Wolfgang Tracht: Dancing to the tune of his own instrument
Wolfgang plays the bassoon. In case you didn’t know, the bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family. It is known for its distinctive tone colour, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity, which is coincidentally a description that also suits Wolfgang extremely well.
He has worked in finance for more than 20 years in Germany, the UK and Switzerland. After studying maths and computer science at university, he moved from software engineering into banking, first in project management and then into higher management positions.
Graduating from the EMBA in his late 40s and as the Chief Operating Officer and member of the Executive Board of LGT Bank puts Wolfgang towards the more senior position and age range within his class.
“My primary motivation was to better prepare myself for challenges and changes which the financial services industry is continuing to face,” explained Wolfgang. “This was achieved. But one of the most useful outcomes that I hadn’t bargained for was the exposure to a new, and more entrepreneurial, way of working,” he added.
Wolfgang referred to the richness of diversity, in terms of age, industry and background, among his EMBA UZH classmates as the key to honing this approach. “They made me realise how much you can achieve in a short space of time with very little resources,” he recalled. He also attributes the mixture of teaching styles and classroom settings to opening his eyes to new possibilities.
“The financial industry, along with many industries, is at a pivotal time,” said Wolfgang. “I enrolled onto the EMBA having identified gaps in my ability to navigate teams in the right direction. Now, I revel in the challenges of leading in an age of uncertainty – addressing organisational change, applying new technologies, and developing our company culture and employees,” he concluded.
