Axpo, Switzerland’s largest energy company, partnered with the University of St. Gallen to drive a deep transformation in leadership and organisational culture across its global operations. By starting change at the Executive Board level, embracing feedback, and introducing action-oriented values like “Be a Leader” and “Make It Happen”, Axpo fostered trust, collaboration, and measurable impact through immersive experiential training. The initiative anchored leadership behaviours in daily practice and HR systems, earning Axpo Top 10 Great Places to Work status, while offering a compelling blueprint for culture change that begins at the top.
In early 2022, the world’s energy markets were in upheaval. Geopolitical tensions, price volatility, and shifting energy demands were reshaping the industry overnight. For Axpo, Switzerland’s largest energy company, this environment was more than a challenge — there was a need to adapt faster, collaborate better, and lead with greater agility.
With over 7,500 employees across Europe, North America, and Asia, Axpo was already an innovation driver in renewables, battery storage, hydrogen, and long-term energy contracts. But beneath these successes lay a more human challenge: each business unit operated with its own rhythm, culture, and priorities. Leaders were proud of their independence – yet collaboration across business units had little heritage.
CEO Christoph Brand and COO Henriette Wendt recognised that Axpo didn’t need a radical new strategy – the strategy set was clear and ambitious already. It needed a stronger, more unified organisational culture to thrive in an unpredictable world. And they believed that change had to start with themselves and their colleagues at the very top.
From Crisis to Commitment
This was not a “programme for the many” launched from a distant boardroom. Instead, the Executive Board (EB) placed itself under the microscope first. Partnering with the University of St. Gallen’s Custom Programmes team, Axpo committed to a journey that would align leadership behaviours, strengthen trust, and embed a shared sense of purpose throughout the organisation.
“The starting point was clear: if we expect different behaviours across the company, we as the EB have to go first,” says Wendt. “We had to demonstrate — consistently — that collaboration, empowerment, and innovation are not just words on a slide but daily practices.”
Phase I – Listening Before Acting
The journey began with the St. Gallen Organisational Feedback Process — a structured, evidence-based approach combining surveys, interviews of the direct reports, and candid team discussions.
This process gave the EB a 360° perspective on its leadership impact: where it was already strong (openness, accessibility, and a clear strategic compass) and where it could grow (fostering psychological safety, breaking silos, and aligning leadership principles across diverse business units).
The message from leaders across Axpo was encouraging: We value that you are asking for feedback, and we are ready to engage. This spirit of openness created early momentum and set the tone for the transformation ahead.
Phase II – Coaching for Change
From late 2022 through 2023, Axpo and St. Gallen moved into a phase of Executive Coaching and Business Sparring. This was not generic leadership training — it was tailored, high-impact work on real organisational challenges.
One example was the newly created COO role, which spanned multiple functions without clear precedent at Axpo. Balancing centralisation (for efficiency) and decentralisation (for agility) required careful stakeholder engagement and trust-building.
Moreover, Axpo’s Values were rebranded into four memorable, action-oriented principles:
Be a Leader
Care About People
Create the Future
Make It Happen
These values became the compass for the EB’s own behaviour and, eventually, the shared language of leadership across the company.
Phase III – Bringing Values to Life
In January 2024, the transformation moved from the top tier to the wider leadership community at Axpo. The Management Conference in Zurich became the launchpad for “The Power of US” — an experiential activation of the Axpo Values.
The moment was unforgettable. More than 300 leaders were asked suddenly during the management conference to leave their seats, to go next door into a second hall, and to take, to their surprise, a seat between a 50-piece orchestra.
Under the guidance of a conductor, the orchestra played in different leadership “modes” and brought the Axpo Values to life. The metaphor was immediate and powerful — leadership style shapes performance, trust, and the ability to deliver together.
The Power of US Training
The conference was just the beginning. Over the next six months, 660 top leaders took part in a two-day experiential training journey, followed by another 600 leaders in a one-day format. Also, here the EB was leading by example by doing exactly the same training first and thereby acting as guinea pigs.
Guided by the principle “We don’t teach, we don’t preach,” the sessions were immersive, interactive, and rooted in real leadership situations. Each module connected directly to one of the Axpo Values:
Make It Happen: An outdoor challenge where unclear instructions mirrored real business ambiguity. Leaders learned to step up, take ownership, break down silos, and build trust quickly.
Care About People: A Mount Everest simulation that tested decision-making under pressure, highlighting the need for empathy, psychological safety, and inclusive communication.
Be a Leader: A fast-paced role simulation with immediate feedback on leadership style and prioritisation.
Create the Future: A customer-centric innovation sprint, reinforcing the mindset that the purpose of business is to create and retain customers.
Each session began with a personal introduction from an EB member, reinforcing role-modelling from the top. CEO messages were woven into the programme, underlining the link between values and Axpo’s long-term success.
Embedding Change Through HR Processes
Unlike many culture programmes, Axpo ensured the transformation was built into its systems. The Axpo Values now shape performance assessments, pulse checks, and people management processes.
For example:
Be a Leader is reflected in goal-setting for both operational and exploratory teams.
Care About People drives structured “Power Dialogues” between managers and their teams.
Create the Future encourages empowerment to tackle challenges proactively.
Make It Happen emphasises continuous improvement and feedback.
These structural anchors ensure that the cultural shift is not a “campaign” but a sustained way of working.
Impact – Measurable and Cultural
The results speak for themselves:
96.7% of 1260 participants rated the values training as “very good” or “good”
8.6/10 average satisfaction score of both trainings, exceeding Axpo’s expectations by 7
Axpo became one of the Top 10 Great Places to Work–certified employers in Switzerland, with certification across all participating countries
Significant improvements in trust, collaboration, and alignment at the EB level — especially in being seen as “one team” and taking a genuine interest in employees
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) now firmly in the “very good” range
As one participant reflected: “The training brought our values to life in a tangible way. It wasn’t abstract — it was about real situations, real behaviours, and real connections with colleagues across divisions.”
Lessons for Other Organisations
The Axpo journey offers clear takeaways for organisations facing similar challenges:
Start at the Top – Cultural transformation gains credibility when leaders visibly change first.
Listen Before Acting – Diagnostic feedback builds trust, reveals hidden dynamics, and sharpens priorities.
Make it Experiential – Adults learn best when they feel the lessons, not just hear them.
Embed in Systems – Sustained change requires integration into HR and performance processes.
Celebrate and Communicate – Milestones, symbols, and storytelling keep the transformation alive.
The Power of Many
For Axpo, this transformation was not the achievement of a few, but the collaboration of many — from the EB and HR to leaders in every business unit and the facilitation team at the University of St. Gallen.
Or as Chief People Officer Philip Janssen puts it: “Through the collective efforts of many — from the engagement of our Executive Board to the dedication of our teams and the energy of people across every corner of Axpo — we achieved what once seemed impossible, demonstrating the true Power of US.”
