Swiss Quality

Management

Foto KollerDr. Karl J. Koller is the CEO and Founder of the Institute for Total Quality Management (ITQM), Zurich, Switzerland.

He earned a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) and received his Doctorate in Management from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. He worked and studied in the USA for several years (Boston University, University of California - Los Angeles, University of Chicago).

Dr. Koller has more than 30 years of practical experience with international companies as well as with government organizations and universities (Europe, USA, Asia, GCC Countries). He has been working in the field of Total Quality Management for many years with focus on management in the TQM process and on the EFQM Excellence Model. During his doctoral studies he spent two years as a visiting research fellow at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. In addition to his consulting activities, he spent several years as a visiting faculty member for Total Quality Management at a number of universities. He is a Functional Partner for Business Excellence Governance at the International Board Foundation (IBF) at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Dr. Koller has published several articles about Quality Management and Excellence and presented at national and international conferences for Quality Management. He is the author of the Global Guidelines on the Corporate Governance of Business Excellence, published by the International Board Foundation (IBF). 

He conducts TQM study tours within the USA and Europe on a regular basis (TQM in Manufacturing, Logistics, Higher Education, Health Care, Hospitality, Service). Dr. Koller is an Assessor for the EFQM Excellence Award (formerly the European Quality Award) and a Licensed Trainer/Advisor/Validator of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), a Certified EFQM Innovation Leader, a Six Sigma Black Belt (ASQ) and a QFD Black Belt (QFDI). He is a Certified Change Manager (PROSCI), and a Certified Trainer/Facilitator for Large Conferences. He is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), a Member of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP).

During the last 20 years, Dr. Koller focused his work internationally on the use of the EFQM Excellence Model, the involvement of top management in the TQM / Excellence process and the introduction of TQM / Excellence in various industries.

  • The EFQM L4E Training was an insightful and beneficial two-day-course which gave me an overview of the EFQM Model and the Fundamental Concepts of Excellence. I recommend this course to individuals who are new to the EFQM Model and also to individuals who already have some background in Excellence but want to refresh and expand their Excellence know-how. It is beneficial for all management staff, regardless of their field of work, as Excellence is a key component for high performance.

    Mr. Mohammad Abdulrazaq Alawadhi, Global Quality Manager, Drydocks World, Dubai, UAE
  • The workshop was well organized and conducted professionally. I have learned a useful method that can be applied to universities.

    Dr. Inga Milisiunaite, Director of Quality Management, University of Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania
  • I would strongly recommend the EFQM Training to any company desiring to achieve Excellence in their business. The workshop from ITQM was well conducted and was successful in achieving its objectives.

    Dr. Ahmed Suheel, CEO, Arabian Farms Dev. Co, Dubai, UAE