M8 · Founder · Since 2016

For

CEO · CIO · COO · CFO · Board

MICHAEL M.
NUSSBAUMER

DIGITAL BUSINESS IMPACT

[EN] Strategies that work.
[EN] All the way into operations.

[EN] IT/OT convergence & digitalisation — Swiss CIO Award 2023.

Book a call Services

Swiss CIO Award 2023 [EN] 9 years utility experience Lecturer FH OST · HSLU · FHGR · FHNW · NIT [EN] Vendor-independent

About me

[EN] As Founder of M8 I have been guiding executive teams and boards through IT/OT convergence and digitalisation for over 15 years — from strategy to go-live. I know both worlds, translate between them, and deliver impact that lasts.

Swiss CIO

Award 2023

[EN] 9 years

[EN] Utility experience

5 HS

Lecturer FH OST · HSLU · FHGR · FHNW · NIT

10+

[EN] Industries served

[EN] Starting point

[EN] Stuck — even though you know where you want to go?

[EN] Four patterns I see in almost every engagement. If one resonates, it is worth a conversation.

[EN] Relevant case studies

[EN] IT and OT are drifting apart

[EN] Production networks and office IT speak different languages. Security gaps, shadow IT, media breaks — and nobody who understands both.

[EN] Strategy evaporates in daily operations

[EN] The roadmap is approved, but execution stalls. Projects start, run, and fizzle. Measurable impact? Unclear.

[EN] Security is slowing down digitalisation

[EN] NIS2, IEC 62443, ISO 27001 — requirements keep rising. At the same time the plant needs to become more digital. Without stopping production.

[EN] The dialogue between management and IT is broken

[EN] Executive leadership and IT management talk past each other. Decisions get delayed, investments are postponed, risks grow.

[EN] My approach

[EN] Three steps. [EN] No slide-ware.

[EN] I work the way I think: structured, pragmatic, in dialogue. Engagements typically last 3–18 months.

[EN] Strategy. Understand, don't guess.

[EN] I start with your reality — not with templates. A situational analysis that brings together technology, organisation, and business goals.

[EN] IT/OT, security & data assessment
[EN] Business impact analysis
[EN] Roadmap with clear prioritisation

[EN] Plain-language status report — within 4–8 weeks.

[EN] Sparring. Translating at eye level.

[EN] I translate between executive leadership, the board, and the technical teams. No consulting jargon — concrete decision bases.

[EN] Executive / board sparring & facilitation
[EN] Investment cases, project communication
[EN] Neutral assessment — vendor-independent

[EN] Decisions that hold.

[EN] Execution. Through to go-live. And beyond.

[EN] Strategy without operations is expensive poetry. I accompany you into production — as Interim CIO or programme sponsor.

[EN] Interim CIO / programme management
[EN] Vendor steering, governance
[EN] Handover to stable operations

[EN] Impact that remains in day-to-day business.

Services

[EN] Three formats. [EN] One standard.

[EN] Engagements tailored to the situation — from a 4-week sparring to a 24-month interim.

[EN] 3–18 month engagement

[EN] IT/OT Transformation

[EN] Thinking production, office IT, and security together — from situational analysis to stable operations.

[EN] Assessment & target architecture
[EN] OT/IT reference architecture
[EN] Segmentation & security baseline
[EN] Programme management to go-live

[EN] I come from 9 years of utility practice (incl. CIO at RWB, Swissgrid). I know control rooms, SCADA environments and the pressure of regulators — and connect them with modern IT.

Book a call References

[EN] Content Hub · Thought Leadership

[EN] Insights from [EN] 25+ engagements.

[EN] Articles, white papers, podcast episodes and videos on IT/OT, digitalisation and C-level communication. New content monthly.

All content

Whitepaper New

Featured · IT/OT

[EN] IT/OT Convergence in the Swiss Energy Sector

[EN] Why classic IT blueprints fail — and what a reference model for utilities looks like.

March 2026 · 28 pages · PDF Download

Article · Strategy

[EN] Why 80% of digitalisation strategies fail in operations

04/2026 · 9 min

Podcast · IT/OT

[EN] Conversation with Rolf Oertli: How a board should really understand IT

03/2026 · 42 min · S02E04

LinkedIn · C-Level

[EN] The three questions every CIO must ask their board

03/2026 · 3 min

Article · Security

[EN] NIS2 without panic: a pragmatic roadmap for mid-size companies

02/2026 · 12 min

Video · Keynote

Digital Business Impact — Keynote Swiss CIO Summit 2025

11/2025 · 34 min

Whitepaper · [EN] Digitalisation

[EN] Executive & board dialogue: a framework for strategic IT decisions

10/2025 · 16 pages

References

[EN] Engagements with [EN] measurable impact.

[EN] A selection. Detailed references available on request — confidential, NDA-compliant.

[EN] Utility / Energy

Interim CIO

[EN] IT turnaround at a Swiss utility

[EN] IT organisation recovered, 14 projects brought back on track, successor established.

[EN] months engagement

[EN] projects reconfigured

[EN] production outages

Pharma

[EN] IT/OT Strategy

[EN] Reference architecture for 4 production sites

[EN] IT/OT target picture across all plants — including security baseline to IEC 62443.

[EN] DACH sites

6 mo.

[EN] To target picture

100%

Board alignment

[EN] Transport / Public Transit

[EN] Board Sparring

[EN] Investment review IT strategy 2026–30

[EN] Independent second opinion on a CHF 120M investment programme. Board decision basis in 8 weeks.

CHF 120M

[EN] Programme reviewed

8 wks.

[EN] To decision

3/5

[EN] Recommendations adopted

Industry experience

[EN] Utility / Energy [EN] Transport / Public Transit Event FMCG Luxury Pharma IT [EN] Banking [EN] Furniture [EN] Food

[EN] Voices from engagements

[EN] What my clients say — [EN] anonymised, honest.

„[EN] Michael knows our world from the inside. He built an IT organisation with us that is still holding today — and he understood us at board level."
CEO
[EN] Swiss utility

„[EN] Finally someone who can translate between management and IT — without consulting jargon. The plain-language roadmap was worth its weight in gold."
[EN] Chairman of the Board
[EN] Industrial group DACH

„[EN] Accompanied from strategy through to go-live. That is rare in consulting — and for us it was the difference between PowerPoint and production."
COO
Pharma, CH

„[EN] The neutral second opinion we needed. No sales interest, no favourite tools. Just our interest."
CFO
[EN] Transport company

LinkedIn CV / Résumé (PDF)

About me

Michael M. Nussbaumer.

[EN] Founder of M8 — Digital Business Impact. Advisor, doer, lecturer.

[EN] I have been working at the intersection of business and IT for over 15 years — as CIO, programme manager, and interim executive in the Swiss energy and industrial landscape. What drives me: strategies that do not end up in drawers, but create impact in operations.

[EN] Today I guide executive teams and boards through IT/OT convergence and digitalisation programmes. Neutral. Vendor-independent. Until the solution works in day-to-day business.

[EN] 9 years utility experience

[EN] CIO at RWB and other utilities, Swissgrid. I know your world from the inside — control rooms, SCADA, regulators.

[EN] IT/OT from the field

[EN] IT/OT infrastructure and cybersecurity built operationally. Not just concepts, but go-live and ongoing operations.

[EN] Doer, not just strategist

[EN] From PowerPoint to go-live. I deliver — and stay until it works.

[EN] C-level experience

[EN] Executive and board sparring at eye level. Project communication that works in the boardroom.

[EN] Vendor-independent

[EN] Neutral, well-networked, no sales interest. Only your interest counts.

Swiss CIO Award 2023

[EN] Recognised for an IT turnaround. Lecturer at FH OST, HSLU, FHGR, FHNW, NIT.

FAQ

FAQ.

[EN] Have a question not listed here? Write to me.

[EN] Ask a question

[EN] Who do you typically work for?

[EN] For executive team members (CEO, CIO, COO, CFO) and boards of mid-size to large organisations in the DACH region. Focus: energy, transport, pharma, industry. Also the public sector.

[EN] How does an initial conversation work?

[EN] Non-binding, 45–60 minutes, typically by video. You describe your situation, I listen, reflect patterns I recognise — and we clarify whether and how I can help. Not a sales call.

[EN] What distinguishes you from large consultancies?

[EN] I am a founder, not a partner in a pyramid. You work with me — not a junior team billing on slides. I forgo sales kickbacks, I have no tool partnerships, I remain neutral. And I show up when things get tight — operationally too.

[EN] What do typical engagements look like?

[EN] Three formats: 1) IT/OT transformation (3–18 months), 2) Interim CIO (6–24 months), 3) C-level sparring (retainer or project-based). Fees on day rate or retainer — transparent, no hidden costs.

[EN] Do you work internationally?

[EN] Primarily in the DACH region (Switzerland, Germany, Austria). Languages: German, English. For cross-border engagements I work in a network with specialised colleagues.

[EN] How quickly can you start?

[EN] For sparring engagements usually within 2 weeks. For interim or programme management typically 4–8 weeks lead time. For emergencies (incident, CIO vacancy) faster — depending on availability.

[EN] Newsletter · Monthly

[EN] Once a month. [EN] One idea that lasts.

[EN] Not a marketing brochure. One observation, one framework, one article. For executives who take IT seriously — but have no time for jargon.

[EN] Contact · Direct

[EN] One conversation.
[EN] No commitment.

[EN] 45 minutes by phone or video. I listen, reflect patterns, give an initial assessment. If we are a fit, we talk further.

[EN] Strategies that work. [EN] All the way into operations.