When he watches games in “his” box, he looks calm on the outside, his eyes fixed grimly on the ice. Marc Lüthi, CEO and co-owner of SC Bern. He accepts what his players put in front of him in the stands, only to bluster or rage elsewhere later. Sometimes there’s a one-off in the office, sometimes a hasty dismissal in the cloakroom over everyone involved, sometimes a sweeping slap in the media. There was always something going on.
Lüthi as sole commander
That’s how you know Lüthi. Mister SCB. This is how he gained respect in the capital and, on top of that, made a name for himself as a skilful sports economist. Lüthi was the sole ruling commander of the largest hockey club in Europe. With Lüthi, SCB won an impressive six titles in this millennium alone, provided the best entertainment and balanced annual accounts.
The system worked thanks to a Marc Lüthi who toils, calls out, drives, pulls, invents and decides. Lüthi full throttle. It was all built around him. Many of the employees have long been serving fans and rarely serious challengers to their charismatic boss.
Lüthi’s new focus: health
The system didn’t just get into trouble this season. It started with the announcement that Lüthi wanted to stay out of the sporting decisions in the future. There is usually a great deal of relief when a CEO in sports announces something like this. In the case of Chef Lüthi, it was the beginning of the end. The system was built on a manager who gets involved everywhere, including in sports. He had to be tireless.
This year the club was completely destabilized. Because boss Marc Lüthi had to shift his focus. Suddenly he had other problems, bigger ones: his health. Fate played badly on him. Cerebral hemorrhage, heart surgery, enforced break. Understandably, getting healthy suddenly became more important than scoring points. Lüthi needed the energy for himself and his club seems to be missing it everywhere.
The announcement of his retirement is hanging in the room
It becomes clear: With the weakened Lüthi, the SCB system implodes. The announcement of his retirement is hanging in the room – he wants to do one more year, then look further. The SC Lüthi system is at an end. But Marc Lüthi is still there, still filling the room. That’s how he is, he can’t help himself. Charisma doesn’t just cut itself in half.
But the energy does. The question is: how long will he keep going? After the medical incident, is he still driven enough for the exhausting “jack of all trades” CEO job? It’s a turning point at SC Bern. A change that will keep the club busy for years.
