Strategic Leadership
Challenge of the Information Society
The information society of the 21st century creates new opportunities for companies, but it also brings new risks. Business models that proved successful over many years have suddenly been destabilised by new competitors. The provision of services, the manufacture of consumer goods, and even the business of durable consumer and investment goods can no longer be planned over the long term. In the “sharing economy”, sharing carries more value than owning, and “win-win” has become more important than “win-lose”.
Flexibility in thinking and action has become a central principle in the work of modern corporate leadership teams. Investors, entrepreneurs, boards of directors and executive management teams are all being challenged.
Board Member, Adviser, Sparring Partner
For more than 20 years, Christian Gartmann has held leadership positions at both the operational and strategic level in companies active regionally, nationally and internationally. From personal experience, he understands the specific demands of working in an executive management team, a group executive board or a board of directors.
Customers and employees, suppliers and competitors, public authorities and the media are all better informed today and demand more than ever before in terms of transparency and credibility in everything companies do. As a board member, adviser or sparring partner for senior executives, Christian Gartmann is a capable point of contact at every level of an organisation.
Setting the course for the future.
25 years of experience in strategic leadership roles
Vice-Chair of the Foundation Board
The Foundation for the Museum and Military Historical Material of the Air Force is tasked with preserving the history of Swiss military aviation for future generations. Together with the Association of Friends of the Air Force, it operates the Air Force Center at Dübendorf Airfield, including the aviation and air defence museum.
Christian Gartmann has been a member of the Foundation Board since 2019. Since 2024, he has served as its Vice-Chair.
Think Tank for Tourism Issues
“St. Moritz 360” brings together different generations from tourism, retail, trade and services, along with unconventional thinkers from St. Moritz and external experts. Current and strategic topics are discussed in workshop sessions, and the results of each discussion serve as input for the municipality’s tourism commission and are published publicly.
The project was developed by gartmann.biz together with the St. Moritz Spa Association and is led and moderated by Christian Gartmann.
Strategic Process for Retail
Strategic process in preparation for a succession arrangement within the founding family. SME in retail and services with 12 branches and 100 employees in Switzerland. Prioritisation, selection and scheduling of individual topic areas. Selection of internal participants and external advisers.
Board Member, Specialist Publishing House
Review and redefinition of the business model aimed at sustainably securing revenue while maintaining strict cost discipline.
The publishing house produces the wine trade magazine Merum, which is aimed at professionals and enthusiasts of Italian wine and olive oil. Merum is the only German-language publication dedicated exclusively to Italian wines and oils.
Foundation Board Member
Representative of the Swiss advertising market on the Mediapulse Foundation Board, appointed by the Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC).
Digital Business Models for Trade Fairs and Exhibitions
Editorial and commercial content accompanies trade fair visitors at every step. What contribution can this content make to the business models of the future? Development and delivery of a workshop with exhibition venue operators and content service providers.
Chairman of the Board, Internet Marketing
As part of Publicitas, Publicitas web2com AG marketed advertising formats on internet and mobile platforms. Following its acquisition by PubliGroupe SA, web2com became part of Publicitas’s all-media sales operation.
Executive Committee and Board Member, Advertising Media Research
WEMF AG for Advertising Media Research brings transparency to the media and advertising market as an independent industry research organisation. It was founded in 1964 by interest groups from the advertising and publishing industries.
As a member of the executive committee and the board of directors, Christian Gartmann represented Publicitas AG.
Board Member, Television Sales
Publicitas Cinecom AG and Publicitas Cinecom & Media AG marketed private foreign television offerings and cinema advertising in Switzerland. Following their acquisition by PubliGroupe SA, the companies underwent restructuring and turnaround measures. As a board member, Christian Gartmann was closely involved in this renewal of the companies. The cinema business was later sold to the Weischer Group.
Board Member and Advisory Board Member, TV Sales
Goldbach Media AG, then still known as IP Multimedia (Schweiz) AG, is Switzerland’s leading private TV sales company. As a pioneer of advertising windows, the company marketed both the offerings of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group and those of the RTL Group. As the country manager for Switzerland, Christian Gartmann represented the ProSiebenSat.1 Group first as an advisory board member and then as a board member of IP Multimedia (Schweiz) AG.
Chairman of the Board, Media Sales
Publicitas Radiotele AG marketed private Swiss radio and TV stations, as well as teletext offerings. It emerged from Radiotele AG, which had been acquired by PubliGroupe SA in 2006. The sales business was integrated into Publicitas’s all-media sales operation. As Chairman of the Board, Christian Gartmann was responsible for the company’s turnaround following the acquisition.
Founding and Structuring a Television Company
ProSieben Schweiz AG was founded to launch a Swiss programme window with editorial content. Christian Gartmann founded and structured the company and served as its first Delegate of the Board of Directors. Since then, it has successfully delivered television projects for Switzerland.
Social Media Strategy Advisory
Strategy development, assessment of needs and opportunities, training and implementation. RE/MAX franchisor with 65 franchisees across more than 100 locations throughout Switzerland.
Board Member, Radio Station / Radio Sales
The capital city radio station BE1 was once a joint company of NZZ, later Ringier, and the media sales company PubliGroupe SA. Christian Gartmann represented PubliGroupe on the Board of Directors during the turnaround phase before PubliGroupe withdrew from the shareholder group. After PubliGroupe’s withdrawal, Radio BE1 became part of Ringier’s Energy Group.
Board Member, Content Provider for TV Programme Data
EPS Programmservice AG was founded as a joint venture of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, the RTL Group, ZDF Enterprises, SRG SSR and Ringier in order to jointly aggregate programme data for television listings magazines and the emerging internet platforms, and to make that data available to their own platforms as well as to third parties.
In the wake of the burst “dot-com bubble”, the company ran into financial difficulties. Christian Gartmann represented the ProSiebenSat.1 Group on the Board of Directors. When a turnaround was no longer considered viable, he drove forward the liquidation of the company.
Strategic Analysis of Media Offerings
Review with options analysis, workshop for top management and members of the Board of Directors, with a SWOT analysis as the basis for strategic decisions by the executive management team and the board.
Content Concepts for a Mobile Portal
Blick TV app for iPhone and iPad
