Dr. Christoph Karlo: “You Can’t Achieve Anything If You Are Not Willing to Take the Risk»

Dr. Christoph A. Karlo, a Vienna-born professional, serves as chairman of Octorad, a Swiss radiology services company, as founder, chairman and president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, and as chairman of Kessel Solar, a renewable energy company based in Mexico City. A trip to New York for a medical research fellowship led to an encounter with Kerry Kennedy, sparking the establishment of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in Switzerland. Simultaneously, he embarked on a venture with Kessel Solar. While commencing his career in the medical field, Dr. Christoph A. Karlo’s journey unfolded intovarious arenas, including medicine, human rights and solar energy. Involved in numerous successful endeavors, he exemplifies how an unwavering belief, and a strong mindset can lead to countless opportunities. He provides insights into his diverse endeavors and offers advice on living a fulfilling life.

Dr. Christoph A. Karlo, could you share some insights into your background and upbringing in Austria?
I was born in Vienna and, when I was one and a half years old, my family and I moved to Klagenfurt in Carinthia, a city in Southern Austria. I grew up there with my younger brother. We enjoyed a great youth with security, health, proper education and a happy family life. At the age of 14, I participated in a year- long foreign exchange program in the United States. In 1993, America was still considered the one exemplary nation. While students in the foreign exchange program were aiming for destinations like California, Miami or New York, I was open to experiencing the American way of life anywhere, including rural areas. I went to Yale University for a two-week training before settling in St. Louis, Missouri, for a year of high school with a host family. I had a great year and I’m still in touch with my host family and school friends. Returning to Austria at 16, I completed high school and pursued medical school in Graz.

What motivated you to pursue medicine?
I always knew that I wanted to go into medicine. Medicine was my biggest interest since the age of 15. Both of my parents are doctors, and this certainly influenced me to follow this path. At an early age, I got to see what they were doing and became very interested. But my parents weren’t the only reason I went into medicine. I always had a keen interest about the human body and how it functioned, as it is the most fascinating and sophisticated machine on earth. I believe the human body is one of the deepest and highest fields of study that actually exists. There are few things more complex and interesting than human beings, maybe the universe.

Has your perspective on medicine changed over the course of time?
To say that I went into medicine to help people and save the world from suffering wouldn’t entirely be true. But as you grow older, this perspective shifts more and more into the foreground. The more patients you treat and the more work you do in medicine, the more important it becomes to help. The component of helping is a common purpose of mine, which I see in my work in medicine, in renewable energy and, of course, in human rights.

Could you tell us about your career as a medical doctor?
After working as a radiologist at the University Hospital of Zurich for many years, on track to becoming a Swiss National Science Foundation professor, I left the hospital at the end of 2018 to join Hirslanden Clinic in 2019. As it turned out, there was an opportunity for me to rebuild the entire radiology structure within Hirslanden in the greater Zurich area. Together with a handful of colleagues, I was able to contribute to building a new company, which would serve as a platform for all radiologists within Hirslanden clinics in the greater Zurich area. Thereupon, three colleagues and I launched Octorad in October 2022. I am proud and privileged to lead the new team of radiologists as the chairman of Octorad.

What is Octorad?
Octorad is a medical services company that currently provides radiology services within Hirslanden at three locations in the greater Zurich area. As the name of the company suggests, it’s a combination of the words octopus and radiology, which hints at how we can, and will, connect to many different locations with our tentacles. Octorad has radiologists that specialize in all existing clinical subdivisions including the heart, liver, brain, breast, among others. We’ve built a platform where institutions like hospitals and private practices acquire images, which are then interpreted by radiologists who categorize them according to their specialties. At the end of this process, the specialized radiologists analyze the images and generate a professional report. Following this structure allows us to grow in multiple ways: increasing the number of specialties, the number of images we receive and the number of radiologists that work on the platform. And that’s what we plan to do over the coming years.

What are your aspirations for Octorad?
This job enables independence in the workplace. As long as we are connected to the server, we can technically work from anywhere around the world. This gives us the greatest opportunity to grow in the field of radiology within the Hirslanden group in and outside of Switzerland. We are planning to expand to places like Miami and other international locations. As a result, our international employees will be enabled to work during the non-working hours of Switzerland. Having people work from different time zones will allow us to analyze images throughout the entire day, providing the best possible 24/7 service for patients in Switzerland.

How has your medical background influenced your approach to human rights?
During my residency, I had the opportunity to work for six months at the children’s hospital in Zurich. Being exposed to children who are critically ill changes your perception of people profoundly. This either turns off people because they cannot deal with it, or they are triggered emotionally from within and become stronger. Stronger in the sense that the more they are exposed to certain difficult situations or circumstances the more compassionate they become. My medical background didn’t consciously push me into human rights. I don’t think there is a strong connection between the two, but there is a correlation that becomes clearer with time.

What led you to establish Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Switzerland?
During my training as a clinical and research resident in radiology at the University Hospital of Zurich, I was accepted to a research fellowship at the renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, sponsored by a Swiss National Science Foundation grant in 2010. I relocated with my wife and son, who was just eight months old at the time, to New York’s Upper West Side for two years, during which I met Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, and president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. The idea of establishing Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in Switzerland arose when I became well informed of their work in the United States. I thought it would be a great idea to build a chapter in Switzerland, for human rights education could be highly beneficial for Swiss students. Soon thereafter, I began working with Kerry Kennedy to set up a foundation in Switzerland.

How do you see RFK Human Rights Switzerland contributing to global human rights conversations and actions?
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Switzerland has a strong purpose in educating primarily young people and creating awareness about human rights protection through the initiative Speak Truth To Power. Young people and adults get to experience the lives of human rights defenders through their stories in various ways, such as a photo exhibit, a book or a theater play. The main purpose of the Foundation is to educate people, who, in turn, contribute to the global discussion.

How do you envision the expansion of the RFK Human Rights initiatives in Switzerland?
I forsee a very bright future. I envision developing human rights education and various awareness campaigns in schools across many locations in Switzerland. We see a growing interest in human rights programs within schools from both school educators and parents. I also envision building a bigger platform on a social level for people who want to get involved. Many people do not have the time or skills to get involved primarily in a project or initiative, but they have the opportunity to get involved through our charity events.

Could you provide an example that highlights the impact of RFK Human Rights Switzerland?
We have seen an amazing impact on students when we hold our projects at schools, such as organizing school visits with the human rights defenders and noble peace prize laureates. Their discussions leave an everlasting impact on students. It is about getting them to understand the virtues and values that are necessary for a peaceful and prosperous society. A couple of years ago, after a three-month project in a school in Glarus, the school reported a significant decrease in bullying and in problems with students during daily school life. There must have been an impact. This is, however, very difficult to measure, as it is intangible.

Besides the Foundation, you also launched Kessel Solar, a solar renewable energy company in Mexico. How did this come to be?
I have a strong connection to Mexico since my wife Karina is half Swiss and half Mexican. She was raised in Mexico, which made it easier for me to visit frequently and become more familiar with the country. My venture got started during my time in New York when I met Samuel Neuenschwander, who ended up being my business partner in Kessel Solar. He told me about a prototype of a solar water heating system that he had built with a Mexican engineer. It was simple technology, locally sourced and well-designed. Ideas were exchanged and soon after we started a solar renewable energy company in Mexico. In 2014, we registered the company in Switzerland. Over the past 10 years, the company has grown and today we have more than 7,000 customers in the greater Mexico City area who receive their warm water for free – because of natural sunlight.

What is the purpose of the company?
Kessel Solar is a solar company that is based in Mexico, which provides sustainable, renewable energy solutions for the middle- and lower-class people in Latin America. Our solar water heating system provides warm water for free once it’s been paid off after one or two years. In addition, customers don’t have gas or electricity costs when heating their water. The company ensures a completely local production process. All materials are sourced from the region, and the workforce consists entirely of individuals from the local area.

Where do you plan to expand Kessel Solar?
Ideally, to all of Latin America, then to the United States and Asia.

Could you describe a day in the life of Dr. Christoph A. Karlo?
Not every day is the same. A typical day for me involves waking up as early as I can, which is easier in summer than in winter – around 5:00 in summer and 6:30 in winter. I either go running or take a walk with my dog for about an hour. Then, I get ready for the day ahead. Most days, I spend at the hospital, where I have a full program. I work with patients, have online meetings and handle administration. I try to spend as much time as possible with my family. Additionally, I need a lot of time for myself every day. It’s like meditation for me; I go for a walk or have a cigar somewhere. As my wife and I are very socially active people, we aren’t home a lot in the evenings. I plan for big events, but I usually live from week to week and fill my calendar on very short notice.

How do you balance your professional life, involvement in humanitarian causes and family life?
This requires organization, prioritization and supportive people around me. It is important to manage time efficiently, work with the right people, adjust priorities when necessary and recognize personal time as essential rather than a waste.

You are involved in many endeavors, including radiology, human rights and renewable energy. If you had to choose to pursue only one area for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would choose radiology – not because it pays my life, but because it is the area in which I have invested the most, not in terms of money, but in terms of time and energy. My most profitable investment so far was my education. Education gives me the best returns.

Do you think that one has to attend university in order to be successful?
If you have discipline, you can find everything online or in books. However, most people lack the discipline to do that. When I delivered my habilitation speech at the University of Zurich upon receiving my PhD, I used a quote from the English poet John Masefield, who said: “There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see.” I believe universities are equally important for delivering knowledge and for the learning of social integration. Unfortunately, this aspect gets lost because of increasingly intense curricula. It’s important not only to learn but also to spend time with friends and colleagues, as this is where you develop your social skills. Ultimately, I believe that universities are essential and should never be questioned.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs starting a business?
Stay strong and focused. Work extremely hard and do not let anything or anyone get in your way. Get used to falling heavily on your face because it will really hurt at some point. Be prepared to be ridiculed and discouraged by all the naysayers. Stay away from these people, because if you’re not a strong character, they will derail you early on. As you become successful, you realize who are your friends and who are your foes. You perceive the genuine happiness as well as the jealousy of these individuals. It takes a while until you reach a stage where people actually acknowledge your achievements and recognize you. Being successful as an entrepreneur requires sacrifices, potentially even affecting personal relationships. Finally, find your inspiration, the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing.

How significant is luck in creating a business?
I don’t believe in luck. If you have a clear goal with a plan and strategy, then what you achieve is not luck. It is a clear path you built for yourself. I believe in destiny or coincidence – either you make something out of it, or you don’t.

What about family and network?
Family and network are a central part of developing anything in life. Whether in private or in business, everything in life is about building relationships. Family is absolutely essential as it is your backbone. If you take care of your family, your family takes care of you. If you can’t get your family to work smoothly and happily, how are you going to run a company? A family is the smallest unit of our society. If families don’t work, our society will sooner or later have a problem, as people wouldn’t know how to deal with each other. It is likely impossible or very difficult to be successful and achieve something on your own.

When facing challenges in life, what strategies do you have in order to stay positive and resilient?
It depends on the challenge. When it’s an everyday work challenge, I try to fix it quickly. If I’m not able to fix it quickly, I retreat to myself as soon as I can and go for a walk and reflect on it. This approach helps me find ways to deal with problems and develop strategies for fixing them, whether it’s on my own or by involving the right people whom I can depend on and have transparent communication to take on the challenge. It’s during these crucial moments that you should remain calm and respectful of others. If the problem is not fixable, then just try to avoid making the same mistake in the future and live with the consequences.

How do you use challenges for opportunities of growth?
A challenge is always something that stands between you and your goal. Otherwise, it would not be a challenge. If something important is not involved with a challenge, then you are not willing to solve it. Therefore, everything you identify as a challenge is an opportunity which leads to something that is important to you.

What are some core values or principles that you live by in your daily life?
Respect, tolerance and courage. Other core values trickle down from them. Respecting people’s individuality, belief, position, opinion, space and freedom is very important. However, tolerance is even more important because you have to have the strength to allow other people to be different. This means that you need to accept that you will not agree with everyone on certain issues. Thus, in order for you to be able to be different, you need to allow other people to be different as well. Another core value people should have more of is courage. People should be courageous to do things they normally thought that they couldn’t do. You can’t achieve anything if you are not willing to take the risk. Robert F. Kennedy once said: “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

What does a “rich life” mean to you?
There is a difference between wealthy and rich. Most people think of money when talking about rich or wealthy. This is individually defined by each person. What I consider as a rich life is never being critically ill and never having a problem that would endanger your existence, be it physiologically, financially, socially or business-wise.

Would you say the same about success?
Yes, success can also be defined individually. If you are out there looking to achieve your goal, then you are already partly successful. Success also correlates with the risks you need to take.

Is there a specific moment in your life that had a significant impact on you?
I don’t think that there is a single specific moment or experience, but rather many. Life is a collection of moments and experiences. Experiences are a collection of failures and successes in all aspects of life, be it in private life or in business. Rather than a single moment, there was a development which started when I was around the age of 15 and I had left my family for my one-year stay in the United States. That was a very significant life experience. I was on my own without my parents, I had to depend on myself and was forced to deal with all aspects of life. Furthermore, it was not only the experiences, but also the sum of people in my life, that had an impact on me. Ultimately, at the end of the day, you become who you surround yourself with. Starting with my parents, I was lucky to be surrounded by great people in my life both in private and in business.

Could you share a significant mindset shift that has influenced your personal or professional life?
A significant mindset shift occurred when I was young, and was only interested in being successful just for the sake of being successful, as were many other young people. This is something that most young people would not admit to once they are older. And I’m sure that this mindset shift is still happening today. When you are young, you want to be successful because you want to afford the nice things in life, you want to live the high life. At the time, you do not realize it, but society communicates very early on that it is primarily important to have financial success. From the age of 18, my mindset shifted and diverged from that way of thinking and accelerated especially between the ages of 27 and 35. The shift came drastically, even though I was brought up with the sense of doing something for others. This had nothing to do with religious background but rather a value-based education and upbringing. My mindset was not only to make a good life for myself but to make sure that as many people as possible could have a good life as well. This change from “I” to “We” did not happen overnight.

Are you still in the process of this mindset shift?
Yes, I am still in the process and don’t know if I will ever achieve it. I’m not sure if you can ever get to that point in your life where you can say you have arrived. Instead, I think it’s a constant effort and search for yourself or your purpose. Happy and lucky are those people who find their own destiny, meaning and purpose before they die. You really need to work on your own destiny and not on how you want to be seen by others. You should follow your own path because there is a path laid out for you. You just need to see it, identify it and work on it. When you are on the right path, make sure to take others with you and help those in need.

Do you have any regrets in life?
No, I would do everything the same again. Overall, I believe everyone makes mistakes in life, but I don’t think they should be changed, as mistakes and failures are part of everything. They lead to other opportunities that come along. However, I tend not to look back either.

You seem to be a very optimistic person.
That’s true. It sometimes scares me. I strongly believe that many things are possible in our lives and we have no idea about their potential. This doesn’t only apply to financial success or entrepreneurship, but to all areas of life. I feel comfortable thinking big because I admire people who have done so and ended up successful. Steve Jobs once said: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” He is absolutely right. You have to ignore the doubters and the pessimists, whether they are friends or parents. It’s challenging, especially when it’s your parents because they worry and don’t want you to fail. But you shouldn’t worry about failure. When someone tells me that my plan won’t work, that’s exactly what I want to hear. That gets me going.

Have you been able to achieve everything you’ve envisioned for yourself?
I’m never really satisfied. Life is a constant process that I enjoy. I never reach the end of the process because I continuously develop new things.

How did you discover your life’s purpose and how has it influenced your professional and personal decisions?
I was raised in a family, where it was made very clear from the beginning that it is important to do something useful and reasonable for society and that you shouldn’t waste your time. You can be successful in your job, have great friends and have fun, but you should always be useful and do something beneficial for society. All of this was instilled in me during my early days in Austria and during my time in high school and University. When you are younger, you don’t really have the same vision, interests or awareness of purpose as you have later on when you are more experienced, whether in work or private relationships. The importance of being more useful became more evident with age. Although life circumstances changed with time, I always had a strong interest in philanthropy and human rights. My purpose lies in contributing to society in one way or another, be it through medicine, human rights or renewable energy.

What advice do you have for people in search of their purpose in life?
Listen to yourself. Be honest with yourself. Observe yourself. Try to identify yourself as early as possible: Who am I? Why am I here? What would I like to do with my life? Do not listen to too many other people. You need to acknowledge your weakness in order to find your strength and passion. Moreover, you have to observe what makes you happy. It is important to have a genuine interest in people and feel comfortable with them. If you dislike people, then it’s very difficult to do something useful for others.

Are there any books and podcasts that you can recommend?
I love biographies and history because I love reading things that actually happened. I would highly recommend Walter Isaacson’s biographies of Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci. Other recommendations are the biographies of Nikola Tesla, Robert F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy. I also recommend travel literature by Ryszard Kapuściński and Peter Scholl-Latour. I enjoy listening to Jordan Peterson, Ray Dalio and Lex Fridman’s podcast. I believe that political and societal stand should not play a role in what you read or listen to. You should not bias yourself in one direction, but rather have an open mind for other opinions.

What life advice can you pass on to our readers?
Find your purpose, follow it and be ready to fight for it.

Discover more about Dr. Christoph A. Karlo’s endeavours here: 
octorad.ch
rfkhumanrights.ch
kessel-solar.com

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