I did not set out to break rules for the sake of it. I trusted my beliefs and my instincts, and as a result we probably broke every rule in the book.
In the world of business and within every industry, there are forward-thinking leaders who go against the status quo and find success. Their courage to take risks, embrace innovation, and inspire collaboration separates them from the competition. Until 2002, Apple’s famous slogan was “Think Different”. This attitude likely helped them become one of the most successful organizations in history. This interview series aims to showcase visionary leaders and their “status quo-breaking” approach to doing business.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure to interview Bernhard Gademann.
Bernhard Gademann is President of Institut auf dem Rosenberg, a fourth-generation family-owned institution, as well as Principal of Pioneer Ventures and Co-Founder of Edu Smart Technologies. He built an international career in financial services in London and New York, working at the forefront of technology and global strategic partnerships. Since returning to Switzerland, he has driven key educational innovations including the development of SchoolHub®, a groundbreaking digitisation platform for schools.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”? Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up at Institut auf dem Rosenberg, quite literally. When your playground is a school campus and your dinner conversations revolve around ideas, people, and education, work and learning never really switches off at 5 pm. As a student, I graduated from Rosenberg thinking I will do something entirely different, which led me to study and work abroad in finance and technology at the early dawn of algorithmic trading in the super vibrant City of London. That experience taught me speed, scale, and just how transformative strong technology systems and partnerships can be. I was privileged to have been mentored by incredibly result-driven managers who taught me how to live my work and enjoy my successes. The work-life balance question was virtually non-existent in London because young people, fresh out of university, were given a real chance to make decisions, take risks and therefore thrive. We didn’t need a work-life balance, our lives were our work. I carry this ethos and philosophy with myself until today. Returning to Switzerland years later felt less like returning and more like continuing the same story with sharper tools, qualified bravery and higher ambition. Today, I still see Rosenberg as a place defined by curiosity, people, and the conviction that education must constantly evolve.
Can you give us a glimpse into your journey into this industry and share a story about one of the most significant challenges you faced when you first started out? How did you end up resolving that challenge?
I was struck by how much of education was still built on ancient paradigms and tools that had barely changed in a hundred years led by passionate individuals who believed that thinking out of the box will break students. I had spent my early professional years in finance and technology in London and New York, where constant reinvention is simply part of survival. Returning to education, I saw an opportunity to bring what I had learnt into a school environment. I refused to accept that students preparing for the future should be educated with the tools of the past, and instead began testing new ideas, technologies, and approaches in practice. The real challenge was turning conviction into action fast enough to drive change at the pace it was needed. We did not debate reform, we built it, creating a holistic environment where students thrive through ambitious, real-world projects powered by technology, partnerships, and a team with the right mindset. Our teams work like we worked in the finance industry: with a very high bar, clear goals and a success driven remuneration structure including bonuses. The surprise was not that it worked, but that it delivered outstanding external exam results, proving that real-world relevance and academic excellence are not a trade-off, but a multiplier.
Who has been the most significant influence in your business journey, and what is the most significant lesson or insight you have learned from them?
I have been most inspired by leaders and entrepreneurs who challenge the status quo and trust their conviction that if they get the product right and believe in what they do, everything else will eventually fall into place. I have always looked up to those who understand that dismantling outdated structures is often necessary to create space for something better. The most important lesson I learnt from them is perseverance. If you truly believe in your vision, you have to stay the course through resistance and uncertainty. You can adapt your strategy along the way, but you must never lose sight of the objective.
Can you share a story about something specific that happened early on that you would consider a failure but ended up being a blessing in disguise or ended up being one of the most valuable lessons you had to learn on your own?
One early “failure” was underestimating just how resistant traditional education systems can be to change. I believed logic and strong ideas would speak for themselves, but quickly learned that innovation in schools is often perceived as criticism for the teacher’s work, and that fear and entrenched mindsets can outweigh logic. Some people did not share our excitement for the future or the 100% commitment to our students’ success. When we started we could not fathom how a teacher would reject coming to school in the evening or on a Sunday to deliver revision sessions to his or her students ahead of important exams. It’s hard to give up your private time for an effort you do not believe in. Today we need to timetable Sunday revision sessions because our team of Artisans are fighting for free slots to support our students. We made a clear choice not to be dragged into negativity and to keep moving forward. I set out to build an environment offering truly individualised education, unaware that delivering on this vision would require dismantling much of the existing school structure, from timetabling and transparency to management processes and the way data is used. While tough on a personal level, in hindsight, that misjudgment was a gift for Rosenberg, our team and students. We set out to transform Institut auf dem Rosenberg into a 21st-century school through technology, strategy and culture without fully grasping how much radical change and dismantling of old thinking this would require. Had I known the true energy cost, we might never have started, and that very naivety is what ultimately allowed us to build a uniquely holistic learning environment, driven by a deeply committed team and students who thrive across all fields.
Leading anything is hard, especially when grappling with a difficult situation where it seems that no matter what you decide, it will have a negative impact on those around you. Can you share a story about a situation you faced that required making a “hard call” or a tough decision between two paths?
One of the first real lessons I learned was that leadership means taking responsibility for unpopular decisions and being willing to speak uncomfortable truths. Leadership is not a popularity contest. That is the standard we also expect from our managers today. Early on, we decided that if we consistently put our students and our clients at the centre of every decision, we could not go wrong, even if it came at a financial or personal cost. Client first, comfort and profit later. This led to difficult choices, including shutting-down academic programmes and restructuring teams, knowing not everyone would agree or understand at the time. As societies we are currently discussing the threats of tomorrow including societal polarization, misinformation or disruptive communication while these issues are really present in institutional education with a lack of transparency to and from the stakeholders, old and arbitrary data or fear of repercussions for honesty. As leaders in education we must ensure that these issues are dealt with on the ground so the leaders of tomorrow have the bravery to do things differently. What made these decisions particularly challenging was the uncertainty. You never truly know how an ecosystem will react. In hindsight, every decision I still stand by was a bold one, driven by values and a clear sense of mission rather than short-term comfort. Some were painful to make and even harder to communicate, but we never looked back, because staying true to that conviction ultimately strengthened everything we were building.
Let’s shift our focus to the core of this interview about ‘Successful Rule Breakers’. Why did you decide to “break the rules”? Early on, did you identify a particular problem or issue in how businesses in your industry generally operated? What specifically compelled you to address this and want to do things differently? Please share how you went about implementing those changes and the impact they had.
I did not set out to break rules for the sake of it. I trusted my beliefs and my instincts, and as a result we probably broke every rule in the book. Coming from a background in financial technology and partnerships, I was used to fast-moving, demanding environments where outcomes mattered more than tradition. I simply refused to accept that the principles that drive success in other industries could not also apply to education. I later realised that breaking silos and innovating at full throttle was, in fact, a Rosenberg tradition when I came across an old newspaper clipping recognizing my great-grandfather as the Swiss pioneer of individual education. What compelled me most was seeing how outdated structures, customs, and belief systems in schools often protect the comfortable rather than empower the capable. Students who want to perform and teachers who genuinely want to make a difference are too often held back by a culture of inertia and blame. I also refused to accept the idea that technology could not fundamentally change schools. If digital tools can transform finance, mobility, or communication, why should education be exempt? So we implemented change by building rather than asking for permission. We redesigned systems, curricula, and processes from the ground up, applied technology where it created real leverage, and partnered with people and organisations that shared our ambition. Ironically, nothing motivated us more than being told, “this can’t be done” or “that’s not how it’s done.” Our response was always, “says who?” I have seen entire industries reinvent themselves, and the impact of doing the same in education has been students and teachers who are finally able to thrive rather than conform without outdated models and behaviours.
In the ever-changing business landscape, how exactly do you decide when to adhere to industry norms versus “breaking the rules” and forging your own way? Can you share an example?
I don’t. I believe there are really only two boundaries in entrepreneurship: moral and legal. With the latter, there is often a clear gap between what the law actually states and how it is traditionally interpreted, and once you take the time to truly understand that difference, solutions usually emerge. I am inspired by success and delivering on my promise to clients instead of trying to conform with industry norms.
What guidance or insight can you offer to new entrepreneurs trying to follow existing and accepted industry norms while at the same time trying to differentiate themselves in the marketplace?
My advice is simple: do not copy existing business models. A horse with stripes painted on it will never make for a great zebra. That kind of differentiation is superficial and never authentic. Authenticity is the real foundation of success. You have to stand for something, deliver on that promise rigorously, and be honest about who you are and what you do. People immediately sense when something is not authentic, and your clients are not fools. So be very clear about what makes your product truly unique and why you are the right one to deliver it.
Here is the main question of our interview. To make an impact, you have to champion change, get creative, and take risks. Please think back about the decisions you’ve made that have helped your business get to where it is today, and share your top 5 strategies or decisions that helped you succeed by doing things differently. If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1. Culture will have strategy for breakfast, any day.
Early on, we learned that no strategy survives a weak culture. We invested heavily in values, attitude, and ownership, even when it meant making uncomfortable personnel decisions. Once the culture was right, execution followed almost effortlessly.
2. If you don’t have a client you do not have a business.
You can solve almost any problem in a business if you have clients who believe in your product and are willing to pay for your services. The client sits at the centre of everything, because they enable you to operate, to improve, and to keep developing the product.
3. Serve the client, but never compromise your values.
We always put students and therefore clients first, but never at the expense of our principles. Saying no was sometimes costly in the short term, but protecting our values consistently paid off in trust and long-term success.
4. Innovate fast, take risks and execute quickly.
We listened closely to our clients and our instincts, then executed quickly. Instead of endless prototypes and blueprints, we moved straight into building real products and improving them in motion. Speed and courage mattered more than initial perfection.
5. Assemble a great team.
Nothing meaningful is built alone. We surrounded ourselves with people who shared our ambition and cared deeply about the mission. We did not waste energy on negativity, and with the right team in place, even the hardest problems became solvable.
As a leader, how do you rally others to align with your vision? Also, how do you identify those who may not be fully committed or even silently sabotaging or undermining your efforts? What steps do you take to address these situations?
Alignment starts with clarity. I spend a lot of time explaining not just what the vision is, but why it matters and why the chosen path forward is critical to our success. When people share the same mindset, attitude, and goals, momentum is created almost naturally and culture does the heavy lifting. At the same time, in a business where every decision counts, there is no room for people who are not pulling in the same direction. We are very clear about expectations and we give candid, respectful feedback early. Even our employee handbook states openly: this is hard work and it may not be for everyone. It is a free world, and people can choose whether they want to be on board but no organisation should be held hostage by a disgruntled few. Disengaged team members do not add value to the organisation, nor to their own wellbeing, so addressing misalignment early is ultimately the fairest outcome for everyone involved.
Imagine we’re sitting down together two years from now, looking back at your company’s last 24 months. What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?
Two years from now, I would be happy if we could honestly say that we improved in every meaningful aspect of what we do. That means not only refining execution, but also having the courage to critically question what we even define as success today. Most importantly, I would want to see that we did not become complacent, arrogant, or comfortable with the status quo. If we have created genuinely innovative products and services that address the needs of 2028 rather than 2026, and if we are still challenging ourselves with the same intensity as on day one, then I would consider the past 24 months a success.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would start a movement to fundamentally redesign how countries are governed. Most constitutions and legal systems were written for societies that no longer exist, yet we treat them as sacred creating a polarised society that is imploding from the inside and yet not qualified to communicate and create change. You would never run a modern company on a 250-year-old operating manual, but in politics this is somehow accepted and this makes no sense. I am convinced we would still end up with the same core values, but we would finally ask the right question: what should a country actually do to help its people thrive in health, freedom, and happiness today? That would require clear goals, measurable outcomes, and real accountability, where those in power are evaluated on results, not rhetoric. And yes, it would inevitably involve AI, not to rule people, but to hold institutions and leaders accountable to the people they are meant to serve.
How can our readers continue to follow you or your company online?
https://instrosenberg.ch/
https://instagram.com/instrosenberg/
Thank you so much for sharing all of these insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.
Successful Rule Breakers: Bernhard Gademann On How To Succeed By Doing Things Differently was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.