René Cotting, Dr. rer. pol.

Evaluator
DISC Type : Dcs

Member of the Board of Directors at Helvetia Baloise Group

Zürich Metropolitan Area, Switzerland

Overview

René Cotting is a results-driven Group CFO at Smartenergy, focusing on large-scale solar and green hydrogen projects. He holds multiple board memberships, including at Helvetia Baloise Insurance Group, and is a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen. His extensive background includes strategic management, finance, and venture capital, complemented by education from The Wharton School and Harvard Business School.

He is passionate about combating global warming through the development, financing, and operation of renewable energy projects across Europe. Colleagues describe him as an "inspiring visionary" and a "pragmatic organizer" who brings a practical view to complex topics like machine learning, natural language processing, and robotic process automation, which he applies to business challenges.

Unique fact: He previously chaired ABB Technology Ventures, overseeing more than $220 million invested in over 90 startups.

Personality Overview

Thorough Evaluator

Fast But Analytical

Hard To Convince

They have a unique set of diverse traits where they are decisive and methodical but can sometimes be extra cautious and skeptical  They are not very likely to become strong advocates of your product or service They focus on the results, but can still be quite procedural and analytical about how to get there

Topics They Care About

Green Hydrogen
As Group CFO of Smartenergy, he is actively developing and financing green hydrogen projects to decarbonize industries like ceramics and support the global energy transition.
Renewable Energy Finance
He has over 30 years of experience structuring financing for large-scale renewable energy projects, including solar and wind farms, across Europe and the Americas.
Corporate Governance
Serves as a non-executive board member for Helvetia Baloise Insurance and Patria Genossenschaft, focusing on investment, risk, and compliance.

Media Appearances

Helvetia Annual General Meeting elects Yvonne Wicki Macus and René Cotting as new members of the Board of Directors. Featured in Helvetia Baloise Group – Press Release

See Now

Dr. Yvonne Wicki Macus und Dr. René Cotting werden zur Wahl in den Verwaltungsrat vorgeschlagen. Featured in Helvetia Baloise Group – Press Release (German)

See Now

Dr Yvonne Wicki Macus and Dr René Cotting to be proposed for election to the Board of Directors. Featured in Helvetia (Helvetia Baloise Group)

See Now

Work History

4-2023
Member of the Board of Directors at Helvetia Baloise Group
9-2021
Group CFO (mandated) and Head Investor Relations at Edisun Power Europe AG
5-2021
Group CFO at Smartenergy
9-2018 - 12-2020
Member of Venture Capital Fund - Investment Committee at VI Partners AG
3-2017 - 4-2021
Head of Operations for Innovation and R&D ABB Group and Chairman ABB Technology Ventures at ABB

Education

Education details unavailable from IMD
2019 - 2019
Venture Capital from The Wharton School

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 35 Location : Zürich Metropolitan Area, Switzerland Job Level : Leadership Designation : Member of the Board of Directors at Helvetia Baloise Group
URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To René

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Showcase your competitive superiority clearly when possible or address it at the minimum
  • Keep a professional, business-like approach; especially if you tend to get informal quickly
  • Use phrases like ‘the ROI of this’, ‘X% more’ etc.

DONT's

  • Avoid too much small talk, just a few formal pleasantries should be fine
  • Don’t focus on relationship, focus purely on the merit of your product
  • Avoid making strong statements, instead invite them to agree with you by asking them questions

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with René is

  • ROI matters the most to them, followed by process and finally proof of results
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from René

  • They might hesitate a little, but will go ahead and say no when necessary (or asked)

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will René move?

  • They are unlikely to move very fast, especially when it comes to new products or services
  • Can René take some risk or not?

  • They have relatively low risk-appetite and are not very likely to go for something unproven and risky

You And René

Personality Compatibility


More Profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Search more profiles

Looking for someone else? Search here for anyone.

Or visit Humantic AI to know more.