How I Lead
I turn digital technology into lasting capability.
Data, code and AI do not last on their own. What makes them hold is transforming the systems, practices and people around them. That is the work I do.
Short bio
Jimeno Fonseca leads Digital Engineering at Axpo Grid in Switzerland, where he built the department bringing BIM and digital twins to the construction and operation of power networks — including the first substation in the DACH region built without a single paper plan. He created City Energy Analyst, an open-source urban energy simulation platform now used in more than 75 countries, and co-founded Superurbana GmbH, which commercialised that work until 2025. He holds a PhD from ETH Zürich, is a certified Agile Practitioner and an active member of CIGRE, and contributed data to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report on Climate Change. Off the clock, he plays music and takes photographs.
01Proof of scale
Built and scaled the Digital Engineering department at Axpo Grid from zero to 25 cross-functional engineers and product managers.
Manage an OPEX/CAPEX budget of CHF 8m, transitioning digital initiatives from pure cost centres into protected business value.
Scaled software capabilities from local academic prototypes to active commercial deployment across 75+ countries.
02Key enterprise outcomes
Digital Transformation at Axpo Grid — from OPEX to revenue-generating value
OutcomeEngineered and delivered the DACH region's first electrical substation built entirely without paper plans, and pioneered Axpo's first Digital Twin as a Service offering.
ImpactTransitioned internal engineering capabilities into market-facing products, a transformation that secured CHF 30m in at-risk business and launched CHF 1.5m in net-new digital services.
See case study→Cloud Solution for City Energy Analyst and Superurbana GmbH — scaled and commercialised IP
OutcomeScaled an open-source urban energy simulation platform into a global standard used in over 75 countries. Served 30+ enterprise clients worldwide.
ImpactCo-founded and commercialised the underlying IP through Superurbana GmbH, sustaining the technology lifecycle and its ecosystem through 2025.
See case study→Insights for the IPCC 6th Assessment Report — contribution to global policy
OutcomeDelivered data-driven (HBLM-USA) and physics-based (DEG-USA) forecasts of how climate change will affect energy consumption in the United States to the end of the century.
ImpactContributed data to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report on Climate Change, informing worldwide environmental policy since 2021.
See case study→03Operating principles
Make room for invention on purpose
Innovation requires dedicated time, space, and a mandate to experiment without permission.
Give structure, purpose and direction — then get out of the way
Establish clear rules and cross-functional alliances, set strategic goals, and then let the team execute.
Technology integration is expectation management, not architecture
Successful integration relies on managing user expectations and adapting processes, not just software architecture.
Plan to maintain, from the day you decide to build
The true cost and value of technology lie in its long-term maintenance, not its launch.
Move technology from liability to protected value
Introduce services at low margins until their value is proven, turning IT from a pure cost centre into protected business value.
The customer of my customer is my customer
Solve the actual problem of the end user downstream, not just the perceived problem of the project sponsor.
Meritocracy, and leading by example
Lead from the front, maintain uncompromisingly high standards, and reserve the highest praise for truly exceptional work.
Aim to be first — and know when not to
Recognise when to invent and when to be a fast follower, to optimise time to market and budget.
04Recently