Operator & builder · Zürich

KristianKabashi.

IturnAIstrategyintooperatingreality.

Not a specialist. A blank collar.

Open to a senior operating role (COO / Chief Transformation Officer / AI-transformation lead) in Switzerland or remote-friendly Europe. Board and advisory work, selectively.

↳ Talk to my agent
Kristian Kabashi · founder of The Blank Collar, co-founder of Cybee.ai and Mandeta. Portrait, Zürich.
Zürich01 / 01
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Numarics+Cybee.ai+Radicant+Mandeta+The Blank Collar+Dentsu+Havas+Gyro+Tilllate+UBS Next+FiveT Fintech+Best of Swiss Apps+TEDx+Swissalbs Entrepreneur+
Numarics+Cybee.ai+Radicant+Mandeta+The Blank Collar+Dentsu+Havas+Gyro+Tilllate+UBS Next+FiveT Fintech+Best of Swiss Apps+TEDx+Swissalbs Entrepreneur+
00The work

I make strategy run.

  • 01

    Stand up the operating model a new strategy needs, when it finally has to run.

  • 02

    Put AI and agents on the process, so a smaller team does what took an army.

  • 03

    Carry it at executive level (P&L, board, and floor) and hand off something that lasts.

01About

A creative, a builder, a transformer at work.

A pattern, not a wander. I go deep on one transformation at a time: integrate it, make it run, hand it off cleanly, then take the next hard problem. I'm drawn to the unglamorous part: the integration after the deal, the year-two hiring call, the workflow nobody wants to touch. That's where lasting outcomes are made.

I'm not looking for a title. I'm looking for a hard operating problem to close, and the room to close it properly.

Born and raised in Germany. Built across six countries. Based in Zürich.

20+
Years building
9
Companies
16+
Award wins
4
Boards
The work evolution
  1. 01
    Industrial age
    Blue collar
    built things by hand
  2. 02
    Information age
    White collar
    moved knowledge by mouse
  3. 03
    Intelligence age
    Blank collar
    directs agents to ship
Kristian's mental model · 1900 → now
02Experience

Two decades. Nine companies. One throughline.

One transformation at a time: integrate, make it run, hand off, then the next.

01

Cybee.ai

2024 to Present

Co-Founder & Board Member

Cybersecurity · Switzerland

Founded

Agentic cybersecurity and compliance platform for SMBs. Cybersecurity made simple, no IT team required.

  • Raised €1M seed
  • Keiretsu Startup of the Year (2024)
  • Best of Swiss Apps Hall of Fame (2025)
↗ Visit
02

Mandeta

2024 to Present

Co-Founder & Board Member

Media · Switzerland

Founded

Media agency opening up programmatic advertising across Digital, TV, OOH and Radio for Albanians and the Albanian diaspora. First of its kind in the market, partnered with Magnite, Ringier and Ströer.

  • Partnerships: Ringier, Magnite, Ströer
  • Top Albanian publisher network
  • First programmatic access for Albanian audiences across Digital, TV, OOH and Radio
↗ Visit
03

Radicant Holding

2024 to 2025

Chief Operating Officer

Banking · Switzerland

Led

Operating role at the sustainable banking holding after Radicant's acquisition of Numarics. Integrating the two technology stacks under one roof.

  • Radicant's acquisition of Numarics closed (2024)
  • Integrating the Numarics and Radicant technology stacks
  • Operating leadership across the combined group
↗ Visit
04

Numarics

2020 to 2024

Co-Founder & CXO

Fintech · Switzerland

Founded

AI-powered finance and accounting platform for Swiss SMEs. Empowering every SMB with out-of-the-box AI financial operations. Acquired by Radicant Holding (2024).

  • Raised CHF 12.4M from UBS Next, FiveT Fintech, Founderful and Seed X Liechtenstein. First UBS Next investment in Europe
  • Scaled to CHF 13M ARR
  • Nearshore offices in Serbia and Kosovo; HQ Zurich plus Swiss satellite offices
↗ Visit
05

Dentsu

2019 to 2023

Chief Transformation Officer, Switzerland → SVP EMEA → EVP / Global Executive Director, Business Transformation

Consulting · Switzerland → EMEA → Global

Led

Three escalating roles across Dentsu: Chief Transformation Officer for Dentsu Switzerland, then SVP EMEA, then EVP / Global Executive Director, Business Transformation.

  • Chief Transformation Officer, Switzerland: digital transformation and process optimisation; led DACH programmes
  • SVP EMEA: cost-reduction SWAT team; built the Total Collaboration Framework
  • EVP Global: One Dentsu brand aggregation, global datalake rollout, productised nearshore offices, Master Service Set blueprint
↗ Visit
06

YouGov

2017 to 2018

Managing Director

Market Research · Switzerland

Led

Led YouGov (formerly LINK) through the analog-to-digital transformation of the Swiss research market.

  • Built a new digital business unit
  • Partnership with Quantilope
  • Launched a digital product-development pipeline
↗ Visit
07

Gyro (Dentsu)

2014 to 2018

Director Operations & Innovation, Americas → Global Head Business Operations

Creative · USA → Global

Operated

Operations and innovation leadership at Gyro, the global B2B agency of the Dentsu network. Americas first, then globally.

  • Set up the Innovation Hub and PMO Office
  • Drove cross-office collaboration and department-level transformation
  • Streamlined business operations across markets
08

Havas

2011 to 2014

Head of Digital Services / Head of European Digital Expansion

Creative · Switzerland / Europe

Operated

Built Havas Digital Switzerland from the ground up: team, clients, market positioning.

  • Havas Digital Switzerland rollout
  • Setup of the digital services team
  • European-scale digital programmes; lived and worked across six countries
↗ Visit
09

Tilllate.com

2008 to 2011

Director of Business Development

Social Network · Switzerland / Europe

Built

Business development at the leading Swiss social network of its era. Built the sales engine and expanded the European footprint.

  • Expanded to 4 European countries
  • Built the sales team and partner management
  • Acquired by Tamedia
03Recognition

Awards, juries and halls of fame.

Recognition for the companies I co-founded and built, and for the work itself.

2026Top 100

Top 100 worldwide

Co-founder · Cybee.ai

Deel × J.P. Morgan · from 37,000+ applicants
20251st innovation culture

Top Innovative Companies, Switzerland

Co-founder · Numarics

Bilanz / Statista
2025Hall of Fame

Best of Swiss Apps Hall of Fame

Co-founder · Cybee.ai

Best of Swiss Apps
2024Speaker

TEDx Speaker

Personal

TEDxPrishtina
2024Chair

First Chairman, FIKS

Fintech Kosova
2024Ranked #33

TOP 100 Swiss Startups

Co-founder · Numarics

Venturelab
2024Top 5 Finalist

Swiss FinTech Awards

Co-founder · Numarics

Swiss FinTech Awards
2024Top 3

Best Fiduciary

Co-founder · Numarics

Bilanz
2024Regional Finalist

Central European Startup Awards

Co-founder · Cybee.ai

CESA Edition 10
04Framework

Work is for bots
Life is for humans

The Blank Collar is the idea behind how I work. I coined the post-AI worker in 2016 and built the Framework, the book and the practice around it. In the ten years since, I have put it to work: transforming enterprises and building AI-native companies. I keep refining it with everything I learn, so it stays current and open for anyone to use.

One idea, three engines that apply it.

The Blank Collar Equation by Kristian Kabashi. Book cover.

The Blank Collar Equation · first edition 2023, second summer 2026

05Service

Boards & ecosystems.

German Chamber of Commerce
Board Member
Kosovo
↗ Visit
FIKS, Fintech Association
Founding Chairman
Kosovo
↗ Visit
Cybee.ai
Board Member
Switzerland
↗ Visit
Mandeta
Board Member
Switzerland
↗ Visit
07Get in touch

Let's build something that matters.

For partnerships, speaking engagements, board roles, investments or just a coffee in Zürich, pick your channel. The agent above can also answer most questions instantly.

kabashi@me.com