the first Executive MBA was more than three decades ago.

Leadership on Equal Footing

For Claudio, however, agility does not end with new technologies. It is also reflected in how people lead and collaborate. His understanding of leadership is shaped not only by his academic career, but also by personal experience. As a child, he witnessed the authoritarian leadership style common at the time in his father’s business, where employees would sometimes act out of fear of the consequences. The experience had a lasting impact on his own approach to leadership. “I’ve always been allergic to authority,” he says in retrospect. For him, there is therefore no question that sustainable leadership today must be built on trust, personal responsibility, and mutual respect.

Rethinking Executive Education

Petra Joerg also believes that agility is more important today than ever. In her view, ongoing digitalization in particular has fundamentally changed the demands placed on executive education. At the same time, participants’ lives and circumstances have changed. “In the past, our students spent nine weeks in the United States – and for many of them, taking two and a half months away was simply part of the experience. Today, most executives have significantly less time available.”

Petra sees a paradox in this development. On the one hand, increasing complexity and the rapid pace of change make lifelong learning more important than ever. On the other hand, today’s environment is less conducive to learning. This makes it all the more important to design executive education programs that are flexible and can be consistently adapted to the evolving needs of participants.

Continuously Evolving the Business Model

Even after its successful launch, Rochester-Bern Executive Programs had to adapt its business model to changing conditions. According to Claudio, one of the biggest challenges came with the Bologna Process. The EMBA suddenly found itself competing with master’s programs offered at significantly lower prices. Petra played a key role in RoBe’s response. Under her leadership, RoBe developed customized Company-Specific Programs (CSPs), which are tailored to the specific needs of individual companies. This opened up new areas of business.

“Petra was crucial. She has always identified strongly with RoBe and has continuously developed our business model,” says Claudio. “Change doesn’t catch me by surprise – I initiate it myself. I love change,” Petra explains. Another factor in RoBe’s success has been its financial independence. “We were never cross-subsidized. That meant we always had to develop offerings for which there was genuine demand. Feedback from our students and a consistent focus on quality were crucial for us,” Claudio emphasizes.

Agility Starts with Listening

For Petra, agility begins with keeping an open mind and looking outward. To recognize early on when change is needed, an organization must continuously observe its environment and listen carefully to the people around it – students, faculty, alumni, employees, and corporate partners. She refers to the famous observation attributed to French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Opportunities rarely emerge purely by chance. They favor those who recognize developments early and are prepared to act decisively. When asked how a successful institution can avoid becoming complacent, her answer is equally clear: “Stay curious and open – and never be completely satisfied.” For Petra, this mindset is essential to ensure that RoBe can  continue evolving successfully in the years ahead.

Conclusion

After more than three decades, Claudio does not primarily look back on rankings or growth figures. What makes him particularly proud is meeting former students who still feel connected to RoBe. The fact that many of them continue to take the time, even years later, to participate in surveys and share their experiences is, for him, the clearest indication that RoBe has made a lasting difference.

For Petra, another source of pride is how far the institution itself has come. What began as a single Executive MBA program has evolved into an established business school with a broad portfolio of executive education programs, a team of around 20 employees, and an excellent reputation.

For both, the story of RoBe demonstrates that sustainable success is not built on good ideas alone. It also requires a willingness to keep evolving, respond to changing circumstances, and move forward without losing sight of the values at the heart of the organization.

Leadership Skills for the Future

What skills will leaders need most over the next ten years? For Petra, the following will be particularly important:

• Critically interpret, contextualize, and use information effectively, rather than simply collecting it.
• Use AI responsibly and confidently and draw the right conclusions from the insights it provides.
• Navigate change and uncertainty while continuously developing and adapting.
• Embrace self-reflection and lifelong learning as integral parts of personal development.
• Manage conflicts constructively and bring together different perspectives.
• Build resilience – the ability to maintain a healthy balance and take care of oneself in a dynamic environment.