By athletes for athletes. As retired athletes ourselves, we understand your needs, and we know how to support you on your personal development journey. The Athletes Academy is here to help you get on the ladder as you prepare to embark on a new career outside the world of sport. We care about your success!
If your financial situation makes our services unaffordable for you, you may be eligible for funding through our Athletes Network Donors Club. To find out more, please contact us directly at mail@athletes-network.com or on +41 (0)44 212 88 77.
Defining my position with Dave helped me get things straight in my head and formulate a clear plan to help me on my way.
Roman Wick, ice hockey player, on our Defining Your Position service
I found the Defining Your Position service extremely useful as a way of taking stock of my current personal and professional situation.
Michael Weber, footballer
Working with the Athletes Network gives me the confidence and reassurance I need to stay fully focused on ice hockey.
Simon Bodenmann, ice hockey player
Defining my position with Dave helped me get things straight in my head and formulate a clear plan to help me on my way.
Roman Wick, ice hockey player, on our Defining Your Position service
I found the Defining Your Position service extremely useful as a way of taking stock of my current personal and professional situation.
Michael Weber, footballer
Working with the Athletes Network gives me the confidence and reassurance I need to stay fully focused on ice hockey.
Simon Bodenmann, ice hockey player
The Entrepreneur Workshop is designed for athletes who are thinking about setting up their own business or investing in a start-up.
Jérôme Thiesson, footballer
I found the course really inspiring, because I’m already involved in a start-up. There were plenty of opportunities to ask for practical advice on specific situations during the event, which was very helpful.
Dave Hablützel, snowboarder
The Entrepreneur Workshop is designed for athletes who are thinking about setting up their own business or investing in a start-up.
Jérôme Thiesson, footballer
I found the course really inspiring, because I’m already involved in a start-up. There were plenty of opportunities to ask for practical advice on specific situations during the event, which was very helpful.
Dave Hablützel, snowboarder
Andri Stoffel played ice hockey for the ZSC Lions for 11 years, winning three Swiss Championships and one European Champions Hockey League title. He also has a degree in Occupational and Organisational Psychology from the University of Zurich, and can draw on a long career in HR. As a coach, he is passionate about sharing his experience with athletes who are about to enter the world of work.
During his 14 years as an ice hockey player, Cyrill Bühler took a silver medal at the World U18 Championships and won the European Champions Hockey League, the Victoria Cup and the Swiss Championship. After spending the best part of a year travelling around South America, Cyrill joined Dentsu International four-and-a-half years ago. His HR training culminated in his being awarded a Master’s degree from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland in 2021. He cites curiosity, courage and a can-do attitude as his biggest assets in his efforts to establish himself in a new environment.
As a careers coach, Patricia loves working with professional athletes. Her own career as an athlete sadly came to an end when her application to study classical ballet at the conservatoire was rejected. Patricia advises everyone she coaches to be themselves. After all, the world doesn’t need any more copies. She’s skilled at energising people and helping them uncover their hidden talents. Patricia loves to draw on her extensive experience in career planning at international companies to help you find your feet in your second career. Direct and honest in her communication style, she is pragmatic and always focused on finding solutions. Patricia is known for her positive attitude and sense of humour.
With an apprenticeship and vocational diploma under his belt, Beni’s career as a professional athlete began at the age of 21. He went on to have a successful football career, until he had to retire aged 35. So what was his next move?
Beni really knows his stuff and is perfectly placed to prepare top athletes for the difficult transition to a new career outside the world of sport. You can count on him to tell the direct, honest and unvarnished truth about his experience – with a pinch of humour thrown in.
Years ago, Baschi Sale was one of the first to spot the potential of LinkedIn for sales, marketing and recruitment. Nowadays, he runs regular workshops and seminars to teach others the power of the business networking site. His motto #heretohelp shows just how passionate he is about helping companies and individuals make the most of LinkedIn as a tool for achieving their goals. So what does Baschi have in common with athletes, you might ask? It’s all about high performance. As one of Switzerland’s most active LinkedIn users, he’s a stand-out performer in his field. An entrepreneur, mentor, business sparring partner and skilled networker, he is perfectly positioned to help you stay on the right track.
Chris Bargholz is the co-founder and CEO of Rhino Innovation, a Zurich-based company specialising in the creation and delivery of courses on entrepreneurship and corporate innovation on behalf of educational institutions and other organisations. Having spent many years researching start-ups, scale-ups and venture capital investments in-depth, Chris is now one of Switzerland’s most highly respected thought leaders. A former college soccer player who was selected for the All-American First Team in 2013, Chris presents in a clear,pragmatic way. And he injects so much energy into everything he does that there’s no chance you’ll lose interest in what he has to say.
Dave’s handball career was short and sweet. In fact, his only appearance in Switzerland’s NLA league lasted just three minutes. A change of career took him into the world of HR, where his exceptional people skills, courage and tenacity made him a sure-fire rising star. As the Global Head of HR at an international insurance company, he supported talented young people as they took their first steps on the career ladder, overseeing processes of change and development. Ultimately, he decided to join the Athletes Network so he could share his experience with others and teach them the skills he had picked up along the way.
Julia hung up her cross-country skis for the last time at the age of 21, when she decided to leave her sporting career behind her to focus on a new professional endeavour. As a business school graduate and young professional, she worked constantly on her career plans, positioning and networking. Now she is delighted to be able to share her experiences with athletes.
Gerd was – and indeed still is – a passionate footballer. It’s just a shame that his skill couldn’t match his boundless ambition and enthusiasm. With his heart still very much in football and sport in general, he decided to apply his skill, dedication and determination to other career opportunities. As Head of Career & Corporate Services and a careers adviser at the University of St. Gallen, he channels his passion and talent into consultancy, recruitment and the job market. With many years of HR experience behind him, Gerd is perfectly placed to help you make a good impression during any recruitment process.
As part of the team that won the runners-up medal at the World U18 Championships, Severin kicked off his glistening ice hockey career at an early age. He went on to win four Swiss Championship titles, the European Champions Hockey League and the Swiss Cup. He was also part of the Swiss senior side that won silver at the World Championships in 2018. When he embarked upon a career outside the sporting world, Severin found that even bigger challenges awaited him off the ice. That’s why he’s so passionate about sharing his experiences with other athletes as an Academy Coach, and helping them to them navigate what can be a very tricky transition.
Andri Stoffel played ice hockey for the ZSC Lions for 11 years, winning three Swiss Championships and one European Champions Hockey League title. He also has a degree in Occupational and Organisational Psychology from the University of Zurich, and can draw on a long career in HR. As a coach, he is passionate about sharing his experience with athletes who are about to enter the world of work.
During his 14 years as an ice hockey player, Cyrill Bühler took a silver medal at the World U18 Championships and won the European Champions Hockey League, the Victoria Cup and the Swiss Championship. After spending the best part of a year travelling around South America, Cyrill joined Dentsu International four-and-a-half years ago. His HR training culminated in his being awarded a Master’s degree from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland in 2021. He cites curiosity, courage and a can-do attitude as his biggest assets in his efforts to establish himself in a new environment.
As a careers coach, Patricia loves working with professional athletes. Her own career as an athlete sadly came to an end when her application to study classical ballet at the conservatoire was rejected. Patricia advises everyone she coaches to be themselves. After all, the world doesn’t need any more copies. She’s skilled at energising people and helping them uncover their hidden talents. Patricia loves to draw on her extensive experience in career planning at international companies to help you find your feet in your second career. Direct and honest in her communication style, she is pragmatic and always focused on finding solutions. Patricia is known for her positive attitude and sense of humour.
With an apprenticeship and vocational diploma under his belt, Beni’s career as a professional athlete began at the age of 21. He went on to have a successful football career, until he had to retire aged 35. So what was his next move?
Beni really knows his stuff and is perfectly placed to prepare top athletes for the difficult transition to a new career outside the world of sport. You can count on him to tell the direct, honest and unvarnished truth about his experience – with a pinch of humour thrown in.
Mireille Jaton has been a presenter on the global stage for over 20 years and has won multiple awards as a speaker. In 2017, she founded her academy EVENT SPEAKING, which specialises in communication, public speaking and presentation skills. Retired professional athletes (including Beni Huggel and Kevin Lötscher) are among her favourite clients, because they have so much to offer the general public by sharing their experiences.
Years ago, Baschi Sale was one of the first to spot the potential of LinkedIn for sales, marketing and recruitment. Nowadays, he runs regular workshops and seminars to teach others the power of the business networking site. His motto #heretohelp shows just how passionate he is about helping companies and individuals make the most of LinkedIn as a tool for achieving their goals. So what does Baschi have in common with athletes, you might ask? It’s all about high performance. As one of Switzerland’s most active LinkedIn users, he’s a stand-out performer in his field. An entrepreneur, mentor, business sparring partner and skilled networker, he is perfectly positioned to help you stay on the right track.
Chris Bargholz is the co-founder and CEO of Rhino Innovation, a Zurich-based company specialising in the creation and delivery of courses on entrepreneurship and corporate innovation on behalf of educational institutions and other organisations. Having spent many years researching start-ups, scale-ups and venture capital investments in-depth, Chris is now one of Switzerland’s most highly respected thought leaders. A former college soccer player who was selected for the All-American First Team in 2013, Chris presents in a clear,pragmatic way. And he injects so much energy into everything he does that there’s no chance you’ll lose interest in what he has to say.
Dave’s handball career was short and sweet. In fact, his only appearance in Switzerland’s NLA league lasted just three minutes. A change of career took him into the world of HR, where his exceptional people skills, courage and tenacity made him a sure-fire rising star. As the Global Head of HR at an international insurance company, he supported talented young people as they took their first steps on the career ladder, overseeing processes of change and development. Ultimately, he decided to join the Athletes Network so he could share his experience with others and teach them the skills he had picked up along the way.
Julia hung up her cross-country skis for the last time at the age of 21, when she decided to leave her sporting career behind her to focus on a new professional endeavour. As a business school graduate and young professional, she worked constantly on her career plans, positioning and networking. Now she is delighted to be able to share her experiences with athletes. She is a firm believer that building a strong network around you is more than just a smart business move. Your connections can also provide you with a powerful source of inspiration and help you broaden your horizons.
Muriel grew up at FC Zürich and had the opportunity to become Swiss Champion and Cup Winner several times. Academically, she has a Master’s degree in Business Innovation and is a Design Thinking Expert. She is self-employed and accompanies organizations into the future of work. Her passion lies in the topics of leadership, collaboration, creativity and innovation. Additionally, she teaches at various universities, gives talks and moderates events.
Gerd was – and indeed still is – a passionate footballer. It’s just a shame that his skill couldn’t match his boundless ambition and enthusiasm. With his heart still very much in football and sport in general, he decided to apply his skill, dedication and determination to other career opportunities. As Head of Career & Corporate Services and a careers adviser at the University of St. Gallen, he channels his passion and talent into consultancy, recruitment and the job market. With many years of HR experience behind him, Gerd is perfectly placed to help you make a good impression during any recruitment process.
As part of the team that won the runners-up medal at the World U18 Championships, Severin kicked off his glistening ice hockey career at an early age. He went on to win four Swiss Championship titles, the European Champions Hockey League and the Swiss Cup. He was also part of the Swiss senior side that won silver at the World Championships in 2018. When he embarked upon a career outside the sporting world, Severin found that even bigger challenges awaited him off the ice. That’s why he’s so passionate about sharing his experiences with other athletes as an Academy Coach, and helping them to them navigate what can be a very tricky transition.