„When Others Stop, You Keep Going": Our CEO Dario Tomas in Conversation with the Swiss Armed Forces
Cesar Moreira ·
What do training as an elite grenadier and leading a technology company have in common? Our managing director and co-founder Dario Tomas recently answered exactly this question on the official podcast of the Swiss Armed Forces.
In a fascinating conversation with Matthias Müller, Dario reflects on his time as an Isone grenadier, his roots as a Secondo, and how these experiences shaped the DNA of Digital Airways.
Grenadier School: A Forge for Life
Dario joined recruit school in 2011 with no prior military experience. What began as a spontaneous decision during the recruitment assessment became one of the toughest and most valuable phases of his life [06:26].
The notorious Hercules exercise in particular – a two-day feat of strength including a 70-kilometre march and steep ascents pushed to the limit – left a deep impression. His conclusion: «Everything that has meaning and value has to be earned the hard way.» [33:44], [34:38]
What Dario Brought from the Field into the Office
For Dario, the military was far more than just drill. He sees it as an «accelerant» for character traits that he now draws on every day as CEO:
- Agility in small units: With the grenadiers, he learned how effective small, specialised units (squads) can be. It is precisely on this principle that we build Digital Airways: small, agile teams that can fully focus on a single product or process, instead of becoming rigid within sluggish large structures [37:37], [38:12].
- Decisiveness under pressure: As a squad leader, he learned to give clear orders in the shortest possible time, even when information is missing. «Worse than a wrong decision is no decision at all» [23:35].
- The «keep-going mindset»: The grenadiers’ motto – «When others stop, you keep going» – is today Dario’s guiding principle. A company is never «finished»; it demands the constant drive to stay the course, even when things get stormy [18:12], [19:12].
Home, Pride and Responsibility
As a Secondo with Croatian roots, Dario describes the military as the place where he became «more Swiss» [03:00]. He got to know people from every canton and social background – from locksmiths to grammar-school students. This «melting pot» strengthened his view of Switzerland as «the best country in the world» and his motivation to give something back to society [04:36].
A Strong Team as the Foundation
Whether during a helicopter infiltration or the digitalisation of business processes: nothing works without camaraderie and trust. In the podcast, Dario emphasises that to this day he maintains close friendships from his service years, and that this form of loyalty is also the most important foundation within a company [35:03].
We are proud to be led by someone who knows what it means to push to the very limits – and beyond.
Would you like to hear the full interview and learn how Dario thinks about leadership, punctuality and the «school of life that is the military»?
