CIO Thomas Sutter to Leave UZH

Thomas Sutter will step down as Chief Information Officer of the University of Zurich (UZH) at the end of April 2026. In May, he will assume the role of managing director at the Switch foundation, which develops and operates digital platforms and critical infrastructure in partnership with Swiss universities.

Sutter, a business informatics specialist, took over as head of the then newly founded Central IT office at UZH in July 2014. In this role, he prioritized user-friendly and secure solutions for students, teaching staff, researchers and employees, as well as the digital transformation of UZH. Under his leadership, the university modernized its IT infrastructure and expanded information security. In addition, he helped UZH overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic by managing the rapid introduction of Microsoft 365. Noteworthy achievements include establishing the ScienceIT center of expertise, successfully digitizing student processes, creating the widely used UZH now app, and modernizing the university’s e-learning and e-assessment services.

UZH President Michael Schaepman deeply regrets Thomas Sutter’s departure and thanks him warmly for his service. “His expertise has had a lasting impact on Central IT and has greatly advanced IT at UZH. On behalf of the Executive Board, I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. I have greatly enjoyed working with Thomas Sutter and I’m delighted that, in his new role at Switch, he will remain connected to the university community, and thus also to UZH.”

Information on Thomas Sutter’s successor as Chief Information Officer at UZH will be provided in due course.