Maximilian Heberger is Managing Director and CFO/CCO of nilo, the leading digital platform for mental health in the workplace. With experience from McKinsey, he drives nilo’s growth and commercial strategy.
With nilo, he supports more than 500 international companies, such as BBVA, Bosch Switzerland or Miduca, in the area of employee mental health – with the goal of fostering
a sustainable, high-performing and, most importantly, healthy company culture.
nilo combines scientifically proven, high-quality formats and content with easy access to professional mental health support – reaching thousands of employees worldwide.
We are delighted to be partnering with nilo in both Zurich and Amsterdam. Maximilian will be running one of our Zurich workshops, showing how to make Mental Health a Reality. We caught up with him to see how he’s feeling in the run up to the summit:
Hi Maximilian we are thrilled that you are joining us at the Wellbeing at Work Summit in Zurich later this month. Our first and most important question is, how are you doing today?
I’m doing great — we just had a nice Easter break, so heading into summer everything feels positive.
As a leader based in the region, what are the main challenges you are facing when it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health?
Our main challenge is balancing a strong performance-driven culture with employee wellbeing and mental health. Fortunately, we use our own product extensively, which helps us manage this well.
What strategies have you seen developing over the past 6 months, both internally and externally, that are moving the dial on wellbeing in the workplace?
Our approach is twofold: leveraging our own product to support wellbeing, while fostering strong ownership and enablement so employees feel like entrepreneurs in their roles.
Why is employee wellbeing so important to you personally?
It’s important because it directly reflects our company mission — and for me personally, it’s a core entrepreneurial driver.
What impact is AI having in your organization and how are you managing that?
AI is increasing our productivity and effectiveness internally, while also enabling us to continuously enhance our mental wellbeing solution for over 200.000 employees.
Other than AI, are there any challenges that you are seeing for the first time and how are you addressing them?
The current economic environment, with tighter budgets, is a key challenge. We address this by clearly demonstrating the ROI of investing in nilo, especially in difficult times.
What areas do you think employers should be focused on over the next 12 months?
Company success is directly linked to having healthy, resilient, and productive employees. Retaining top talent and building resilience across the workforce should be key priorities.
Do you feel that investment in employee wellbeing in the region is increasing or decreasing and is that a direct reflection on HR leaders’ increasing ability to demonstrate effective returns of their strategies to leadership?
Investment in employee wellbeing continues to grow as a long-term trend. While it may slow slightly due to budget constraints, it remains a clear priority for organizations.
How has your organisation been leading the way?
We have established ourselves as a leading provider of workplace mental health solutions in central Europe, particularly in the DACH region.
Maximilian is running one of our workshops in Zurich as part of our Wellbeing at Work Summit Europe 2026 which takes place in Zurich, Amsterdam and Madrid later this month. Click the links below to find out more and book your tickets:
