Interview with Elisabeth Schärtl
With the previous role-holder Francesco Ferro moving on to become President of euRobotics, the General Assembly confirmed Elisabeth Schärtl as the association’s Treasurer. It was a good opportunity to examine the role of Treasurer and to see how Elisabeth intends to fulfil the role. We spoke to her in early May.
Good morning, Elisabeth. Congratulations on your new role as Treasurer. Essentially, in your eyes, what is the role of the Treasurer of euRobotics?
Good morning. Thank you. From my perspective, beyond the traditional accounting responsibility and providing clear and reliable financial reporting to the Board and members, the role is also to support strategic decision-making by aligning financial resources with euRobotics’ mission, activities and long‑term objectives. Therefore, in my new role I want to act as a bridge between operational activities, strategic priorities and financial governance, ensuring that the association can effectively support the European robotics and AI ecosystem.
What are the main challenges for you as Treasurer?
One of the key challenges is balancing financial sustainability with the ambitious and diverse activities of euRobotics. As a non-profit membership organisation, we need to ensure we use resources wisely while remaining flexible enough to support initiatives that create tangible value for our members and the broader community.
Now that you have taken on the Treasurer’s role, what new insights have you had so far into the operation and activities of euRobotics?
To be honest, there haven’t been many entirely new insights, mainly because I had already been involved with euRobotics through my work in the Pegasus Team. Working closely with the Office on structuring and prioritising topics gave me a solid understanding of how the organisation operates and how efficient collaboration is achieved.
In your view, and based on your experience, how does the Treasurer’s role for a non-profit membership organisation like euRobotics compare to managing the financial aspects of a commercial business?
While many of the financial principles are similar, such as budgeting, financial control and risk management, the context is fundamentally different. In a commercial business, financial success is primarily measured by profitability and shareholder value, whereas in a non-profit membership organisation like euRobotics, the focus is on sustainability, transparency and value creation for members and society. The Treasurer’s role therefore places more emphasis on stewardship and alignment with the organisation’s mission. Financial decisions are closely linked to strategic impact rather than return on investment alone.
How did you come to be Treasurer? What attracted you to the role?
I came to take on the Treasurer’s role after Bernd Liepert and the ExT approached me and asked whether I would be willing to support euRobotics in a deeper and more strategic way. Following this conversation, I decided to put myself forward for election, also with the intention of supporting Francesco Ferro in his new role as President. For me, this was a very natural next step, as I had already been involved with euRobotics and felt strongly connected to its mission.
What particularly attracted me to the role is to strengthen the importance of euRobotics as a key driver between research and industry in Europe. Strengthening this bridge is essential! Not only to turn excellent research into real-world impact, but also to reinforce Europe’s position in robotics and AI globally.
What would you like to achieve in the role?
As Treasurer, I see an opportunity to contribute my experiences from industry in a way that helps ensure financial stability and enables the organisation to focus on what really matters: supporting collaboration, innovation and a strong European robotics ecosystem.
Being euRobotics’ Treasurer is not your full-time role. What is your ‘day job’ and other roles?
In my day job at autonox Robotics, I focus strongly on building and nurturing networks across the ecosystem. My role sits at the intersection of technology, business, and partnerships, connecting internal teams with external partners, customers, and stakeholders in the field of control‑independent robotics. Creating the right connections and fostering meaningful collaboration is a core part of my work, complemented by my technical background and strategic perspective.
Outside of work, I am also a mother of two very active boys, which definitely keeps life dynamic and well organised, supported by a wonderful partner. As a balance to my technology‑driven professional life, I value spending time in my garden and in nature. Being partly self‑sufficient, learning about plants, medicinal herbs, and the natural environment is very important to me; it helps me to recharge and keeps my perspective grounded.
That sounds healthy! Finally, is there anything else that you would like euRobotics members to know, to think about or to do, from your perspective as the association’s Treasurer?
It is essential that we actively strengthen European robotics as a core part of the automation landscape. Europe’s real strength is not in pure AI alone or mass production, but in intelligently combining software and hardware to create efficient, differentiated cyber‑physical systems. To build on this advantage, we as euRobotics members need openness, trust and strong collaboration. Stepping beyond our individual silos and truly leveraging our network is, in my view, a key success factor for Europe’s future competitiveness.
Thank you, Elisabeth. We look forward to hearing more from your perspective as Treasurer in the future.
Thank you.