Strategic AI Consultancy
Providing clarity before investing — from the initial assessment right through to a sound basis for decision-making.
About us
Rautaki
Strategy for the age of Artificial Intelligence
A word that comes from far away
Rautaki comes from te reo Māori and means Strategy.
It is a word that lives on in the Māori communities of Aotearoa – and one that embodies an idea of strategy that should be familiar to us, but which is often lost in everyday life: strategy does not emerge from a single person’s desk. It grows through dialogue between generations, between forms of knowledge, and between different voices. It connects what has been with what is possible.
It is precisely this understanding that we bring to our work.
Why this name?
Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest transformations of our time. It is changing the way we work, the way we make decisions and the way we generate knowledge. But technology alone is not a strategy. Anyone who introduces AI without a clear direction will end up with pilot projects that serve no one – and with investments that have no impact.
The name Rautaki has a subtle twist to it: it contains the letters a and i – the initials of Artificial Intelligence. Strategy and AI go hand in hand. One without the other remains incomplete.
Harry Witzthum
Founder, Rautaki
Perspective
A diversity of perspectives — at the heart of our work
A good AI strategy is never developed from a single perspective. It requires technology and expertise. Leadership and staff. Economics and ethics.
Anyone who views AI solely through the lens of technology overlooks its human context. Anyone who talks only about the risks squanders its possibilities. Anyone who sees only the business case forgets the people who have to carry it.
The best strategies emerge where different voices come together — and where people listen before making a decision.
That is not a methodological addition. That is the crux of the matter.
Methodology
How we work
Organisational transformation
Embedding AI in structures, processes and culture so that change truly takes root.
Workshops and training courses
Empowering managers and teams to use AI responsibly and effectively — right through to accredited CAS programmes.
Practical implementation
Developing and supporting applications that hold up in the day-to-day work of organisations.
Approach
Our approach
Not every organisation needs more technology.
But any organisation wishing to use AI needs a clear strategy for its deployment — one that takes its complexity into account, is open to different perspectives, and has a clear focus on what truly creates value.
We’re here to help you with that.
Foundation
Harry Witzthum
Harry founded Rautaki after observing how often management teams either overestimate the capabilities of AI or underinvest in the skills required to use it responsibly.
He comes from a field that demands perseverance and the ability to get things done: many years of leadership responsibility in national non-profit organisations, transformation processes under real-world conditions, and the establishment of agile structures — including Holacracy — in organisations that had to fundamentally reorient themselves. As a qualified association and NPO manager (VMI) and holder of a Doctor of Philosophy degree, he combines institutional thinking with a commitment to delivering tangible results. For him, digital transformation has never been a technology project — but always a question of leadership.
This is precisely what shapes his approach to introducing AI: not as an isolated tool, but in line with decision-making processes, roles and responsibilities. His eye for structures ensures that AI is deployed where it can have a real impact; his experience with real-world transformations prevents projects from petering out at the pilot stage; and his understanding of leadership ensures that people are empowered rather than sidelined.
The company was set up to bridge precisely this gap: strategic rigour on the one hand, and the realities of implementation on the other.
Practice
Workshops with organisations
Much of our work is carried out in collaboration with NPOs, associations and organisations in the social and public sectors — where every use of resources must have an impact. Here is a selection.
- Hepatitis Schweiz
- University of Zurich
- Age Stiftung
- Astara Switzerland
- Verbandsmanagement Institut der Universität Fribourg
- Glaux Group
- AT Schweiz – Tabakkontrolle und Prävention
- Schweizerische Plattform der Ausbildungen im Sozialbereich SPAS
Teaching
Teaching at universities and institutes
What we advise, we also teach: Harry Witzthum lectures on accredited CAS programmes — from Chief AI Officer to AI transformation. This combination of individual consultancy and accredited professional development makes Rautaki a rare offering in the Swiss market.
- CAS Chief AI OfficerInstitut für Kommunikation und Führung ikf
- CAS KI-TransformationInstitut für Kommunikation und Führung ikf
- CAS AI Hands-OnInstitut für Kommunikation und Führung ikf
- CAS KI als TeammitgliedInstitut für Kommunikation und Führung ikf
- Digitale Transformation und KI in NPOVerbandsmanagement Institut Universität Fribourg
Values
Principles that shape our AI consultancy
Evidence over intuition
Important AI decisions should be based on data, operational conditions and clear assumptions, rather than on management’s gut feeling.
Clarity under pressure
We challenge management teams directly when ambition and capabilities are not aligned, particularly when it comes to high-stakes AI decisions.
Action rather than just analysis
Strategy only counts if it changes behaviour. We stay closely involved until plans are embedded in routines, governance and incentives.
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Ready for the next step?
Find out how Rautaki can support your business with the strategic implementation of AI.
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