Owen McCall is an MIL alumnus (2018), a marketer, and the host & producer of a podcast. He currently works as Head of Marketing & Communications at swissQuant, a leading provider of risk and wealth/asset management solutions for the global financial industry.
Owen is a curious and people-oriented individual. His professional journey is rich in experiences and reflects the many facets of his passions and life. It’s a career that tells his story—not just his résumé. Much like his role in marketing, it’s all about storytelling.
In his interview with Monika Ritter, he shares how his Master’s studies in International Law have influenced his career path and how his love for marketing first sparked while working as a chef.
You can find more information about his background and areas of work at: (25) Owen McCall | LinkedIn
Before coming to the HSG, I completed my undergraduate degree in criminology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. The studies were academically solid, but they felt quite separate from business and practice. What stood out to me about the MIL was its strong link to the professional world, and that connection was immediate and refreshing.
The network also played a role much earlier than I expected. In one of my classes, I met colleagues from another program who pointed me toward a part-time job opportunity at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich. It showed me that the value of the HSG network isn’t only in its alumni—doors can already open while you’re still a student.
The freedom to choose my thesis topic was equally important. I focused on the international regulation of cryptocurrency, which at the time was still a very new and unsettled space (and in many ways still is!). Approaching it with academic rigor gave me a perspective that was rare, and it helped me move directly into a position within Switzerland’s “Crypto Valley” after graduation.
And finally, the HSG “stamp” itself has been an asset. Even if the MIL isn’t necessarily the first program people associate with the university, the degree carries weight in the Swiss market and has been invaluable, especially as a foreigner building a career here.
My path into marketing began years before my MIL studies, and in a very untraditional way. I was working as a chef in the Brighton area of England while also playing in bands. Social media was still in its early days, and I started using it to promote gigs and build an audience. When I saw what the restaurant I worked at was paying for radio ads, I suggested they try social media instead. Before long, I was running their accounts alongside my kitchen duties, and that was really the start of my professional journey in marketing.
After completing my MIL studies, I began working in the blockchain sector in Switzerland, where my academic background gave me credibility and opened the door. That period also made me realize how much the skills of a legal professional translate directly into marketing: presentation skills, the ability to craft compelling narratives, and making complex ideas accessible to different audiences.
Those lessons carried with me as I moved into traditional finance. Today my work is about bringing creativity and structure together, using storytelling to make innovation understandable while building strategies and teams that give those stories lasting impact.
I found the most rewarding moments of the MIL in the classes and seminars that sparked genuine curiosity and opened up new perspectives. One that stands out was a seminar on AI in weapons systems back in 2017, which felt far ahead of its time. I also valued how many professors brought stories from their professional lives into the classroom, which brought the course material to life by giving us real-world examples of how things are actually done in practice.
Just as importantly, I built friendships at the HSG that I believe will last a lifetime. Those relationships, together with the intellectual spark of the classroom, are what I carry with me most from that time. And they still influence me today. In my current role, I host a video podcast, Mastering Complexity, where I get to sit down with leading voices in business and finance. The same curiosity and exchange of perspectives that I valued as a student remain central to how I approach these conversations, and my grounding in law, politics, and finance—honed during my time at the HSG—gives me the tools to engage with them in a meaningful way.
My advice would be not to feel boxed in. Many people come into the MIL from law or international affairs and assume their career path has to follow a traditional trajectory. In reality, the program can be a springboard into many different directions, from law to business to marketing and beyond.
As someone who didn’t follow the typical path, I found that the degree still gave me credibility in the Swiss market. The HSG name carries weight, and for me it opened doors even when my CV wasn’t the most conventional. That stamp of quality, combined with the network you build, is an asset no matter where you decide to take your career.
I would also encourage students to get involved as much as possible during their time at the HSG. The real value of the program comes not only from the coursework but from everything around it: the seminars that spark new ideas, the chance to collaborate with classmates from different disciplines, and the broader initiatives and events that connect you to the university’s wider community. Some of my most valuable opportunities came from those informal connections, and many of the friendships I built have lasted well beyond graduation.
Ultimately, the MIL equips you with the skills and perspectives to thrive in more than just one field. My advice is to take full advantage of that flexibility and let curiosity, not convention, shape your career.
I don’t tend to think in terms of fixed destinations, but more about what I want to keep doing. I know I want to continue building and leading teams of capable people and creating environments where they can do their best work. I also want to keep doing what excites me most today: taking complex topics and making them understandable through clear communication and storytelling. Creativity is a big part of that, and it remains my favorite part of the work.
Continuing education will always be part of the journey. Just last year, for example, I completed a course on ESG and sustainable finance offered by the HSG, and I expect I’ll keep looking for opportunities like that to stay sharp and engaged.
Where that leads in the long run is open, but as long as I’m learning, working creatively, helping companies grow, and contributing to meaningful conversations, I’ll feel I’m heading in the right direction.
Monika Ritter
St. Gallen / xxx 2025
Interview questions by Monika Ritter. Answers provided in writing by Owen McCall after a preparatory phone call.
«What stood out to me about the MIL was its strong link to the professional world, and that connection was immediate and refreshing.»
«Today my work is about bringing creativity and structure together, using storytelling to make innovation understandable while building strategies and teams that give those stories lasting impact.»
«I also want to keep doing what excites me most today: taking complex topics and making them understandable through clear communication and storytelling. Creativity is a big part of that, and it remains my favorite part of the work.»