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von Ellerts

About

Holger von Ellerts

Holger von Ellerts is an AI lecturer and entrepreneur from Walchwil/Zug, Switzerland — CEO of digital nalu GmbH and digital opua GmbH, and founder of the open-source infrastructure Nexbid. He teaches Artificial Intelligence, Data Management and Digital Marketing at six Swiss educational institutions and speaks as a keynote speaker on AI in marketing and Agentic Commerce.

Holger von Ellerts in Walchwil, Lake Zug in the background

At home in Walchwil on Lake Zug.

01

How I got here

I started where digital advertising is sold: on the sales-house side. Adcloud, NZZ, audienzz — programmatic, native advertising, ad technology. In 2015 the sales operation I was jointly responsible for was named «Best Online Advertising Provider» (d.core); I was twice nominated for «Digital Marketer of the Year».

Then I switched sides. As Head of Digital Media at Coop I ran media planning and data-driven marketing for one of Switzerland's largest retailers. At MediaMarkt I built up tracking, segmentation and media-mix models as an interim manager in 2019/2020. Corporate group, publisher, sales house, my own company — I know every side of the table.

Since 2019 I have worked for my own account — at first alongside the interim mandate: digital nalu advises Swiss brands on data-driven marketing, digital opua builds AI products — from Marketing-Mix-Modeling through RAG systems to Nexbid, an open-source infrastructure for commerce between AI agents. In parallel I have taught at Swiss universities since 2017: what I explain in the lecture hall I have first built, sold or discarded myself.

I live and work in Walchwil on Lake Zug. German is my native language, English my working language — and Swedish a remnant of my time at Växjö University that I keep up to this day.

Career

  • Digital Data & Analytics (Interim)

    MediaMarkt Schweiz · 2019–2020

  • Head of Digital Media

    Coop · 2017–2019

  • Head of Programmatic & Business Development

    NZZ Media Solutions / audienzz · 2015–2016

  • Key Account Manager

    Neue Zürcher Zeitung · 2013–2014

  • Senior Manager & Country Manager Switzerland

    Adcloud GmbH · 2009–2012

02

Facts

Teaching

  • Hochschule Luzern (HSLU) — since 2017
  • Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW) — since 2019
  • Höhere Fachschule Luzern HFLU — since 2022
  • WBZ Kanton Luzern — since 2025
  • KBZ Kaufmännisches Bildungszentrum Zug — since 2025
  • SIMAKOM Managementschule — since 2026

Companies

  • digital nalu GmbHCEO, since 2019
  • digital opua GmbHCEO, since 2022
  • NexbidFounder

Awards & mandates

  • Best Online Advertising Provider 2015 (d.core)
  • 2× nominee — Digital Marketer of the Year
  • Advisory board, VRMandat.com, 2018–2026
03

Education

  • Master, Management Information Systems

    FHNW

    2015–2018

  • Adult & continuing education (train-the-trainer)

    Lernwerkstatt Olten

    2026

  • Artificial Intelligence

    Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU)

    2026

  • Informatics / software engineering

    Propulsion Academy Zürich

    2021

  • Computer & IT administration and management

    FHNW

    2016

Let's talk.

Whether it's a keynote, a teaching assignment or an AI project: drop me a line about what you have in mind.

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