About Me
Raffi Shah
BA International Affairs
University of St. Gallen
The kind of person who makes every room better just by walking in. Warm, sharp, and genuinely one of a kind — Raffi doesn't just show up, he elevates.
From Deutsche Bank trading floors to automating entire companies, there's very little he can't turn his hand to. Multilingual (English, German, French, Russian), based in Zug, with a pragmatic mix of finance, tech, and event production.
If you need someone who'll lead a project end-to-end, automate the boring parts, and make the room feel good while doing it — that's Raffi.
Professional Experience
Innovation Associate
Innovation Leadership Group (ILG) — Dr. Tamara Carleton · Silicon Valley / remote
Worked alongside Dr. Tamara Carleton (Stanford Foresight, author of Building Moonshots) and the Innovation Leadership Group on strategic foresight, moonshot-thinking, and methodical innovation work. Brought the foresight lens into how I evaluate platform and product decisions today.
Head of Events
HSG Fashion Club · St. Gallen, Switzerland
Joined as a team member and progressed to Head of Events. Organised speaker events and industry evenings for the club. Interviewed the former CEO of Cartier live in front of 80 peers — researched, prepared, and hosted the full session. Managed logistics, outreach, and event production end-to-end.
Assistant to Fair / Exhibition Management
Genossenschaft MESSEN WEINFELDEN · Weinfelden, Switzerland
Administrative hub for the cooperative behind the WEGA (Weinfeldener Gewerbeausstellung), one of the region’s major trade fairs, plus the Berufsmesse careers fair for Oberstufe students. Managed exhibitors, financial operations, online presence, WEGA-Tombola events, and emerging-artist platforms. Handled admin, logistics, and on-the-ground tasks end-to-end.
Project Lead — Digitalisation
Sana Pflege mit Herz · Switzerland
Led the digitalisation of the reporting system across departments. Built a custom web app addressing multi-department needs. Automated backend processes including billing and analysis. Provided ongoing technical support post-implementation. Healthcare staffing for skilled-nurse placement; the streamlined approach enabled the company to scale by removing administrative bottlenecks.
Apprenticeship
Deutsche Bank · Zurich, Switzerland
Discretionary Portfolio Management (DPM): compliance, Excel optimisation, PowerPoint. Global Client Group Switzerland (GCG): Salesforce, event organising, FINMA financial reporting, Personal Assistant. Trading Desk: Excel, analysis, Fixed Income, FX — assistant to the trading team.
Summer Intern
DSV Air & Sea AG (formerly Panalpina) · Switzerland
Air and ocean freight: shipment planning with focus on cost and sustainability. First introduction to SAP in an accounting context.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs
University of St. Gallen (HSG)
Specialising in Entrepreneurial Informatics. Subjects taken include: Strategic Foresight — 6.00/6.0 (perfect score); Accelerating Digital Transformation — 5.75/6.0; Design Thinking — 5.25/6.0; Entrepreneurship — 5.00/6.0. Coursework also covers International Economics and Political Science.
Bachelor in Business Administration
University of St. Gallen (HSG)
Comprehensive business education with focus on international affairs, economics, and global governance. Thesis: Digital Transformation in Healthcare Sector. Grade average 4.54/6.0 (73/120 credits). Earlier coursework included Strategic Foresight (6.00/6.0), Accelerating Digital Transformation (5.75/6.0), Design Thinking (5.25/6.0), Entrepreneurship (5.00/6.0).
Passerelle
Minerva Zürich
University-preparation bridging programme covering academic skills and subject-specific preparation.
EFZ Bank + BM
Minerva Zürich + CYP
Federal VET Diploma in Banking + Federal Vocational Baccalaureate. Dual education combining banking apprenticeship with vocational baccalaureate.
Startups, Tech & Resilience
The School of Life
Ongoing — the curriculum never ends.
Skills & Expertise
Technical Skills
MS Office
Expert
Excel VBA
Intermediate
Python
AWS
Salesforce
SAP
Languages
Professional Attributes
Leadership
Task Delegation
Communication
Connected Thinking
Agile & Autonomous
Key Achievements
Notable accomplishments and recognition
Strategic Foresight 6.00/6.0
Perfect score in Strategic Foresight at the University of St. Gallen.
Cartier CEO Interview
Researched, prepared, and hosted a live on-stage interview with the former CEO of Cartier in front of 80 peers at HSG.
Healthcare Digital Transformation
Led digitalisation at Sana Pflege mit Herz: built a custom web app, automated billing/analysis, eliminated administrative bottlenecks so the company could scale.
Deutsche Bank Apprenticeship
Trading desk, Discretionary Portfolio Management, Global Client Group — compliance, FINMA reporting, and Excel mastery from the inside.
Innovation Leadership Group
Worked in the orbit of Dr. Tamara Carleton (Stanford Foresight) and the Innovation Leadership Group — strategic foresight, moonshot methodology, methodical innovation.
Key Themes & Expertise
Natural Leader
From heading up events at HSG to leading full digitalisation projects — Raffi takes ownership and delivers.
Genuine Warmth
The friend everyone wants in their corner. Raffi makes people feel seen, heard, and genuinely glad they showed up.
Impeccable Taste
Whether it’s fashion, tech, or how a room should feel — Raffi has an eye for what works and the guts to make it happen.
Gets It Done
Automated a nursing company’s entire back office. Interviewed a former Cartier CEO in front of 80 people. That’s just a Tuesday for Raffi.
Get In Touch
Have a question, an opportunity, or just want to say hi? Drop me a message.