Insights aus der Community 4: Christian Weber

Every day, exciting ideas are born in Basel – driven by people with curiosity, courage, and a deep passion for technology. At BaselTech, we want to put these "Tech Minds" in the spotlight.

In our monthly community interview, we focus on the people behind projects, startups, and companies. We talk to founders, developers, and other innovators about their motivations, experiences, and the ideas that drive them. It’s not about advertising; it’s about personal stories, lessons learned, and unique perspectives.

This interview series offers an honest look into the Basel tech scene, highlights fascinating people and their ideas, and fosters new connections within the community.

Christian Weber: Why the best connections have a clear purpose

Some career paths follow a straight line. Christian Weber’s path connects banking, education, history, digital humanities, and, today, the development of the FHNW School of Computer Science. While it might sound like several different worlds at first glance, for him, they share a common core: bringing people together and creating structures where something new can emerge.

Christian began his journey with a degree in Business Administration at FHNW and a semester abroad in Stockholm. He then spent about ten years in banking, working in areas ranging from corporate client business to private equity.

During that time, he saw how much can be achieved when people work together toward a common goal. At the same time, he realized that his own journey was far from over.

Christian returned to the University of Basel to study history, political science, and digital humanities. He subsequently worked for several years at the University of Basel’s Digital Humanities Lab, most recently as head of the study program.

When a new School of Computer Science was established in Northwestern Switzerland, he was once again drawn to the opportunity to help build something from the ground up. Since February 2025, he has been managing operations at the FHNW School of Computer Science. Christian notes with a touch of pride that his contract was the very first employment contract signed by the newly founded school.

"I am the first employee of the School of Computer Science."

A lot has happened since then: the school has opened, a new campus has been inaugurated, and a second location in Basel has been established. It is particularly important to Christian that computer science is recognized as a distinct field—not because it is detached from other areas, but precisely because digitalization now touches almost every aspect of life and business.

The new school aims to do more than just teach computer science; it wants to provide diverse entry points. In addition to classic computer science programs, this includes study models focused on data science and artificial intelligence, as well as thematic approaches like sports. For Christian, this represents a great opportunity: people are often most enthusiastic about technology when it connects to a topic they are already interested in.

"There are people who aren't primarily interested in programming, but who want to solve a problem. They use the methods of computer science to do that."

What does Christian Weber do?

Christian Weber is the Head of Operations at the FHNW School of Computer Science. He describes his role in three words: Organization, innovation, and networking.

Organization ensures that the school’s operations run reliably. For him, innovation means trying new things and, among other things, promoting entrepreneurship more strongly. And networking brings together the people who can turn ideas into concrete projects.

What does Christian want to share with the community?

Christian wants to show that networking is not an end in itself. He doesn't go to an event just to collect as many contacts as possible. For him, what matters is a common ground: a task, a problem, or a goal that people can work on together. Regarding the term "networking," he says with disarming honesty:

"I don't like going to an event just to network. I like to have a reason."

He believes that small encounters are particularly valuable. Not every collaboration can be planned on a drawing board. Sometimes the most important spark happens during a coffee break, when the right people come together and realize that their experiences complement each other.

"When you bring the right people together, you get conversations during coffee breaks that wouldn't happen otherwise."

What does Christian expect from BaselTech?

Christian primarily expects proximity, openness, and joint ventures from BaselTech. He sees the fact that BaselTech and the School of Computer Science will be moving closer together in the future as an opportunity: collaboration becomes easier when people meet regularly and can share ideas without formality.

He sees concrete opportunities in joint projects with students, in applied research, in events with business partners, and in new offerings for startups. However, he believes the real potential goes beyond that: daily interaction can lead to smaller initiatives that no one had planned beforehand.

"We have a relatively large area of overlap where we can pass the ball back and forth and do things together."

How does Christian contribute to the BaselTech community?

Christian brings a network of business, academic, and regional contacts – and a willingness to connect the right people purposefully. He does not view the relationship between BaselTech and the School of Computer Science as a one-way street, but as a collaboration from which both sides benefit.

"I think for us, it's also about building a network in Basel – and doing it together with you."

The university contributes students, continuing education, research, and services. At the same time, both sides open up their respective networks. Where these areas overlap, joint projects can emerge and new connections between the university and the business world can be forged.

Which challenges have shaped Christian the most?

For Christian, helping to build a young university means rethinking and trying out many things. At the same time, a growing university operation requires reliable structures. He accepts that not everything works perfectly right from the start.

From his previous roles, he has adopted a pragmatic attitude toward mistakes. Not every failed attempt is a catastrophe. If a project doesn't work out or a LinkedIn post isn't perfect, you should assess the consequences realistically, learn from them, and do better the next time. Christian sums up this composure dryly:

"I'm just not a surgeon."

Christian doesn't mean to downplay responsibility with this. Rather, he is concerned with putting mistakes into perspective and allowing room for experimentation where the consequences are manageable. He sees another challenge in the silos that almost automatically form in large organizations.

"Wherever I go, there are always silos."

That is precisely why it is important to him to bring people from different areas together and facilitate exchange.

What excites Christian about his job / his industry?

What excites Christian most about his role is that he can make a meaningful impact.

"I get to work in my home region and for my home region."

For him, education creates value that extends far beyond a single degree: people acquire knowledge, apply it in companies, continue to develop, and in turn pass their experience on to others.

Education does not end with a bachelor's degree for him. Especially in a fast-paced world of technology, continuing education is becoming increasingly important. Christian therefore advocates for bolder and more flexible formats that view lifelong learning not as an occasional extra course, but as an integral part of professional life. Entrepreneurship is also a key topic for him: in his view, universities should be bolder in fostering new ideas, startups, and spin-offs.

Christian sums up his attitude toward work with a wink:

“I don’t want to work for money. Do I need money? Yes.”

Fun facts about Christian

Christian owns around 200 board games. He particularly enjoys complex strategy games that can last for several hours. Among friends, however, he prefers cooperative games. His wife delves even deeper into the rules and, by Christian’s own admission, is actually better at them than he is. When asked if he is a good loser, Christian replies dryly:

“Why? I don’t lose.”

When it comes to jogging, Christian keeps it simple: while others track steps, times, and heart rates, he runs without any digital assistance at all.

“I don’t have any wearables. I just go for a run.”

What lesson would Christian like to share?

On his journey, Christian has learned not to view career changes as a break. People evolve, gain new experiences elsewhere, and often cross paths again later. For him, good collaboration is also defined by how people part ways.

“My goal is to be happy when we see each other for the second time in life.”

He applies this mindset to companies as well. Those who train junior staff shouldn't just look at the next three years. Perhaps they will return later with new skills. Relationships don't automatically end with a job change. After all, those who think long-term never know what role a junior of today might play in the future.

“The junior I’m training today might be a CEO in 25 years.”

What thought would Christian like to share with the community?

Christian is convinced that the Northwest Switzerland region will become stronger when universities, companies, startups, and communities work more closely together. Different networks, experiences, and perspectives can complement each other—especially when people are willing to think beyond the boundaries of their own organization.

For Christian, this is the opportunity to jointly develop the region’s tech ecosystem: training people, connecting knowledge and experience, and creating new possibilities for business and innovation.

This is precisely where Christian sees the common thread of his journey: networking not as an end in itself, but as a way to make a difference together.

“I believe we are creating extreme value.”

In conclusion

If you would like to learn more about Christian Weber and the FHNW School of Computer Science , you can find further information in the links.

And if you would like to share your own story, experiences, or lessons learned with the BaselTech community, we would love to hear from you. Perhaps you will be featured in our next edition of "Community Insights."

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