Fractional COO for Fintechs who want to increase their profits 🦅 Build strength aligned, high-performing teams and stop doing everything yourself.

Most leadership overload is not a personal failure.
It’s a design problem.

As organisations grow, their original operating logic quietly stops working.

Decisions accumulate.
Meaning and accountability drift upward.

Even with capable leaders, modern tools, and fast execution, the organisation still depends on one person to interpret what matters and what moves.

That’s the moment I work with.

I don’t step into operational execution.
I work on the operating logic itself — where judgment, authority, and accountability still route through one person.

This work is for CEOs of growing organisations (typically 50–200 people) who notice that:
– execution is fast, but deciding still comes back to them
– delegation increased, but centrality didn’t
– the company works — yet still depends on one interpreter

Nothing is “broken.”
The structure just hasn’t caught up yet.

Before this work, I was a CEO for 5 years, scaling a company from six to seven figures. I understand the seat.

Myrto Z.

On January 15th, I’m on a podcast about portfolio careers. 

Not as a success story. 
And not as a “how-to”. 

What we’ll actually talk about: 

- how portfolio careers emerge, not how they’re designed 
- what’s harder than people admit, structurally, not just emotionally 
- what weekly reality looks like once the novelty wears off 

In hindsight, this way of working didn’t start with my career,  it started earlier, when I studied computer science and sports in parallel. 

What interests me most isn’t the variety of roles. 

It’s what stays constant across them. 
The same questions come up everywhere: 
- Where decisions get resolved. 
- Where authority quietly concentrates. 
- Where sustainability quietly stops being a personal issue. 

Portfolio careers don’t eliminate those dynamics. They often make them more visible. 
Especially in innovation-heavy environments, where flexibility increases faster than organisational clarity. 

Looking forward to a very honest conversation with Anna Stando & Magalie Heraud for the Innovationsverband Schweizer Arbeitsmarkt community, not about freedom myths, but about what this way of working actually needs to hold over time. 


📅 Thursday 15 January
🕚 12:00 - 12:45 CET
🖥️ https://luma.com/ggx5a588

Myrto Zehnder 🦅

Redesigning decision flow in scaling organisations | Former CEO, ETH Alum

Some founders don’t feel overwhelmed.

The company works.
Teams deliver.
Decisions are prepared.

Most days feel fine.

And still, deciding keeps coming back.

Not the big moments.
The smaller ones.

A call to glance at.
A version to confirm.
A direction to sense-check.

Nothing is broken.
Nothing feels urgent.

Progress continues.
Output stays high.

And yet, movement leans on one place more than it first appears.

The founder delegated early.

Workstreams are owned.
Teams run independently.
Execution doesn’t come back by default.

And still, one thing does.

Not the tasks.
Not the delivery.

A final look.

The work moves on its own.

Decisions happen.
Delivery lands.
Nothing breaks.

And one place quietly sets where things go.

Founder bottlenecks aren’t about control issues.

I’ve worked with leaders who trust their teams completely, have strong systems in place, and delegate operational tasks effectively.

And still, the bottleneck remains.

The organisation quietly makes one person the arbiter of what matters.

Not through policy.
Not through intention.
Through pattern.

Strategic questions route there.
Judgment pauses there.
Decisions look complete, but wait for a final lens.

The team isn’t incapable.
The processes aren’t broken.

Performance stays strong.

Authority concentrates by default, not by design.

The system depends on one place more than it appears.

Two companies look identical from the outside.

Both ship on time.
Both document decisions.
Both have strong teams.

Inside, they don’t feel the same.

In the first, decisions pause.

Not because information is missing.
Not because alignment is unclear.

Someone still needs to look at it.

In the second, decisions close.

Not faster.
Just without waiting.

The work carries its own momentum.
No final lens.

The difference isn’t talent.
It isn’t effort.

One organisation leans on a place.
The other moves without it.

Your team delivers.
Decisions are documented.
Standards are high.

And still - one thing remains constant:

One person decides what matters.

Not because the team can’t think.
Not because processes are missing.

But because interpretation lives in one place.

What’s right.
What’s good enough.
What actually counts.

The work flows.
The business grows.

Execution is fast. AI accelerates output. Your people are capable.

And yet, sense-making still routes through you.

Not everything needs approval.
But everything still needs interpretation.

So velocity increases,
while authority stays central.

That’s not a capability gap.
It’s an architectural one.

The constraint isn’t in the work.
It’s in how meaning gets made.

A team can move fast and still wait.

The work gets done.
Decisions get documented.
Arguments are laid out clearly.

And yet, nothing quite moves without one signal.

Not approval.
Confirmation.

Does this fit?
Is this the version?

Everything looks complete.
But closure waits.

The faster the pace, the easier this becomes to miss.

Output stays strong.
Momentum feels real.

And the organisation leans on one place more than it appears.

Being needed for clarity doesn’t announce itself.

There’s no crisis.
No tension.
No visible blockage.

Just a steady pull.

A glance here.
A quick check there.
A moment to confirm direction.

It doesn’t interrupt the day.
It structures it.

Nothing breaks.
Nothing stalls.
Output stays high.

And over time, the organisation learns exactly where to look.

The founder bottleneck isn’t a flaw in leadership.

It shows up in companies that otherwise work.

The team is strong.
Execution is quick.
Systems are modern.

And still, deciding keeps returning to one place.

Not because someone insists on control.
Not because others can’t handle responsibility.

The business grows.
Revenue increases.
Performance stays solid.

And one person quietly holds the standard.

Nothing appears broken.

Movement just leans on one place more than it seems.

Fernfachhochschule Schweiz

- Support the sustainability strategy and activities from the University.
- Ensure the quality and organization of the department. 
- Positioning and further development of the department.
- Management of lecturers.

Head of Sustainability and Circular Innovation

- Lecturer Sustainability and Circular Economy Strategies + Sustainability Entrepreneurship 
- Preparation of content, teaching, coaching and evaluation

Lecturer MSc Business Administration in Sustainability and Circular Innovation

2get-there

✔ In 2get-there we accompany and enable individuals and organizations in their way to a sustainable business transformation, through consulting, project management, coaching and workshops. in the areas of:
- Strategy
- Business Model Innovation
- Culture and change

We focus in analyzing and transforming following areas: 
- Strategy 
- Business Model Innovation
- Culture and change

As SUSTAINABILITY EXPERT I can support your organization in:
- Creating your own sustainability strategy
- Aligning your business strategy to the pursuit of the SDGs -Sustainable Development Goals- (for example with support of the methodology OKR)
- Creating strategies towards a circular economy, a low-carbon business or a sustainable business model
- Detecting your ‘hot-spots’ in topics of sustainability (through stakeholders and value chain analyses- materiality matrix)
- Fostering sustainability innovation by promoting sustainable thinking in the development of new ideas (for example, by applying the Sustainable Lean Canvas)
- Creating a culture of sustainability inside of the organization (through training, challenges, etc.)
- Supporting SMEs in their transition to sustainability (through funding opportunities, fiscal incentives, etc.)

Managing Director | Founder | Sustainability Manager

Sugar Cup

Sugar Cup is 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅. In Sugar Cup you can: 
✅ give away or sell items you no longer need, 
✅ request to borrow an item, 
✅ post relevant information or news for your neighbors, 
✅ ask and offer support, etc... 

... all with the objective of 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗿𝘀.

Curious? ➡️ www.sugarcup.ch

Co-Founder and Operations Manager

KV Business School Zürich

- Development of plan and course materials about the frameworks and different strategies in business sustainability and introduction to sustainability innovation. 
- Teaching students from the course in Business Management.
- Coaching in a specific project to be implemented in the organization of each participant.

Lecturer and Coach in Business Sustainability

Migros-Genossenschaft-Bund

- Development of the detailed plan for teaching
- Creation of course material
- Presence and online teaching 
- Coaching

Trainer

Impact Hub Switzerland

- Support startups in the definition, brainstorming and challenging of their circular business model 
- Facilitate networking 
- Coaching

Mentor Circular Economy Incubator

Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER)

- Coordination and administration from the Master Programes
- Design courses of the Climate Change and the International Cooperation Masters Program
- Lecturer from courses
- Coach to students

Coordinator and Tutor of Master Programes - Climate Change | International Cooperation 

- Management of technology projects in cooperation Europe-Latin America
- Planning, organization and control of R&D projects with different entities
- Fundraising, market research, responsible for budget and working plans, project elaboration
- Monitoring of projects implementation
- Contact with project's partners and stakeholders from different countries.

Project Manager - Environment & Sustainability 

Caritas Schweiz

Elaboration of the Project Cycle Management (PCM) Manual of the International Cooperation Department.

Project Consultant

ETH Zurich

Research about the effectiveness of the international efforts to solve environmental problems in developing countries (particularlz in Latinamerica)

Researcher - International Environmental Projects

United Nations

- Preparation for the World United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD Rio+20 2012)
- Enhance the Information Flow of the Sustainable Development Division identifying challenges and offering proposals
- Build up the first proposal of a Manual of Division’s Administrative Procedures 
- Preparation of Generic Job Profiles and Terms of Reference in the area of Sustainable Development
- Support to a Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Methodology

Intern - Division of Sustainable Development

"Passionate on the topics of Sustainability, not just by 'fashion' or because it sounds 'cool', but because of the true conviction that it is the only way forward."

 Expert on Business Sustainability, I advice, coach, educate and accompany people and companies on how to integrate Sustainability in their organizations and strategy. I've gained experience in this area for 15 years working as consultant, coach, project manager, researcher and lecturer in different branches of companies and countries. 

Deep knowledge in the topics of Sustainable Business Models and Innovation, Sustainability Strategy, the Circular Economy (Sustainable Production and Consumption) and the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Agenda 2030.

taplio

The Battle

Myrto Z.

Martha Velasco, PhD

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The Battle

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Martha Velasco, PhD

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Myrto Z.'s LinkedIn Performance

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