Katharina Vogt-Schädler, a 2008 graduate of the Master’s degree programme in Entrepreneurship, is now CFO/COO and member of the Executive Board of VP Bank (Schweiz) AG in Zurich. And to continue earning the trust placed in her, she has made sure to keep on developing.
“I worked really hard right from the beginning”
Katharina Vogt-Schädler, a 2008 graduate of the Master’s degree programme in Entrepreneurship, is now CFO/COO and member of the Executive Board of VP Bank (Schweiz) AG in Zurich. And to continue earning the trust placed in her, she has made sure to keep on developing.
Katharina Vogt-Schädler, you are highly successful professionally, you have a family with two children, a husband and a household, and on top of this you’ve completed both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree programme. How does this all fit in?
I was very fortunate to have my children at a young age. I was always able to arrange my studies and my work around my family, and to enjoy both sides. I was, however, also fortunate to have people in my private and professional lives who believed in me. This gives me a huge amount of strength. Having a successful career means having strong partners, both privately and professionally.
Before immersing yourself in the world of bankers and financial intermediaries, you spent 10 years as a primary school teacher. Why not banking right from the start?
Good question. My years as a primary school teacher were not wasted. On the contrary. As an educator I learnt to appreciate individuals in all their diversity, and to find ways to show them what I expect of them, to encourage them and also to recognize their limits. After all, this is what makes a good manager today. Young university graduates have to work hard to develop these skills on the job.
In 1999 you decided to return to school yourself to study Business Administration. What was your motivation?
I grew up in a commercial business, and chose the E-stream at grammar school, with its focus on economics. But due to my family situation, I first chose to become a teacher. The older the children became, the more motivated I was to study business.
And you chose Liechtenstein.
Yes, I saw a flyer from the Liechtenstein University of Applied Sciences, as it was known at the time, and knew right away that this was it. A full degree programme with a focus on business, one that I can complete on a part-time basis and that is even close by.
Katharina Vogt-Schädler is CFO/COO and member of the Executive Board of VP Bank (Schweiz) AG in Zurich.
You continued to teach during the first two years of your studies. And then you moved to VP Bank in 2001. Was it a case of “right place, right time”?
Yes, the move was the result of a personal contact. In 2000 the banks were still doing very well, and committed people with potential were in demand. I was given an opportunity as a newcomer. I worked really hard right from the beginning in order to earn the trust that had been placed in me. My first stop was in IT.
After four years you moved into back-office services. How did this change things for you?
After four years my boss at the time moved into Group Executive Management, and he offered me an administrative function in his division. Suddenly I was responsible not only for IT, but for issues relating to all back-office services. In my role as his right hand, I was also involved in strategic issues, and this experience helped me to lay the foundations for my current work as CFO/COO.
During this time you also decided to complete a Master’s degree programme at the formerly named Hochschule Liechtenstein. But instead of Financial Services, you chose Entrepreneurship. Why?
During the Bachelor’s degree programme I gained considerable expertise in business-related issues. I wanted to expand this expertise further, and gain new input. As I had always worked closely together with company management, Entrepreneurship was a logical choice for me. The degree programme helped me to build up basic theoretical background knowledge, to learn to think strategically and to broaden my horizons.
How did the bank support you in your decision to carry on studying?
The bank was very supportive of my decision. I told my boss in advance of my interest in studying again, and he gave me the green light. For him, combining my work with my studies made good sense. In concrete terms this meant I spent Thursdays and Fridays at university – not in the office. And for a period of two years.
How have you benefited professionally from your studies?
Joining the bank enabled me to consolidate the basic knowledge I had acquired during the Bachelor’s degree programme, with the related issues coming up on a daily basis. Working and studying are about give and take – on both sides. Students develop skills that can be applied in their work, while also contributing their knowledge of company processes to their studies. Particularly when it comes to research papers, there is a great deal of reflection involved.
A Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree. How about a PhD in the future?
I’ve already studied the fact sheet. At the moment I’m hesitating because my work takes up a great deal of my time. I also work most weekends. I’d like to leave the issue of a doctoral degree open for now.
And which university would you consider?
Preferably the University of Liechtenstein. I’m at home here! (Laughs.) I like to feel welcome, and right from the beginning I felt that you’re not just a number at the University of Liechtenstein. Despite its rapid growth, it still maintains its familiar atmosphere, and there is a strong spirit of optimism, almost like at a start-up. This creates a good climate for learning – as well as just for being.
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Katharina Vogt-Schädler
(born 1967) has been CFO/COO and member of the Executive Board of VP Bank (Schweiz) AG in Zurich since 2009. The bank currently employs a workforce of around 90 individuals. From 2010 to 2011 Katharina Vogt-Schädler was temporarily responsible for all the banking transactions of VP Bank (Schweiz) AG as Chairman of the Executive Board. She worked as a primary school teacher from 1991 to 2001, before joining VP Bank in Vaduz in 2001.
She studied for a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on financial services at the Liechtenstein University of Applied Sciences, before completing the Master’s degree programme in Entrepreneurship at the Hochschule Liechtenstein in 2008. Katharina Vogt-Schädler is married with two adult children, and lives in Triesenberg.