The question of how artificial intelligence is reshaping leadership and workplace culture has moved from conference rooms into the heart of Swiss academic planning. At a recent industry gathering, the ZP Digital Experience, experts debated how so-called AI agents are altering personnel planning and competence development — and what that means for governance. The University of St. Gallen (HSG) is among the first to anchor this field with a dedicated professor.
Dr. Julia Backmann will join HSG’s Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management as a professor and co-director, starting in the fall semester of 2026. She leaves the University of Münster, where she currently holds the chair for Transformation of the Working World. Her research focuses on leadership, collaboration, and the integration of AI-based systems into new working models. Before her time in Münster, Backmann was an assistant professor at University College Dublin (2019–2022) and at LMU Munich (2014–2018).
The appointment arrives as Swiss universities push for more strategic faculty planning. The University of Bern finalized a new set of guidelines on professor planning in January 2026, set to take effect in 2027. Under the new framework, staffing decisions will be made within the context of broader faculty strategies rather than as simple replacements for individual retirees. The goal: greater flexibility in setting academic priorities.
HSG itself is also dealing with a disciplinary matter. The university issued a severe reprimand to a former adjunct professor for multiple violations of scientific integrity — specifically, concerning his habilitation thesis. The professor had already left the institution in April 2024. Under the ruling, his right to hold the title will officially expire at the end of the fall semester of 2027.
Beyond academia, the corporate world is making similar moves to align HR leadership with digital transformation. Home appliance manufacturer V-ZUG appointed Lorenzo Plumettaz as its new Chief People & Culture Officer, effective October 5, 2026. He succeeds Sandra Forster-Bernacchia, who is leaving the company. Markus Abt had already taken over corporate communications and investor relations at V-ZUG in June 2026.
In Germany, a partnership between business and higher education is strengthening a specific HR topic. An Edeka-funded endowed professorship at the University of Hamburg Business School was filled by Theresa Bockelmann on July 1, 2026. The position focuses on digital transformation in the retail sector and is funded for six years.
Meanwhile, the University of Lucerne is deepening its specialization in niche technology. For its newly established Zug Institute for Blockchain Research, the university has advertised a professorship for Health and Blockchain, with an appointment target of March 1, 2027. The institute plans to host a total of nine professors from various faculties to explore blockchain applications in the human sciences.
