P.1 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

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SWITZERLAND – YOUR GATEWAY TO EUROPESwitzerland is the most innovative business center in the world. Locate in Switzerland and grow your business – thanks to highly qualifi ed talent, business-friendly labor laws, leading tech clusters and political stability in the heart of Europe: s-ge.com/invest #WhySwitzerland

An Ideal Location for Global OperationsSwitzerland specializes in offering

innovative solutions to complex global operating structures seeking an effi-cient, stable and productive location to grow their dynamic high value-added businesses. The country is well known for offering one of the most competitive ecosystems globally. The nation has a liberal economy, political stability, in-ternational integration, outstanding in-frastructure, and provides a well-struc-tured tax code. In addition, Switzerland has consistently excelled in promoting innovation and technology, fostering

academia, and maintaining one of the world’s highest standards of living. For a small population of only 8.5 million in-habitants, it is extraordinary the impact Switzerland has on the world. With innovation being the common denom-inator across all sectors of the Swiss economy, it ranks 20th in the world in regard to economic size, and has a GDP exceeding $700 billion.

As a stable country with an open economy committed to free trade, it has become an ideal base to manage oper-ations in Europe or across the world.

Therefore, this small landlocked nation has been able to attract tremendous quantities of multinational companies. Companies benefit from Switzerland’s iconic neutrality, which has allowed it to build diplomatic relationships and excellent trade agreements with nearly every country in the world.

Twenty years ago when the global economy was thriving, Switzerland was without question, the premier base for global multinationals to establish operations. In fact, it was the destina-tion of choice for half of all multination-

als building a presence within Europe. Its consistent historical reliability and

business friendliness allowed compa-nies to blossom. Multinationals felt at home, and expanded their presence and grew their operations.

Swiss innovation has habitually been one of the nation’s core competitive advantages. Switzerland remains the world’s most innovative economy, and for eight consecutive years has been ranked number one in the United Na-tions World Intellectual Property Or-ganization’s innovation index.

Spotlight on Switzerland

Innovative Swiss solutions tackling global challenges

Switzerland is a Global Innovationand Technology Leader

An increasing number of American tech-nology companies are setting up offices in Switzerland, including well-known giants such as Google, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson and Biogen. Simone Wyss Fed-ele, CEO of Switzerland’s official trade and investment promotion organization, explains why.

Simone Wyss FedeleCEOS-GE

What are the strengths of Switzerland as business location?

For more than 30 years, Switzerland has been one of the most competitive business locations in the world. This is closely related to the favorable framework conditions that our country offers to do-mestic and foreign companies. The politi-cal stability and quality of life are very high, the infrastructure is modern, and the edu-cation system and access to leading clus-ters with innovative companies is excel-lent. International talents have repeatedly chosen Switzerland as the most attractive location in the world. In addition, the busi-ness climate is generally supportive due to

the American-like labor laws, low level of regulatory control and moderate corporate taxes. And foremost, let’s not forget Swit-zerland’s attractive full access to the EU single market. All these factors make Swit-zerland an ideal starting point for interna-tional firms looking to expand into Europe.

What makes Switzerland attractive to American technology firms?

Switzerland is a global innovation and technology leader. It’s not without reason that Switzerland has topped the Global In-novation Index in 2019 for the ninth year in a row; our country and company clusters are putting enormous effort into develop-ing innovation and technology. There are no fewer than 60 universities and colleges at the forefront of international research on technologies of the future, such as artificial intelligence, life sciences and robotics, with the ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne belonging to the top universi-ties world-wide. All these universities work very closely with business and industry. The Swiss education system also brings a large number of highly qualified specialists onto the labor market every year. Thanks to the Swiss-EU bilateral agreements, EU citizens can live and work in Switzerland. And for top talents from non-EU countries,

Switzerland provides quick and efficient support in obtaining residence and work permits. How does this focus on innovation and technology affect Switzerland’s economic structure?

The Swiss economy features innova-tive sectors that create significant added value and have formed clusters in vari-ous regions of Switzerland. The so-called “Crypto Valley” with its center of gravity in the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne area is a core location of the global blockchain industry. Northwestern and Western Switzerland are home to a cluster of world-wide lead-ing life science companies that is unique in the world, comprised of pharmaceutical, medical technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology sectors. Between Gene-va and Schaffhausen, a precision cluster has emerged based on the traditional Swiss watch industry. Switzerland is also becoming increasingly important for the ICT sector: international companies such as IBM, Cisco, Oracle, Siemens, Disney and HP have settled around the top Swiss universities and their research institutes.

How would you describe economic relations between Switzerland and the US?

The economic relations are intense and mutually beneficial. Switzerland is home to some 900 American companies, most of them with global or regional headquar-ters or R&D centers. US companies em-ploy around 90,000 people in Switzerland. Conversely, around 500 Swiss companies are operating in the US, creating around half a million jobs and making Switzer-land the seventh largest investor in the

US. As a leading location for innovation and technology and with an economy boasting close international connections, Switzerland offers ideal conditions to US companies and strengthens their compet-itiveness.

How does S-GE support US compa-nies that are interested in expanding into Europe and setting up business in Switzerland?

As the official Swiss organization for Trade and Investment Promotion, S-GE is the first point of contact for any US and international firm interested in evaluat-ing Switzerland as a business location or setting up its business in Switzerland. Together with our partners, the economic promotion agencies at regional and can-tonal levels, we show companies how Switzerland can add value and boost their competitiveness.

Patrik WermelingerHead of Investment PromotionS-GE

How can interested US companies

get in touch with S-GE?In addition to our offices in Switzerland,

we have branches all over the world, the so-called Swiss Business Hubs, which are mostly embedded in Swiss Embas-sies and Consulates. In the US, our team is based in five locations, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston and Los Ange-les, and is active throughout the country. ■

An interview with Simone Wyss Fedele, CEO of Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3…

P.2 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

GENEVA,WHERE THE WORLD FINDS SOLUTIONS

https://ingeneva.ge.ch

A Digital Backbone

Davos: Home to More than just the World Economic Forum

Switzerland as a nation is known as a trailblazer, having accomplished many firsts across a variety of sec-tors, including telecommunications. Switzerland is the world’s largest investor in telecommunications in-frastructure per capita, thanks to the nation’s leading telecommunications provider, Swisscom.

Within the competitive telecom-munications market, Swisscom has managed to retain its market share while expanding its operations and growing the network. Swisscom launched 5G commercially in April 2019 - no European service provider was earlier. Nationwide population coverage with 5G wide is 90% by end of 2019.

Swisscom is a full-service provid-er which continues to expand their range of corporate services to sup-port businesses. The company’s fastest-growing segments include IT outsourcing, cloud services and se-curity solutions.

Urs SchaeppiCEO Swisscom

How critical is infrastructure to na-tional competitiveness?

We have a government that is in-centivizing industry to invest, and that is why Switzerland has one of the best infrastructures in the world. The Swiss government encourages top-scale investment into the infra-structural framework to safeguard the future of Switzerland’s infrastructure as a key competitive advantage for the nation.

In a world that is becoming digital-ized, the national network infrastruc-ture is of crucial importance. It is the root of digitalization. That is why Swisscom, as the nation’s biggest IT company, invests approximately 20% of its turnover into infrastructure that can support future growth. For ex-ample, artificial intelligence, 5G and the Internet of Things are a massive opportunity for a small economy like Switzerland. It will allow the Swiss industry to innovate and to automize. Industry 4.0 has the potential to bring jobs back to countries like Switzer-land that have high labor costs.

The world’s attention descends on the small Swiss ski town of Davos in the Canton of Grisons as business leaders, politicians and investors arrive. They gear up to discuss stakeholder capital-ism at the Forum’s 50th anniversary. Panelists will assess global economic issues and debate solutions to some of the world’s most pressing social chal-lenges. The not-for-profit Forum contin-ues its efforts to improve the state of the

Where do you see the most growth potential for Swisscom?

While traditional telecommunica-tions data consumption is rapidly in-creasing, the revenue stream is de-clining. Investments are rising while prices are going down. Every two years, we see data usage double, and we expect with 5G this trend will ac-celerate. Within this complicated sit-uation, the most significant prospects for Swisscom’s expansion is to further develop ICT cloud platform solutions. We are a platform company, and the first platform is the infrastructure net-work. The second enabling layer al-lows Swisscom to offer innovative value-added solutions to businesses. For 20 years Swisscom has done pi-oneering work to support the Swiss business community. In the business customers segment, we have a strong position as a full-service provider and are expanding our services. We also have a strong entertainment platform and have built an ecosystem around our TV platform, and our routers are already in most Swiss homes. In addi-tion, smart homes will be an interest-ing growth niche.

What is the future of 5G in Switzer-land?

National telecommunication infra-structure is an essential tool to foster digitalization and foment the develop-ment of the companies of the future. Swisscom has the ambition to be a leader in 5G. The faster a network is, the more data we expect will be transmitted. It is our ambition that this connectivity will stimulate Industry 4.0 and the ecosystem. By enabling the ecosystem, we expect innovation will follow with unforeseen applications.

What is your vision for global col-laboration?

The world is changing very fast, and openness is extremely important with-in this globalized digital world. Build-ing ecosystems is a key factor for suc-cess. We at Swisscom target trends and are early investors. In the USA, for example, Swisscom was one of the earliest companies with an outpost in Silicon Valley. It is one of our lead-ing global outposts. We are actively investing in technologies that we can later use within our core business. ■

world. In the midst of Forum activities, a wide array of people network relent-lessly.

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, announced, “With the world at such critical crossroads, this year we must develop a ‘Davos Manifesto 2020’ to reimagine the pur-pose and scorecards for companies and governments.”

The program for this year’s annual meeting in Davos will focus on mobiliz-ing businesses to minimize ecological risks, reducing long-term debt burdens for economies while fomenting inclu-siveness, ensuring an amicable global implementation of Industry 4.0 technol-ogies, encouraging lifelong learning initi-ates for a billion people within a decade, and fostering cordial geopolitics through the “spirit of Davos.”

While the population of Davos in-creases considerably during the week of the annual meeting, the Forum has historically sought to ensure sustainable growth. Its efforts ensured a 30% de-crease in C02 emissions while it unfolds.

While the town of Davos in the Swiss Alps is best known for hosting the an-nual meeting of the WEF, it has evolved and diversified its year-round allure.

As a touristic ski town, it remains one of Switzerland’s largest ski resorts with 200 miles of slopes. It possesses the largest natural ice skating rink in Eu-rope, and at 5,100 feet, is among the highest altitude towns in Europe. Davos also hosts the world’s oldest internation-al ice hockey tournament, and its world-class local hockey team, HC Davos, has consistently won celebrated victories in

the Swiss League and Spengler Cup. Outside the vast array of winter sports available, visitors are enthralled by the cultural offerings such as the Kirchner Museum, which showcases the work of expressionist painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

According to Marcus Caduff, Head of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs of the Canton of Grisons, “In ad-dition to being a world-class tourism ski resort, and host of the annual meeting of the WEF, the town of Davos has devel-oped an ecosystem of notable research centers including the AO Research Institute, University of Zurich’s SIAF Swiss Institute for Allergy and Asthma Research, Christine Kühne Center for Allergy Research and Education CK-CARE, WSL Institute for Snow and Av-alanche Research SLF, and the PMOD/WRC Physical-Meteorological Observa-tory. With the new allergy campus, the foundation stone was recently laid for further consolidating Davos’ position as the world’s leading research center in the field of allergies and asthma.”

While the annual meeting of the WEF only lasts one week, the Davos spirit remains in the region of Grisons year-round. ■

Strengthening Swiss-American Relations

Martin NavilleCEO Swiss AmericanChamber of Commerce

What are the Swiss economy’s strengths?

Switzerland has proven itself very resil-ient in the face of multiple global economic downturns. Our federal government has been working with a budget surplus for the past 12 years, and the debt-to- GDP ratio is under 40%. Switzerland has one of the most global economies in the world. It remains solid, with vast FDI, and is strong-ly diversified with nearly 20% represented by manufacturing.

What challenges do you see to Swit-zerland’s macroeconomic stability?

Switzerland has three core challenges. The first is complacency. Having con-sistently been one of the best business locations, we increasingly see signs of complacency. Complacency is eroding Switzerland’s attractiveness. Today there are a few elements on which we see evident weakening. While Switzerland remains top of its league, other nations have geared up, at a time Switzerland has become less proactive, and less amiable as a nation when attracting busi-nesses. This is an important challenge that is reflected through antibusiness ini-tiatives leading to votes that could change the Swiss constitution, as well a a series

of reform blockages in immigration, social systems, health care and our relationship with the EU.

Second, is the great dependence on ex-ports, and the third is a general exposure to global trade. As a small open economy, should the skirmish between the USA and China turn into a full trade war, Swiss as-sets and the Swiss economy are heavily exposed.

“Swiss investments in theUSA surpass $330 billion,while American investments in Switzerland reach $110 billion.”

What is your outlook for Swiss American Relations?Trade and FDI figures in both directions have been growing at over 10% per year for the last 15 years, and the outlook for

Swiss American relations remains fan-tastic. Cooperation between the two na-tions is very close with Switzerland even representing the USA’s interests in Iran and recently in Venezuela. Although Switzerland has a trade sur-plus of nearly $20 billion with the USA in goods, this doesn’t tell the whole pic-ture. The USA enjoys a substantial trade surplus in services. Swiss investments in the USA surpass $330 billion, while American investments in Switzerland reach $110 billion. Swiss companies employ half a million people in the USA, while American companies have created 100,000 jobs in Switzerland. Swiss com-panies spend nearly $10 billion in R&D in the USA, while the USA only invests about $1.5 billion in Switzerland. So clearly a win-win relationship, with an ad-vantage for the USA.The one big oppor-tunity moving forward is to begin formal Free Trade Agreement negotiations. ■

With informal conversations surroundinga free trade agreement, the bilateralrelationship has much to gain

The world’s largest investor intelecommunications infrastructure per capita

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P.3 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

Work, surf and communicate at the World Economic Forum 2020, using

Swisscom’s powerful 5G network.

Switzerland possesses a phenom-enal regulatory environment, and re-mains a high spender on research and development. This innovation is partial-ly financed by the nation through R&D grants given to universities, and used in collaboration with industry to improve products, services and processes. The collaboration has become an effective way of ensuring R&D translates into marketable products. In addition, the private sector outspends global aver-ages and consistently churns out new inventions. Some iconic Swiss products include the zipper, velcro, and muesli.

Looking to the past, the World Wide Web was invented at CERN near Ge-neva in 1989. Looking to the future, the Swiss Solar Impulse, a long-range ex-perimental solar-powered aircraft pro-ject, is changing how the world views the potential of photovoltaic technolo-gies. These are only a few of the thou-sands of innovative Swiss solutions that are currently tackling global challenges.

In modern times, Switzerland has more patents per capita than any oth-er European country, with nearly 956 patents per million inhabitants. Sever-al core companies are supporting this development, including Roche and Novartis in the pharmaceutical and life science sector, ABB within industry, and Nestle in fast-moving consumer goods, in addition to many other multinationals and growing startups.

Within this innovative ecosystem, Switzerland has fostered the devel-opment of strong clusters in manu-facturing, finance, life sciences, ICT, and advanced engineering. This has

encouraged niche, highly specialized companies to thrive throughout the re-gions of Switzerland, while catering to high value-added sectors such as bio-tech, medtech, fintech, cybersecurity, robotics, and industrial design.

Nearly 300 new Swiss startups emerge each year, and billions of Swiss franc are being invested to ensure they grow stronger.

In the world of IT, modern technol-ogy companies increasingly relocate to Switzerland. Disney, Microsoft and IBM are a few of the companies active-ly increasing their research operations within Switzerland. Oracle already has its biggest R&D lab globally in Switzer-land. Google has its biggest lab outside the USA in Switzerland, and is quickly growing its footprint. Meanwhile, others are also quickly increasing their pres-ence.

“One of the most competitive ecosystems globally.”

Another reason Switzerland excels as a location, is that it is exception-ally well-integrated globally. It is not within the European Union (EU), but a free trade agreement with the EU allows for a seamless free movement of goods, services and people. In ad-dition, Switzerland has thirty free trade agreements outside the EU and with its capability to negotiate independently, new agreements are continually being negotiated. The benefits of Swiss agil-ity were visible when Switzerland was able to finalize a Brexit no-deal agree-

ment with the UK government in record time. However, a free trade agreement with the USA remains elusive.

Switzerland is the seventh-largest for-eign investor in the USA, and according to a study by the Swiss think-tank Avenir Suisse, “A free trade agreement would contribute to mutual prosperity and mu-tual gains.” Swiss American relations are based on shared social values and historically strong economic interests. The relationship thrives based on mu-tually-beneficial cooperation in trade and politics. Historically the constitution of the USA served as a model for the modern state structure of Switzerland in 1848. Switzerland also has a federal government that uses a bicameral sys-tem, and the USA and Switzerland are often referred to as sister republics.

Unlike many European countries, Switzerland has a liberal labor market legislation that is similar to the USA’s. Swiss workers tend to be highly pro-ductive, efficient, reliable, and loyal employees. The nation compliments this excellent local human capital when necessary by easily attracting foreign talent.

Switzerland is likely the most feder-al and democratic country in the world. Everyone can contest decisions made by parliament. The system is slow, which at times can be a problem; how-ever this process prevents hastily made decisions. The significant advantage of a relatively slow political landscape is the stability. For example, it takes on average five to seven years for laws to be implemented. This creates political stability, which combined with a positive business attitude, is a solid background

for a business ecosystem. This stabili-ty and foresight is the reason why this small landlocked nation has the largest concentration of multinationals.

As global trade and political tensions flare, Switzerland is working to ensure its long-term attractiveness for compa-nies. Switzerland is currently pursuing an improved agreement with the Euro-pean Union, several global free trade agreements, and a reform of the Swiss Tax Code, Code of Obligations, and Corporate Responsibility Initiative.

On collaborations between the finan-cial services sector in the USA and Switzerland, Brian Chin, CEO of Global Markets for Credit Suisse stated, “The USA-Swiss Tax Treaty and the discus-sions on a potential USA-Swiss free trade deal are positive indicators of a continued partnership. The Senate ratified a package of international tax treaties including Switzerland, which should reduce elements of double tax-ation for companies doing business in both countries. On the trade front, both governments continue to discuss a po-tential free trade deal between the USA and Switzerland, which would benefit companies engaged in cross-border trade activities.”

Switzerland will continue to strength-en its ties with the USA and other play-ers worldwide. Although the current state of free trade agreements with the USA remain uncertain, it is clear that Swiss innovation is legendary. It has impacted the world in the past, and will continue to positively change the world in the future. ■

The Evolving Swiss Financial Services Sector

Previously notorious for offshore bank accounts, secret holdings and masked account holders, the Swiss financial services and banking sector has com-pleted evolved with transparency at the forefront. Switzerland now adheres to strict regulations, requiring institutions to disclose all assets held by American account holders. In addition to the trans-formation of traditional financial servic-es, the emergence of blockchain tech-nology, fintech and cryptocurrencies are revolutionizing the Swiss field. For instance, a pioneer Swiss bank, SEBA, has bridged the gap between old and new, merging the worlds of traditional banking with cryptobanking.

Regardless of the transformation, Switzerland’s financial sector has de-creased in significance of GDP and em-ployment figures for the sector have fall-en over the past ten years. Despite this downward trend, the sector’s role with regards to tax revenue paid by compa-nies and employees has increased in importance. The State Secretariat for In-ternational Financial Matters mentioned in their Key Figures 2019 report that, “Over the last ten years, Switzerland’s GDP has risen, whereas the absolute contribution of the financial center to added value has fallen. Over the last decade, employment grew only outside the core area of the financial center. The decline in the traditional financial servic-es sector is clearly visible.”

However, the financial and banking sectors remain key elements of the Swiss economy. Switzerland has sus-tained its position as a world leader in wealth and asset management, and the sector plays a vital role in contrib-uting to Switzerland’s international top competitiveness ranking, serving as a catalyst for economic development. Sergio Ermotti, CEO of UBS Group, the largest Swiss banking institution in the world, stated, “As a small country, Swit-zerland is proud to compete in terms of competitiveness and innovation on a global scale. Nonetheless, we must recognize the fact that Switzerland has been slipping in global rankings. Swit-zerland needs to reinforce its leadership position, and continuously innovate to ensure complacency does not erode its competitiveness. The Swiss financial center has always been an important supporter of our economic growth mod-el, and has been able to transform itself embracing both technological devel-opments and a new regulatory frame-work.”

Ermotti continued to highlight, “We have demonstrated over the past ten years that Switzerland goes well beyond the Hollywood stereotype as a financial center. Despite all the challenges within the industry, we proved that the reason we are global leaders in wealth man-agement is that we have expertise in managing wealth that goes far beyond the pure asset allocation or being cus-todians of assets. We excel in wealth planning and helping entrepreneurs diversify their businesses. We need to replicate the “Swissness” abroad, while maintaining a center of excellence at home. In order to obtain this, our strate-gy has embraced technology as a driver and enabler of growth.”

Digital innovation within the Swiss fi-nancial services and banking sector has grown exponentially in recent years,

developing new models, enhancing ef-ficiency, and in some categories, reposi-tioning traditional banking. The Canton of Zug, nicknamed “Crypto Valley,” is a hotbed for cryptocurrencies and block-chain technologies. Zug has ambitions to become the global capital of crypto-currencies and fintech, and establish itself as the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem. The Crypto Valley Associa-tion, in particular, works to foster growth, collaboration and integrity across the global blockchain economy. The Swiss fintech sector has over 330 companies, and a significant proportion of them are working within the field of Distributed Ledger Technology.

Sergio P. ErmottiGroup CEO UBS

“Switzerland is proud to compete in terms of competitiveness and innovation on a global scale.”

One the most predominant disruptors is SEBA, recognized as the new bank for the new economy. SEBA has hit a frontier, and is closing the gap between the digital asset world and traditional banking. The entity is setting new stand-ards for transparency, performance and safety. As a fully licensed and regulat-ed Swiss bank, it provides secure and user-friendly methods for managing traditional assets and digital assets. It allows clients to secure, trade and man-age cryptocurrencies, digital assets and conventional securities under the same roof. It already has Swiss domiciled cli-ents, and is looking to expand interna-tionally. Their services include custody storage, trading and liquidity manage-ment, asset and wealth management, transaction banking, and tokenization. The company is redefining finance, and ensuring Switzerland maintains its foot-ing as an innovative powerhouse.

Guido Buehler, CEO of SEBA, stated, “We are beginning global expansion and issuing digital shares and security token offerings in the first half of 2020. We are the first bank with such a com-prehensive service range combining traditional, digital and crypto assets worldwide. We obtained our banking and securities license in August, 2019, and began operations in October, 2019. We are launching new products, such as SEBAX, a new generation index, representing a majority of crypto mar-kets in terms of capital size and creat-ing a new standard of quality in terms of security. It is a smart and reliable gate-way into the crypto market for private as well as institutional clients. We’ve also launched the SEBA card, where clients can spend crypto holdings in the real economy, and our SEBAwallet app acts as a digital wallet where clients can manage all of their banking services on their smartphones.”

Buehler mentioned the benefits to being based in Switzerland, and add-ed, “We are in the Crypto Valley in Zug, which adds value to us as an emerging entity. The area is a significant econom-ic power, and the companies based

here are creating the next generation of value in the financial services and bank-ing sector in Switzerland, and across the globe. One of the greatest challeng-es today is creating a digital asset ex-change, and the growing cluster based in Switzerland will perhaps be able to solve that need.”

With ambitious growth plans, Buehler was keen to mention, “Within the next five years, we would like to be a global leader in integrated digital banking. With blockchain, this truly is a revolutionary moment for the banking industry. By 2025, the digitalization and tokeniza-

tion of assets could grow to become a $20 trillion market. We aim to give more people access to financial instruments across the globe, and improve their dai-ly lives. This drop will grow into a ripple, creating a wave, and overall transform-ing the banking sector as we know it. SEBA is acting as an amplifier of wealth and knowledge. We are funneling macroeconomic and social trends into products, with the end goal to make the world a better place.”

The dynamic evolution of the Swiss financial services and banking sector is clear with the transformation away from the stereotypical tax haven, and emerg-ing as a hub for innovative solutions, management of digital assets, and the utilization of blockchain technology. ■

A new wave of financial institutions are transforming the field

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1…

By Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo

P.4 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

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Expand your business to Switzerland!

IMD: Leading the Way in Executive EducationSwitzerland is a small but unique

country that punches above its weight in many categories including business, education and innovation.

One Swiss institution at the intersec-tion of all three is the International In-stitute for Management Development (IMD), the partner of choice for individ-uals and organizations that seek expert support for transformation and leader-ship development.

An innovative approach toeducation

At the heart of Switzerland’s success is its educational landscape, says Jean-François Manzoni, President of IMD.

There are two key elements to this, says Professor Manzoni: cooperation and the foundations of the system itself.

He cites a recent three-way agree-ment signed between IMD, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL),

Switzerland Innovation, Connecting Great Minds

From proton therapy for deep-seated tumor irradiation, to minimally invasive robot-assisted computer-guided laser osteotome, and innovative cancer im-munotherapy research, Switzerland Innovation is facilitating world-class collaborations for companies, startups and universities to come together under one roof and find innovative solutions to some of the world’s greatest challeng-es.

There are five Switzerland Innovation Parks nationwide. With over 200,000 square meters of high-end laboratories, offices, conference rooms and co-work-ing space, as well as over 40 hectares of development area for expansion, Switzerland Innovation is the catalyst for R&D staff to maximize their oppor-tunities.

Switzerland Innovation is the epi-center of merging talent, knowledge

and expertise to conquer breakthroughs and create best-selling products and technology-driven solutions. The high-quality collaboration among the Swiss universities, government-funded research, and private enterprise as-sures a winning combination, and Swit-zerland Innovation Parks fuse together these various competencies. Technolo-gies that previously were only imagined in science fiction are now becoming a reality and forging a limitless path for innovation, research and development.

Switzerland fosters excellent condi-tions for innovation with legal certainty, respect for intellectual property, and a world-renowned educational system. The synergies created within Switzer-land Innovation Parks form to strength-en the drive and progress of research, and accumulate in creating meaningful innovations. The open mentality, coop-

eration between universities and the private and public sectors, and the su-perb research centers are the keys to Switzerland’s success.

Raymond CronCEO Switzerland Innovation

Chief Executive Officer of Switzerland Innovation, Raymond Cron, stated, “For the eighth consecutive year Switzer-land is ranked number one in the world for global competitiveness in innova-tion. To maintain this honor, we have to continue to attract the world’s brightest and most talented minds. Switzerland’s dynamic framework conditions are al-ready in place, and we must remain internationally connected with our re-

search and development initiatives. Switzerland is the global leader for pat-ents per capita, and when it comes to world-class patents from a technology perspective, ETH is third in the world (after MIT and Harvard).”

The organizations working under the umbrella of Switzerland Innovation Parks continuously lead the way in cutting-edge technologies and innova-tion across the fields of health and life sciences, computer and computational science, energy, natural resources and environment, mobility and transporta-tion, and manufacturing and materials. Raymond Cron mentioned, “Switzerland Innovation creates an ecosystem that encourages collaborations with world-class academic partners and leading corporations. We create a platform that allows universities and innovative com-panies to collaborate and use their re-search results for the development of marketable products and services. We continue to generate additional R&D investment into Switzerland from over-seas and locally. We have created a platform for innovative entrepreneurs to work together with academia to re-search and develop new products and services, and are closely linked to all Swiss universities and institutions. We identify the right collaborations quickly, and have direct access to the academic excellence of Switzerland.” ■

By Jennifer Jendusa

and the University of Lausanne (UNIL). “These are great, world class insti-

tutions and we are very fortunate that we are all located close to one another. There is a lot of goodwill and we coop-erate to ensure that, on selected topics, the whole can become more than the sum of its parts,” he said.

Jean-François ManzoniPresident IMD andNestlé Chaired Professor

IMD and EPFL also recently partnered to create a program on building busi-ness opportunities using up-and-com-ing technologies like blockchain and robotics, which capitalizes on the exper-tise of both schools.

Another factor in Switzerland’s educa-tional success, in Professor Manzoni’s view, is the fact there are two paths for people to follow: the university track and the vocational track. He is quick to point out that one is not inherently better than the other.

“There is an acceptance that not everybody needs to go to university for long periods of time. In the vocation-al track, you still have individuals who are making it to the top of companies, having gone through the apprentice-ship system. It favors people who learn better from practice than theory. Swiss companies are also very likely to pro-pose lifelong learning opportunities to their employees.”

Making a differenceAs an academic institution, IMD’s two

degrees (MBA and EMBA) are very much at the heart of the Institute’s pri-orities and activities. The MBA program is a one-year program aimed at slightly older individuals (31 years old on aver-age) and features a surprisingly small cohort—90 participants every year. “It is a very elite, very boutique, very bespoke experience. I know every candidate in the class. There are not a lot of world class business schools where the Dean has met every MBA,” said Professor Manzoni.

As central as its two degrees are, IMD derives 80% of its revenues from spe-cialized, non-degree programs for ex-ecutive and organizational development and transformation. The executive ed-ucation sector is becoming increasing-ly competitive, with business schools, professional service firms and technol-ogy developers all vying for the same clients. IMD’s mission and approach to learning mean it is well-placed to cap-ture a significant share of the market, says Professor Manzoni.

“We are an academic institution with a very strong connection to practice. We develop leaders who make a difference, transform organizations and contribute to society. We say to people, ‘we’re not here to tell you what to do, we’re here to help you find out what you should do’.”

IMD’s advantage is that its expertise is not only focused on a one-way trans-mission of information. It is committed to innovative pedagogy and creating expe-

riences where people learn more than what they are told by their professors.

“The advantage of being an independ-ent business school is that all of our activities, resources and processes are selected for the sole benefit of the busi-ness school and its various stakehold-ers. Everything we do is to optimize our contribution to the world.”

The increasingly busy schedules of to-day’s business leaders leave less time for them to get away from their desks and into the classroom. For IMD, this means that technology like online learn-ing represents an opportunity.

“We know from neuroscience that learning requires repetition. Neurons that fire together, wire together,” said the professor.

One example of the ways IMD is har-nessing new technologies is an app called ‘augmented tribes’ that helps dis-tributed teams innovate together.

The competitiveness of nationsIMD is also home to one of the world’s

most trusted and authoritative sources of information on the economic com-petitiveness of nations – the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

For 30 years, the IMD World Com-petitiveness Center has pioneered re-search on how nations and enterprises compete to lay the foundations for future prosperity. There are two lessons Pro-fessor Manzoni says he has learned about Swiss-US relations from the data collected during this time.

One is that globalisation has largely been a force for good, as it has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. The other is that markets are not perfect; market inefficiencies do ex-ist and governments do have a role to play in shaping economies.

“Our view is that international cooper-ation is better than isolation. But we do believe in fairness in trade,” he said.

There are many parallels between USA and Swiss citizens, such as per-sonal resilience and a strong work ethic, he added.

When asked what kind of leader he is at IMD, Professor Manzoni cited the late Indian business academic Sumantra Ghoshal.

“Leaders are not paid to preside over the inevitable. I would like to add that we should also alter the course of the or-ganization we lead in a way that leaves its systems stronger. The same goes for the environment.”

IMD is not just in the business of help-ing companies make more money, its president said. His institution works with executives to help their organizations succeed but in a way that also contrib-utes to a more prosperous, peaceful, inclusive and sustainable world.

“A better world requires growth and prosperity because you can’t distribute money you don’t have. But we also need to grow the economy in a way that is sustainable, and the evidence is mount-ing rapidly that the current approaches are not sufficient in this respect.” ■

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In Geneva, TechnologyMeets Humanity

Neuchâtel: Home to the World’s Most Innovative Nanotechnologies

An Investor’s Roadmap into Switzerland’s Regions

Fostering a thriving business metropolis

The Canton of Neuchâtel develops rev-olutionary microtechnology, microelectron-ics, photovoltaic and system engineering technologies.

Nestled within the Greater Geneva Berne Area lies the Canton of Neuchâtel, a canton which makes up 2% of the Swiss population yet generates 20% of Switzer-land’s commercial surplus. Per capita it has grown to become the second-biggest ex-porter and the second-largest filer of patent applications in Switzerland.

For a city with a population under half a million, Geneva has more influence on the global stage than people would ex-pect.

Within the Greater Geneva Bern Area (GGBA), lies one of the world’s most icon-ic and globally-minded cities. Endearingly referred to as the “world’s smallest me-tropolis,” Geneva is the capital of peace, the cradle of multilateralism, birthplace of the World Wide Web (the technolo-gy that made the internet accessible to everyone), and home of the luxury watch industry. As a business location, Geneva hosts over 900 multinationals and a sig-nificant number of global organizations.

Geneva is the most active multilateral diplomatic center globally, and is home to a unique network of international or-ganizations, NGOs and 177 foreign rep-resentations. It is the birthplace of the In-ternational Red Cross, and headquarters of organizations such as the World In-tellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and World Trade Organization (WTO). It holds the second-largest site of the Unit-ed Nations, in addition to being host to many other entities.

It is thanks to a world-class environment with excellent infrastructure that Geneva continues to thrive as a location for inter-national operations. After decades of at-tracting entities, the enduring legacy, is a highly qualified, open-minded workforce. Pierre Maudet, Head of the Department of Economic Development of the Canton of Geneva, stated, “Geneva offers a safe environment for hard discussions to take place, a location for people with differ-ent ideas to seek common ground, and this base has attracted NGOs and busi-nesses alike. We remain one of the most active multilateral diplomatic centers in the world. Everything that is done here, in Geneva, has a direct impact on every person on this planet, in any 24 hour pe-riod. Geneva is the place where technol-ogy meets humanity. We have an amaz-ing concentration of technical capacity and humanitarian inheritance. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has become a revolutionary platform on which to dis-cuss innovative solutions to global chal-lenges. While the main annual meeting is held in Davos, the WEF’s headquarters and daily operations are in Geneva for the rest of the year.”

The city is also well known for its leadership in international asset man-agement, and its private banks for their preservation of business confidentiality, reliability and state-of-the-art anti-mon-ey laundering measures. Switzerland has nearly 10% of global assets under management, making it the third-largest financial market behind the USA and UK. This financial center has elevated Gene-va to one of the most important centers for commodity trading. It is now becom-ing a pioneering global center for sus-tainable finance, which already made its mark with the founding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Lab. Accord-ing to Maudet, “This financial legacy and mediation culture are encouraging new fi-nancial technology companies to choose Switzerland as an incubation hub. More than 50% of global governance deci-sions of the internet are made in Geneva, through entities such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), WIPO, and other internet protocol managing or-ganizations. These are some of the many reasons why Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, chose Geneva as its base. Libra is giving a boost to Geneva’s credentials surrounding fintech and blockchain tech-nologies.”

Within the ICT world, Geneva is nota-

Neuchâtel’s success lies in its extreme dedication and expertise in the microtech-nology sector. Neuchâtel is renowned as a hub for companies to develop and manu-facture products that require intricate, and small details with high reliability and excep-tional added value.

When stakes are high and time to market is crucial, cost becomes a secondary ob-jective. The ecosystem in Neuchâtel spe-cializes in bringing complex ideas to mar-ket by streamlining the process of research

and production for a wide variety of global stakeholders.

An innovative ecosystem extends through academia, from highly specialized research and development institutes to sur-prisingly innovative local high school labs.

Centers of excellence are thriving within Neuchâtel. EPFL’s Microengineering Insti-tute (IMT), part of the Swiss Federal Insti-tute of Technology Lausanne, is located in Neuchâtel due to its close proximity to the high-tech microelectronics cluster which is quickly advancing the future potential of these technologies.

The Swiss Center for Electronics and Mi-crotechnology (CSEM) is also headquar-tered in Neuchâtel, and remains one of the best in the world for advancing nanotech-nology, microelectronics, photovoltaic, and system engineering technologies.

According to Mr. Jean-Nathanaël Kar-akash, Head of the Department of Econo-my and Social Action of the Canton of Neu-châtel, “The area is filled with cutting-edge SME’s that complement the ecosystem. In addition, a close relationship between com-panies and the research institutes ensures these solutions are streamlined into real-life applications within companies at a stagger-ing pace. There also are many pharmaceu-tical companies in the region.” ■

ble for having been the place where the internet has been democratized. In 1989, a scientist at the European Nuclear Re-search Organization (CERN) proposed a revolutionary idea to develop a method for sharing information. His implemented idea evolved into the World Wide Web. Looking to the future, CERN continues its groundbreaking research. CERN, home to the highest concentration of physics PHDs in the word, is currently leveraging quantum technology solutions for high-energy physics, artificial intelli-gence, and has an active spinoff policy to promote CERN technologies.

The University of Geneva also has a vibrant intellectual ecosystem, and one of their most impactful spinoffs is ID Quantique, a company developing quan-tum-safe network encryption solutions to improve cybersecurity. Maudet stated, “The Geneva area is home to over 1,000 ICT companies that are consistently fur-thering global digitalization in ways that will transform the future, and the Canton of Geneva will continue to facilitate inno-vation within the clusters to ensure they remain competitive going into the future. We are creating a multifaceted approach, welcoming small and large companies from a variety of sectors.”

Within this active and versatile environ-ment, many other clusters have formed. Traditional academic institutions like the University of Geneva, University of Lau-sanne, and EPFL are thriving in the re-gion and consistently providing high-level human capital. Life science companies are growing while building a network in partnership with leading research centers to further their expertise in medtech, bi-otech, and pharma. Many complemen-tary centers are sprouting, such as the recently inaugurated Campus Biotech. It is a Swiss center of excellence in biotech-nology and life science applied research, focusing on neuroscience, neurotech-nology, digital health, and global health. According to Maudet, “Fostering a diver-sified high value-added cluster network is of crucial importance for the competitive-ness of our region. We strive to ensure new clusters find a supportive ecosystem that will allow them to grow. It helps that the World Health Organization is based in Geneva, and allows for a well-connect-ed network between government, NGOs and private initiatives.”

In addition to being an active business location, the city offers vast tourism op-portunities. The 450 foot “Jet d’eau” foun-tain in the very heart of Geneva is one of the city’s most famous tourist landmarks, and became a hotspot for visitors as ear-ly as 1890. Today, water taxis and cruis-es enable visitors to experience the city and the fountain from different angles. Visitors also often stroll the Grand-Rue, a well-maintained street where Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. The oldest square in the city is the Place du Bourg-de-Four, and the nearby St. Peter’s Ca-thedral in the old town are also popular destinations.

Another tourist location is the large flower clock, Horloge Fleurie, inside the English Garden, which is a symbol of the Geneva watch industry. Mechanical time-pieces have a deep-rooted tradition in Geneva. Watchmaking arrived alongside Huguenot refugees in the 16th century. This art form developed thanks to the city’s goldsmiths, who strove to provide unique heirlooms at a time that strict cul-tural rules rejected any display of wealth and jewelry was banned. This ancestral skill evolved over the centuries, spread across the regions, and is now synony-mous with the entire country. As for other

areas of excellence, such as banking and “good offices”, Geneva has always held the role of “incubator” of ideas and knowl-edge in the history of Switzerland: all passed through Geneva before spread-ing to the rest of the country.

Pierre MaudetHead of the Department of Economic DevelopmentCanton of Geneva

Maudet highlighted, “As a business location, residents and visitors value the close proximity of the international airport, being only three miles from the city center. Geneva has thirteen five star hotels concentrated in a tiny geographic area, the highest concentration globally.” With its solid infrastructure, excellent ac-ademic institutions and historic tourism offering, Geneva is ramping up its com-petitive advantages as a business loca-tion through strategic economic plans to ensure companies of the future continue to choose the city as their base. ■

Jean-Nathanaël KarakashHead of the Department of Economy and Social ActionCanton of Neuchâtel

What differentiates Neuchâtel from other areas in Switzerland?

Companies should remember we are among the fastest in the world when it comes to ensuring time to market limi-tations are met. Therefore, many global products contain components designed and manufactured in Neuchâtel. A variety of crucial space technologies and compo-nents are developed within our ecosystem such as the atomic clocks of Galileo, or the most efficient photovoltaic cells in the world. In addition, we have a rich watch-making history, and every luxury watch in the world has a bit of Neuchâtel inside. What services do you offer?

The Service of the Economy of the can-ton of Neuchâtel is small, but extremely experienced and efficient. We have engi-neers that understand even the smallest technical complexities companies within this ecosystem go through. We collaborate to ensure educational programs meet their required skill sets. In addition, the impor-tance of social connections cannot be un-derestimated. Finding the right partners is not easy, and we work tirelessly to connect our stakeholders to solutions.What is the quality of life in Neuchâtel?

Neuchâtel provides ideal living and working conditions. We warmly welcome foreigners, and historically have excelled in intercultural integration. We are proud of being open to the world and have al-lowed foreigners to vote since 1849.What does Neuchatel’s tourism offer?

The medieval core of Neuchâtel dates back to the 12th century, with a castle and Gothic style collegiate church next to the largest lake within Switzerland’s bor-ders. Our guests should also experience the Grand Canyon of “Creux du Van,” the Palace of the Fine Arts, The Watchmaking Museum, and The Laténium, which is the largest archaeological museum in Switzer-land. Visitors must also visit “La Chaux-de-Fonds” and “Le Locle”, two UNESCO regis-tered World Heritage Sites.” ■

P.6 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

St.GallenBodenseeArea: One of Switzerland’s Most Attractive Regions

In eastern Switzerland lies the St.GallenBodenseeArea (SGBA), an initiative of the cantons of St.Gallen, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, and Thurgau. SGBA is one of the largest and the most cost-efficient of the various economic areas of Switzerland, and rests be-tween Munich and Zurich. With three international airports within a one hour’s drive, excellent transport links, and beautiful real estate, the region remains one of Switzerland’s most at-tractive economic areas.

Karin JungHead of the Cantonal Office of Economyand Labor

What sectors thrive in SGBA?SGBA has a diversified, export-orient-

ed economy, which is very industrialized. Some 80% of our manufactured goods are exported all over the world. It is a leading location for precision technolo-gies and has an active ecosystem that caters to the automotive, optics, clean-tech, and medtech industries. St.Gallen is the Swiss leader in precision, with twice the percentage of machine, elec-tronic and metal industries in the area when compared to the rest of the country.

As well, we are leaders in ICT with a cluster of software, internet and IT companies. Of course, we also have renowned universities including the Uni-versity of St.Gallen, and a growing hub for research in resource-efficient pro-ducers and renewable energy. In addi-

tion to premium research facilities and excellent human capital, companies find a supportive network to maximize their potential. Sectors like ICT have found exceptional software development and a fertile environment to develop innovative technology projects. Companies here are continuously producing innovative tech solutions.

SGBA and St.Gallen, in particular, offer an ideal business location for success-ful international operations, and remain popular locations for centralized corpo-rate management functions. Our canton guides executives and companies with their expansion projects, and our expert advisors give comprehensive consulta-tions to companies seeking to expand their operations and efficiently assess whether the SGBA region is the right base for their company.

What are St.Gallen’s highlights?St.Gallen is looking for additional

companies that complement the exist-ing business ecosystem. New syner-gies can be fostered with companies that collaborate and add value to cor-porations already within our region. We have all the advantages: Swiss innova-tion and numerous technological lead-ers, high quality of life in a breathtak-ing landscape, bordering all German speaking countries, liberal labor laws, and the relatively low cost ratio of east-

ern Switzerland. Essentially, St.Gallen has all the high-quality elements of Switzerland, but with more affordability.

What is the work-life balance like?The compact metropolis of eastern

Switzerland holds beautiful old towns steeped in a rich historical heritage. St.Gallen is home to The Benedictine Abbey of St.Gallen, which is a UNE-SCO World Cultural Heritage site. It holds one of the most breathtaking his-toric libraries in the world, that hosts the oldest known architectural plan dating back to the 9th century. The grounds are also home to a unique Baroque ca-thedral. They are key landmarks and a must-visit. In addition, St.Gallen hosts an excellent variety of nature, leisure and cultural activities for a well-rounded work-life balance.

The quality of life here truly has no comparison. Many of our American visitors come for business and stay to explore the varied landscapes and unique entertainment events such as our regional alpine festival and world-class opera performances. Tourists and residents can enjoy a morning moun-tain hike across the spine of the Alps, go swimming in the lake of Constance over lunch, and in the evening witness an elegant opera in the town center with the backdrop of the Cathedral. There is something for everyone in St.Gallen. ■

A hidden gem in Switzerland, Glarus offers Swiss benefits at a cost advantage

One hour outside Zurich lies the Can-ton of Glarus, a picturesque, business friendly industrial region within the Greater Zurich Area. It is home to award winning tourism destinations and won-ders such as the geologic UNESCO world heritage site of the Tectonic Arena Sardona. Furthermore, the Canton has a thriving business ecosystem.

As a business location, ease of doing business is engrained in the Canton’s DNA. In the 19th century, facilitating business allowed the region to trans-form into an exceptionally successful textile industry for the small mountain region. This led Glarus to become one of the first cantons to industrialize, roll out business development laws, and as a result is increasingly becoming an attractive business location. Compa-nies and individuals enjoy a significant-ly lower cost of living relative to Zurich, with a significantly higher purchasing power. Corporations can easily locate affordable real estate options and com-petitive labor costs.

Residents in the region are skilled and capable workers with extensive exper-tise within various high value precision industrial companies. Local industry has flourished and become part of an intricate global value chain. Based in the Canton of Glarus lies Sauter Bach-man, an indigenous success story with

nearly 100 years of history. The Swiss precision manufacturing company pro-duces multifaceted high-quality gears, gearboxes and complex systems for customers in industry and aerospace. GE Aviation, Pratt Whitney and other USA clients rely on Sauter Bachman, which in turn relies on the expertise of its local employees commuting to its facilities in Netstal.

In addition, Glarus offers companies ample room to grow and prosper, and is renowned for its customized ap-proach, offering quick decisions and a lack of bureaucracy. Glarus is excep-tionally well connected with transpor-tation links to major destinations, in-cluding a short one hour journey by car or train to Zurich airport. Companies capitalize on the major north-south axis (A3) motorway running through the canton, and individuals also benefit from a small airport in Mollis.

Marianne LienhardHead of the Department of Economics and Home AffairsCanton of Glarus

Mrs. Marianne Lienhard, Provincial

Governor and Head of the Department of Economics and Home Affairs of the

Canton of Glarus stated, “To this day the government of Glarus’s highest pri-ority is ensuring local enterprises have the best economic conditions possible and the government focuses on foster-ing the development of this ecosystem, allowing companies of all sizes to grow. Once companies have decided to lo-cate their operations within the Greater Zurich Area, Glarus offers a unique val-ue-added proposition. The Department of Economics of the Canton of Glarus offers a variety of services to support entrepreneurs starting a business, and established companies who are con-sidering settling in the region.”

Complementary to the business of-fering, the canton also has a notable tourism offering. In addition, to the unbelievable geologic phenomenon of the Tectonic Arena Sardona moun-tains, the canton has made the most of its unique industrial heritage. The Can-ton of Glarus created a Glarus Industri-al Trail, which is flowing with 250 years of rich history. The region’s history cen-tered around its homegrown textile in-dustry, where the hydropower from the River Linth was crucial for the indus-try’s success. The local government fostered a supportive environment for the textile industry to flourish, allowing the region to export worldwide printed fabrics. Today, the Canton continues

to provide an ecosystem to sustain this industrial heritage, and continues to improve infrastructural amenities. For instance, the once archaic textile buildings were repurposed and now host major manufacturing centers for plastics, high-tech products, multi-pur-pose centers, and several buildings were transformed into museums. The trail has attracted additional tourists to the canton, and has received national recognition as an innovative tourism project.

Ms. Marianne Lienhard further dis-cussed the impeccable quality of life in the canton and stated, “The region of Glarus is in the middle of nature and offers various family-friendly recrea-tional opportunities within its relaxed atmosphere with a variety of holiday resorts. The natural lake of Klöntaler-see and distinctive mountains such as Wiggis and Glärnisch are popular vis-its. Visitors to the Canton of Glarus can easily access the geologic marvel of the Tectonic Arena Sardona. The key to how the Alps were formed was found in Sardona and visitors will experience an important chapter of Earth’s history. There is a vast number of leisure activi-ties throughout the year and the combi-nation of industrial tradition, alpine na-ture, and high quality of services make life wonderful.” ■

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Canton Schwyz: The Founding Father of Swiss HealthTech

The Canton of Schwyz is one of the founding cantons and gave the entire nation its name. It has proven itself an autonomous industrial location re-silient to economic pressures, and an active innovation hub. GDP growth in Schwyz exceeds the Swiss average and productivity is astonishingly high.

Andreas BarraudHead of the Department for Economic AffairsCanton of Schwyz

What are Schwyz’s strengths as a base for global operations?

Business locations like Schwyz, which are part of the Greater Zürich Area, benefit from the excellent stand-ards, skilled workforce, and highly regarded universities in the area. Schwyz offers an entrepreneur-friend-ly environment, and is ready for in-novative companies. As a result of our cantonal government’s business friendly initiatives, there has been a 44% increase in the number of com-panies choosing to register in Schwyz over the last ten years. The economy is thriving and the business ecosystem is quickly evolving to meet the growing needs of businesses.

What clusters are thriving in Schwyz?

As a niche player, Schwyz is focus-ing primarily on three industries with high potential.

HealthTech: Schwyz was the found-ing father of the cluster in Switzerland. We quickly realized the potential of bringing SMEs together and capitaliz-ing on the historic industrialization in the mechanics and watch industries. This movement has evolved, and now offers a renowned support system for entities throughout Switzerland.

FinTech & Blockchain: An active fi-nance cluster has quickly developed in Pfäffikon SZ. Hedge funds, private equity, family offices, and asset man-agers are fostering an open ecosys-tem that is adopting new technologies like blockchain.

Headquarters: International com-panies choose Schwyz as a base for their headquarters due to the ease of establishing new businesses, the vibrant expat community, excellent in-ternational schools, direct train to the airport, and of course one of the most competitive taxation structures for cor-porations in Switzerland.

What is the quality of life like?The quality of life in Schwyz is un-

paralleled. You will find modern devel-opment zones intertwined with pris-tine landscapes and nestled between mountains and stunning lakes.

Schwyz is all about its serene envi-ronment and balanced work-life rela-tionship offering skiing, biking or swim-ming all on your doorstep. We have a long tradition in hospitality with the first guests to Mt. Rigi arriving in 1874. We continue to develop sustainable recre-ational activities for the future, and will meet the needs of talented people and new businesses who want to set up a base in Canton Schwyz. ■

P.7 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

Canton of Grisons: Work Where You Love to Live

Davos is famous throughout the world as home to the World Economic Forum WEF. The Canton of Grisons, where Davos is located, is known as a first-class touristic destination. Based on attractive framework con-ditions and first-class industrial zones, the Canton of Grisons has also developed over the last few years into a Swiss hotspot for innovative high-tech companies. Globally leading companies are conquering the market from the Grisons. A variety of different aspects, such as the innovation-friendly environment, the availability of skilled workers, an advantageous cost structure and high quality of life, are all strong arguments in favour of the Grisons as business location.

Industrial land available in the Grisons Industrial land is becoming increasingly scarce in Switzerland. The Canton of Grisons develops attractive industrial zones and has more than 3.2 million square feet of premium industrial land available at different locations, for the settlement of high-tech companies. An example of this is the superbly developed Industrial Park Vial at Domat/Ems. With a readily available area of around 1.7 million square feet, this is one of the largest industrial areas in Switzerland. The innovative US medical technology company Hamilton com-pleted the construction of their high-tech manufacturing plant at the Indus-trial Park Vial in 2018 and has created more than 300 new workplaces, now employing around 1300 people in the Grisons. A new investment round with further hundreds of workplaces was recently announced.

Access to highly qualified talentsAlready today, the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons offers study courses specifically oriented towards industry in the field of “Photonics and ICT” as well as “Mobile Robotics”. Over the next few years, $125 million will be invested in construction of a new university campus, creating space for new technical study courses, laboratories and room for start-ups. As other educational institutions in neighbouring cantons and regions are no great

distance away, high-tech companies can benefit from a excellent reservoir of highly qualified potential employees.

Attractive place to live and high quality of lifeWith its incomparable nature, the availability of countless leisure-time activi-ties in one of the sunniest regions of Switzerland, the lively cultural scene and the alpine savoir vivre, the Grisons is an interesting place to live with very high quality of life. It is also attractive for highly qualified talents from other areas of Switzerland and abroad, true to the slogan: “Work where you love to live”.

The Grisons offers an attractive environment for the settlement of further high-tech companies. It would be our pleasure to also welcome your company to the Grisons.Please find further information at: www.gr.ch/invest

High-tech companies flourish in the Grisons

Work where you

love to live!

Invest in the Grisons– Home to numerous global players in high-tech sectors and commercial trade– Industrial land available at attractive conditions– Central location on the north-south axis Zurich, Stuttgart/Munich – Milan– Significantly lower cost structure than in the metropolitan areas– Very moderate taxes for companies and individuals– Financial support options and tax relief for innovative investment projects– Qualified, motivated and loyal employees– High labour productivity– Excellent educational system with public, private and international schools– Around 20 universities and advanced technical colleges in the vicinity– Renowned, internationally networked research institutes– Highest quality of life: “Work where you love to live”

Marcus CaduffHead of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs Canton of Grisons

How do you assess the competitive-ness of Grisons as a base for global operations?

We host the annual meeting of the WEF in Davos, and are famous for tourism in several hotspots such as St. Moritz, Laax oder Arosa-Lenzerheide. In busi-ness, our central location and excellent connectivity has attracted many global players to the region. The presence of companies in life science such as Ham-ilton, Integra Biosciences and Baxter, in high-technology such as Trumpf, Cedes, Bizerba Busch, Oblamatik, and in trade such as Würth and Hoppe, are an excel-lent testimonial to the attractiveness of Grisons as a base for global operations.

Switzerland’s largest Canton offers much more than pristine nature, cultur-ally enriching environments, and thrilling recreational opportunities for tourists. With suitable industrial land becomingly increasingly scarce in Switzerland, the Canton of Grisons provides one of the

most attractive locations for business operations with its 3.2 million square feet of premium industrial zones priced nearly 25% lower than Swiss alterna-tives.

The vast alpine valleys within the Can-ton of Grisons are already home to an

array of global players in life sciences, biosciences, medtech, electronics, sen-sor technology, MEM, ICT, and other high-tech industries. They capitalize on Grisons’ innovation-friendly environ-ment, loyal employees, cost advantag-es, favorable tax climate, and the near-by world-class research institutions.

In addition to the business-friendly government, Grisons is known for its highly qualified and productive work-force. Over one million inhabitants live within an hour of the capital, Chur, and residents enjoy some of the highest quality of life in Switzerland. Perhaps their quality of life is the reason for their legendary loyalty.

The Canton of Grisons takes its role in fostering innovation in business very seriously. National competitiveness is at stake, and therefore nurturing export-ori-ented companies that can sustain com-mercialization is critical. Such innovative companies with added-value products and services are likely to create a new workplaces in the future. Therefore, the Canton offers financial incentives and attractive real estate conditions for export-oriented companies that com-plement the current regional clusters. Grisons owns, develops and provides industrial zones to high-tech compa-

nies. It also financially supports infra-structure projects to improve conditions for businesses and their operations. Grisons also offers contributions, loans, tax holidays and state guarantees to companies that settle in the Canton, in addition to other advantages.

There are several well-developed in-dustrial zones that would offer advan-tages in their size and location to high-tech companies looking to capitalize on their potential.

The most important industrial zone is the Industrial Park Vial, which remains the largest dedicated industrial zone in Switzerland with over 1.7 million square feet available; and Tardisland, which is one of the largest national commercial zones with nearly half a million square feet available. Other notable industrial zones include San Vittore in the Ital-ian-speaking region and several zones in Chur, Landquart, Cazis, and Fideris.

The region has excellent transport links being on the north-south E43/A13 Stuttgart/Munich-Milan axis, and businesses use the nearby internation-al airports in Zurich, Altenrhein, Frie-drichshafen, Lugano Agno, and Milan.

In brief, the Canton of Grisons offers an ideal business location with a fantas-tic quality of life for its residents. ■

Two key attractive features are the low-er infrastructure cost compared to areas like Zurich or Geneva, and the 3.2 million feet of industrial land available for green-field projects with attractive conditions. We are currently working to develop vari-ous innovation-based spaces to create a network for start-up companies like incu-bators, shared labs, co-working spaces, and technology transfer.

“3.2 million feet of industrial land available for greenfield projects with attractive conditions.”

As a research and innovation hub, what would you like to see the Can-ton contribute?

With an integrated education, re-

search, and innovation strategy, the Canton of Grisons intends to make bet-ter use of existing potential in the fields of teaching, industry and research. New initiatives are being rolled out in various areas to connect the dots.

In the Canton of Grisons, research on the effects of climate change are inten-sifying. Research in the field of glob-al warming and its impact is a logical measure, given that these effects are stronger in high-altitude mountainous areas. The ice mass and permafrost are melting rapidly. A variety of potential nat-ural hazards threaten society, the econ-omy and the environment. We want to ensure, despite global warming, that the Canton of Grisons remains an attractive and safe alpine Canton. To this end, we are looking to collaborate with existing research institutes to strengthen the Canton of Grisons as a research loca-tion in the field of climate risks.

How are you furthering academic re-search in the region?

Already today, the University of Ap-plied Sciences of the Grisons offers among others, study courses specif-ically oriented towards industry in the field of “Photonics and ICT” as well as “Mobile Robotics”. The Canton of Grisons is enhancing its competitive-ness by investing $125 million into a new University of Applied Sciences campus creating space for additional technical study courses, laboratories and room for start-ups. The upcoming campus will further add-value to the current academia ecosystem, which includes a combination of internation-ally networked research institutes and applied research centers. A notewor-thy center is the CSEM Center for in-novation and technology transfer in Landquart, in addition to many others in Davos. ■

Boosting the Attractiveness of Grisons as a Base for Global Operations

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P.8 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

Discover moreBelimo.com

Sauter, Bachmann AG 8754 Netstal, Switzerland info@sauterbachmann.ch

Swiss precision and more than 90 years of manufacturing know-how are combi- ned to reliably meet the expectations of the most demanding industries. The PTO (Power Take Off) Assembly has been successfully supplied to GE Aviation by Sau- ter Bachmann for over two decades to power the most sophisticated jet engine and aircraft versions worldwide.

Power Take Off

Industry: The Backbone of the Swiss EconomySwitzerland is one of the biggest industrial exporters per capita

For a small independent country with a population of 8.5 million, Switzerland has become a surprisingly strong indus-trial powerhouse with an ecosystem that is incredibly competitive. Swiss industry has represented 18% of GDP for many years, and is central component of the economy. A vigorous global production and research network compliments the strengths of neighboring countries.

Switzerland is home to global compa-nies that represent nearly one-third of the country’s value creation, but it truly is small and medium enterprises (SMES) that dominate. Over 99% of companies employ less than 250 people, and re-main competitive by becoming the in-disputable global leaders of extremely innovative and targeted products that cater to niche markets.

According to Hans Hess, President of Swissmem, the association for Switzer-land’s mechanical and electrical engi-neering industries (MEM industries), “In-novation is not a top-down mandate, but a grassroots, market-driven innovation culture that is led by the population’s entrepreneurial spirit. Swiss companies are, therefore, intuitively finding techni-cal solutions to many of the world’s so-cio-economic development challenges.”

The small national market size en-courages companies to expand abroad. The Swiss economy is primarily ex-port-oriented, with the ratio of export trade to GDP being one of the highest in the world. While nearly 60% of Swiss in-

dustrial exports go to the EU, the USA is the second most important export mar-ket, with exports increasing from 9% to 14% over the past ten years.

The Swiss, with their collaborative mindsets, lean towards value-creating partnerships that generate jobs and wealth for both parties. Swiss compa-nies have opened USA subsidiaries and on the ground R&D premises.

According to Hess, “Swiss industry has proven itself a valuable supplier to American industry. Together through technological advancements we have partnered in solving global challenges in climate change, sustainable energy, urban mobility, and food security. A join-ing of forces through a FTA will foster further cooperation and open collabora-tions. There is increasing interest from both sides to continue exploratory dis-cussions, and we all believe the FTA will be a win-win scenario.”

Swiss industry continues to expand through various sectors while heav-ily investing in R&D. Clusters have been nurtured and carefully grown in life sciences, ICT and advanced engi-neering. This expertise has cascaded into revolutionary technologies that are transforming medtech, biotech, cyber-security, fintech, robotics, and industrial design. Companies in these areas are found across Switzerland’s varied busi-ness landscapes, with a surprisingly large number of them located outside the typical Zurich/Geneva hotspots.

As a production location, Switzerland is expensive but remains a leading base for advanced manufacturing. In addition to experimental robotics and digital solutions that are being locally developed, companies already possess high-performance production facilities that are optimizing their manufacturing processes. These highly automated production facilities rely on an extensive network of existing suppliers that not only understand the advanced produc-tion processes of Industry 4.0, but have been installing tried and tested technol-ogies to increase efficiency and cost savings for years.

These optimal conditions create an ideal environment for globally-minded companies to set up high-performance production facilities and important clus-ters have emerged.

The Swiss life science industry has capitalized on this valuable environment and nurtured the highest work produc-tivity worldwide. This has contributed to the creation of a dense network of biotech, medtech and nanotech com-panies that export 98% of their turnover. Powerhouses such as Roche, Novartis, and Syngenta have built specialized production facilities, sought value cre-ation, invested in extensive R&D, con-tributed to increasing Switzerland’s out-standing reputation worldwide, and are cultivating the local talent pool. These investments have been instrumental in chemical and pharmaceutical exports

becoming Switzerland’s leading val-ue-added good.

The MEM industry cluster, led by in-ternationally-oriented Swiss SMEs, has become the biggest industrial employ-er and turned the nation into one of the biggest industrial exporters per capita.

ICT is another widespread cluster. Switzerland has excellent server in-frastructure, fast internet connections, and a stable cost power supply. Swiss companies confidently turn to state-of-the-art technologies and become early adopters of advanced ICT solu-tions. This fertile ecosystem with well seasoned professional human capital has resulted in a strong sector that is actively able to export software and its associated services.

R&D centers are another niche clus-ter. Cutting edge startups and global corporations such as Apple, Disney, Google, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and Samsung are actively ex-panding R&D operations within Swit-zerland.

Switzerland’s industrial sector is ro-bust, but companies will face consid-erable challenges in 2020 stemming from global trade conflicts and deteri-orating momentum in significant export markets. The global economy is weak-ening, and this tends to strengthen the Swiss franc which impacts the compet-itiveness of Swiss industry.

In the face of these developments, Swiss companies have a clear vision. Innovation remains the key to sustain-ing competitiveness. ■

Engineering Innovative TechnologiesOerlikon creates new innovative

solutions to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges. With their en-gineering technology, they can give products improved and more desira-ble functions. These applications are specially designed for growth sectors, and utilized across various industries, including automotive, aerospace, ener-gy, tooling and additive manufacturing.

Roland FischerCEOOerlikon

Is global digitization eroding western competitiveness?

When it comes to the pure application of digitization, Europe and even the US in many respects, are falling behind Asia, for example cashless mobile pay-ments. The most important challenge of digitization is ensuring the popula-tion adapts to the new trend and starts embracing it. Within industry, everyone is doing a lot of work and moving in the right direction when it comes to digital-ization, but western economies need to accelerate their efforts. We need to carefully identify the areas where west-ern societies can remain competitive,

and ensure we maintain a competi-tive advantage and implement digiti-zation across society. When it comes to industry, such as machine building, chemicals and pharma, Switzerland has a strong base. These are the areas we have to focus our efforts on.

What is the core strength of Swiss industry?

Innovative research and develop-ment is a strong pillar within Swiss in-dustry’s value-added proposition. The continuous spending done by private companies, like Oerlikon, in R&D ac-tivities continues to ensure national competitiveness. Another core pillar driving Swiss industry comes from the local culture. The Swiss have a strong awareness of their strengths and a deep intrinsic interest in finding solu-tions to global questions. This cultural dimension fosters an inquisitive eco-system where innovation thrives.

How is industry preparing to meet evolving client needs?

The future success of companies no longer relies solely on technical ca-pabilities, but in their ability to match expectations and mainstream market needs. It is critical for entities to under-stand the expectations of the next gen-eration of customers.

How do you see the role of man-made fibers evolving?

When we calculate the required length of cotton yarn necessary to meet the needs of the current global population of 8 billion, plus the upward growth trends of 80 million per year, we easily come to the conclusion that the amount of sweet water necessary for natural cotton yarn production needs will not be available. Man-made fibers

are a necessary long term solution to meeting increasing global demand.

What are some of the advantages of additive manufacturing?

Additive manufacturing is the future and is playing a decisive role in trans-forming designs. These designs do not have the historical limitations of in-dustry, and allow for complex state-of-the-art bionic designs. Companies are attracted to additive manufacturing’s advantages, but a mentality shift and overcoming the initial learning curve will be required to fully capitalize on the technology’s potential.

What are your ambitions for the USA market?

Oerlikon is expanding its presence in the USA, which already includes a 1,300 strong employee workforce across the country. We have an es-tablished long-term commitment to the USA, and have ambitions to continue to grow our footprint across the states. We have made large investments to increase our additive manufacturing capabilities, and are working to maxi-mize the capacity utilization of these facilities.

The new state-of-the-art Innovation Hub and Advanced Component Pro-duction facility in Huntersville, North Carolina, embodies the vast potential we see in aerospace and power gen-eration equipment applications. We are committed to expanding our business in the US.

I am optimistic for the growth in aer-ospace and medical markets in par-ticular. We are proactively developing exciting solutions that will increase the productivity of many components in ad-ditional sectors. ■

Swiss Precision ManufacturingBased in the Canton of Glarus lies

Sauter Bachman, an indigenous family owned success story with nearly 100 years of history. The Swiss precision manufacturing company produces mul-tifaceted high-quality gears, gearboxes and complex systems for customers in industry and aerospace. GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney and other USA clients rely on Sauter Bachman as a crucial link within their value chains.

Martin SauterCEOSauter Bachmann

How do you assess human capital within Swiss industry?

Companies increasingly compete for qualified employees. The Swiss apprenticeship model ensures highly skilled human capital, and is the base for the successful growth of industrial companies. It is of the utmost impor-tance for Switzerland to continuously develop talent and remain compet-itive by having the option to recruit the best specialists from abroad. A shortage of skilled workers can eas-ily become one of the most important challenges and would prevent indus-try from growing.

How do you sustain innovation?Switzerland is known for its reliable

and innovative products. We at Sauter Bachmann are investing nearly 15% of our turnover into R&D. We particularly focus on new ways to manufacture and produce components more efficiently. Our complex products are tested so thoroughly before leaving our facilities that demanding clients in aerospace can install Sauter Bachmann gear box-es and loose gears without additional testing. Tested quality products are at the heart of Swiss industry and the rea-son global corporations entrust us to produce mission critical components.

What is your outlook for Sauter Bachmann’s USA operations?

We mainly manufacture components for industrial clients and the aerospace industry. Our reliable precision has solidified our role as a member of ex-tremely demanding supply chains. We see longterm growth potential in cater-ing to the aerospace industry. Civil avi-ation is growing extremely quickly, and we have an optimistic outlook. Sauter Bachmann’s value-added proposition has had a positive impact on US mili-tary and civil aerospace. We aim to in-crease our business with existing USA customers like GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney and others. ■

P.9 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

Materials for tomorrow

Enhanced performance throughadvanced materials, surface engineeringand polymer processing.

www.oerlikon.comwww.oerlikon.com/stories

Swiss Climate SolutionsThe challenge of modern environments

The modern workplace has changed dramatically over the years. Oliver Zimmermann, CEO of Condair, em-phasized that, “We are spending near-ly 90% of our time within hermetically sealed artificial interiors that often are comparable to desert climates.”

Our comfort within these indoor envi-ronments and the productivity of office employees largely relies on the assem-bling of pleasant and healthy indoor climates. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technologies have become standard, and are consistently providing more ideal thermal comfort and indoor air quality in buildings.

While a constant flow of fresh air was readily available within porous buildings of the past, the despised cold drafts were eliminated by building and construction engineers. Although creating airtight spaces minimized heat and cooling loss within buildings, they require a constant flow of fresh, outdoor air. These HVAC units are steadily increasing global en-ergy consumption, and in some cases, creating challenges to our health. One of these challenges is creating an even dryer indoor environment.

Today, one of the biggest trends in the building technology sector is improving HVAC energy efficiency to reduce ener-gy bills. Sustainably designed real es-tate cost less to operate, and many new commercial buildings are now designed to meet Leadership in Energy and En-vironmental Design (LEED) specifica-

tions. The Empire State Building, for ex-ample, in 2011, had the most extensive energy-savings retrofit in the US, which shaved $2 million in its energy costs per year.

The ongoing sustainability trend of upgrading existing buildings with ener-gy-saving air treatment systems, com-bined with new construction projects, gives a positive outlook for the HVAC market. Several Swiss companies have invested in R&D to offer improvements to this rapidly growing industry.

Belimo is the leading global manufac-turer of actuators, valves, and sensor solutions for controlling heating, ven-tilation, and air-conditioning systems. Lars van der Haegen, CEO of Belimo, stated, “Buildings are currently re-sponsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, and targeted investments can offer a long-lasting improvement to their efficiency. Well-installed sensors, actuators and valves can make a sur-prising 30% impact. When tackling CO2 emission reductions, buildings are the best place to start, and the potential to increase energy efficiency in buildings within the USA is enormous.”

Van der Haegen asserts that Belimo’s, “Small bright orange actuators and en-ergy valves are making an impact on global energy consumption within the HVAC systems they control.” Their use translates into a substantially higher functionality and more cost savings. Van der Haegen went on to mention,

“The Belimo energy valve, in particu-lar, is a fascinating in-house innova-tive component that was introduced to markets in 2012 and continues to be extremely successful all over the world. Belimo’s smart valves continuously op-timize the flow and adjust the necessary climatic conditions, thereby helping to reduce the operating costs in buildings and CO2 emissions.” Combined with their intelligent cloud services, Belimo’s energy valve is setting a new standard for automatic optimization of HVAC sys-tems. Belimo is now working on version 4.0 of this product, and the digital cloud network it works on is allowing Belimo and its clients to improve energy effi-ciency in buildings in previously unim-aginable ways.

Climate solutions are increasingly necessary for most residential, busi-ness, industry, and other sensitive working areas, but some solutions are having unintended consequences. Some dehumidification occurs as a natural side effect of controlling tem-perature, but this is incidental. Although changes in humidity radically impact our environment, humans are unable to detect changes in moisture, and therefore classic air treatment systems were never designed to modify humidi-ty. Relative humidity is a notion that has recently gained traction, but people are resistant to invest in areas in which they lack understanding. This is particularly of importance in areas where humidity changes rapidly depending on geo-graphical location and the seasons.

The benefits of humidification tech-nology within industrial and commercial

applications are well understood. Indus-trial and commercial environments often require precise control over humidity to ensure consistent results. For exam-ple, low humidity causes an increase in electrostatic discharges, which can se-verely cripple the functionality of a data center.

The chemical, pharmaceutical, and medtech clusters heavily rely on clean room manufacturing environments within their facilities to properly ensure nano precision. Agrifood production and storage require stable humidity envi-ronments to grow and ensure produce arrives fresh to supermarkets. Even the atmosphere surrounding the printing presses had to be carefully controlled to ensure the paper did not curl, and the ink fused correctly. Excessively dry environments pose long term risks. Correct humidity levels are paramount to ensuring more efficient production lines. Even museums seek to ensure value preservation through proper hu-midity, as priceless works of art are brittle and prone to warping. Zimmer-mann highlighted how, “Humidification is an essential part of value preserva-tion within museums, and Condair has installed devices that protect for exam-ple the Mona Lisa in the Louvre and the Smithsonian facilities from excessive dryness.”

We are still learning the role humidi-ty has on our health. In particular, how lower levels decrease our immune system. In May 2019 Professor Akiko Iwasaki of the Department of Immunob-iology at Yale University performed an interesting study on humidity.

Two groups of genetically modified mice were exposed to the flu. One group of mice were exposed to a low 20% humidity environment, and the other were placed within a 50% humid-ity environment. No mice survived the study in the lower humidity environ-ment, while half survived in the higher humidity environment.

Oliver Zimmermann, CEO of Condair Group, was keen to mention that while industry is increasingly implementing humidity solutions, public spaces need the same solutions. Nearly a third of office workers are distressed by the effects of dry air in the workplace. Staff productivity is often impaired by recur-ring sinusitis, and other negative side effects from non-ideal indoor climates. According to Zimmermann, it is time for residential and office spaces to in-crease their focus on adequate humidity levels and ensure buildings are outfitted with this technology. ■

Belimo: Raising Energy Efficiency

Condair: Ensuring ProperHumidification

Belimo is the leading global manu-facturer of innovative actuators, valves and sensor solutions to control heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Lars van der HaegenCEOBelimo

How do you assess Switzerland’s business ecosystem?

Switzerland is an effective business location from an administration point of view. The business-friendly environ-ment facilitates global networking and offers excellent access to the European market. An additional benefit is the lack of bureaucracy often found in neighbor-ing countries.

What is the role of apprenticeships in building national human capital?

The apprenticeship program is a huge benefit for employees and companies. At Belimo, we have incoming appren-tices that are 16 years old. After the program, they tend to continue their education while staying on as part-time workers. By the time they are 25 years old they have a Masters in automation or IT, and nine years of hands-on ex-perience within Belimo. This kind of youthful talent and expertise are the cornerstone of Switzerland continu-

Condair Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial and commer-cial humidification and evaporative cool-ing solutions. Its administrative head of-fice and main R&D center are located in the Swiss Canton of Schwyz.

Oliver ZimmermannCEO Condair Group

What is your outlook for humidity solutions in the USA?Condair offers a complete technology portfolio for all industries, and promotes the benefits of humidification technology beyond the implementation within solely industrial and commercial applications. The expansion to other industries and applications presents large growth op-portunities. Whether at the office or at

ously achieving top ranks in regards to human capital.

What are your ambitions for the USA market?

We are the clear market leader in the USA, and have our regional head-quarters in Connecticut, close to New York. Our headquarters, R&D and manufacturing facilities are currently being expanded. We are installing an impressively large one megawatt solar energy system, that will soon be one of the largest photovoltaic systems in Connecticut.

How is Belimo growing as a com-pany?

As a company, Belimo works on a global basis with a global perspective. We are present in 80 markets and ex-port 97% of our turnover. Our strategy is set to grow sales by a rate of 6% annually. We have become the glob-al leader in a niche segment, and are adding new competencies to our prod-uct line. This targeted approach has become crucial to our competitiveness as a company. Belimo’s global head-quarters are based in Switzerland, where we opened a new operations wing filled with automation and ro-botics and will continue to implement state-of-the-art digital solutions to maximize efficiency. ■

home, we spend 90% of our time indoors and incorrect levels of humidity often leave a sense of malaise. Condair offers a large portfolio of technologies to mini-mize the effects of dry air, and is enter-ing the private end-user market with new and innovative solutions for the residen-tial segment. Adequate humidification ensures our immune defense systems stay active, and helps productivity in the office environment.

In what memorable sites do we find humidification solutions from Con-dair?Humidification is an essential part of val-ue preservation within museums. Con-dair has installed devices that protect the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, and the Smith-sonian facilities from excessive dryness. Condair also installed the world’s largest evaporative outdoor cooling system in the world in Medina, Saudi Arabia. ■

P.10 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

Humidification in the workplaceThe prerequisite for optimal health and performance of the employees

Medical studies show that indoor relative humidity main-tained between 40 and 60 percent optimizes our health and productivity. Employees in offices with dry air have more absenteeism from illness and are less productive while at work. The economic losses in the US from these problems are in the billions each year. We will gladly show you how easy it is to humidify the air in your offices, thereby investing in the health of your employees and increasing your bottom line.

Please contact us for further information!

condair-group.com; condair.comPhone: +1.866.667.8321Contact: na.info@condair.com

Humidification and Evaporative Cooling

Swiss Cheese Tackles Global Markets

As global food trends rapidly shift, Amer-ican palates are changing. There has been an evolution from heavily processed cheeses towards traditionally- produced artisan varieties, and specialty European cheeses in particular are gaining popular-ity in the USA. Cheesemongers know the Swiss have superior standards based on traditional methods. In general, agri-food production standards in the small alpine state are based on higher expectations for animal welfare, dedication to tradition-al standards of quality, and environmental requirements.

Many cows that produce milk for tra-ditional Swiss cheese are grazing solely on spring-summer alpine pastures and drinking crystal clear mountain water. The unique variety of herbs and flowers give a unique character and flavor. Thus, result-ing in absolute premium produce, that is increasingly captivating tastebuds across North America.

According to Urs Riedener, CEO of Emmi, the largest milk processor in Swit-zerland, one of the most innovative dairies in Europe, and recognized as the premier provider of Swiss cheese, “Switzerland produces the cleanest GMO-free milk in the world.”

Pop culture tends to depict Swiss cheese as “the cheese with holes in it.” However, there are more than 450 varieties of Swiss cheese, from soft buttery cheeses to rich melting types used for the national dish of fondue, a dish that dates all the way back to 1699 in Zurich. Back to 1699 in Zurich. At least ten cheeses carry the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) label, which means the product is made entirely in its region of origin. These include emmen-tal, gruyère, l’etivaz, appenzeller, raclette, and tête de moine, among others. The most iconic and easily recognizable being semi-hard, hole-filled emmental variety commonly known generically as Swiss cheese. Cheese has been a staple food for generations.

While global cheese connoisseurs have long debated the origin of the distinctive holes of the emmental variety, the Agro-scope Institute, a Swiss scientific center of excellence for agricultural research, recently put the debate to rest. According to their study, the mysterious holes are the result of microscopically small hay particles that were routinely found in the milk. With the recent modernization of dairy farms and push for sterile environments, the iconic holes began to shrink in size.

While holes are a symbol of Swiss cheese, the most widely produced and consumed within Switzerland is the hole-less gruyère variety. Its smooth texture has a bold and nutty flavor, and that intensifies with age. The same traditional recipe for its production has been used since 1115, and its AOP protection status ensures it is made from dairies no more than 20 miles away. Gruyere is also the main ingredient of the iconic Swiss fondue.

In addition to emmental and gruyere, the Swiss produce raclette cheese, another Swiss staple meal. It is often found at so-ciable winter events, where the semi-hard cheese is melted over warm potatoes. It is usually accompanied by cold meats, pickles, and pickled onions. Sbrinz is an extra-hard full-fat cheese that is great for grating. Its maturity bestows an aromatic, spicy taste and makes it the alpine alterna-tive to Italian Parmesan. Appenzeller is a hard cheese brined in wine or cider, which results in a robust cheese that is known for its pungent aroma and spicy under-tones. Tête de moine was originally pro-duced by monks, and its name in french, “monk’s head”, pays homage to its history. It is scraped with a knife-like tool called a girolle, which spins around the top of the cheese wheel, scrapping off ribbons of the fruity cheese.

For the lactose-intolerant, most of the popular cheeses – Emmentaler, Appen-zeller, Gruyère and Raclette - are naturally low in lactose, as the majority of lactose breaks down and is discarded in the long lasting maturing process. ■

Urs RiedenerCEO Emmi

How important is the agri-food sec-tor to the Swiss identity?

Switzerland has a strong historical tie to agriculture. Our ancestors have tra-ditionally been farmers, and to this day the sector remains at the epicenter of our identity. We love our nature and fre-quently hike in our mountains, ski on our slopes, stroll through our meadows, and in brief, enjoy the widest variety of out-door activities within nature. While the agri-food sector represents below 1% of the GDP of our economy, the emotion-al importance is much more significant. It symbolically represents upwards of 25%. For example, nearly 30% of our governmental representatives retain very close ties to agriculture.

What is your outlook for Swiss dairy’s USA footprint?

While Switzerland remains a net im-porter of most food products, we have a self-sufficiency rate exceeding 100% with dairy. For hundreds of years, we have been a milk-producing country. We have vast meadows and prairies. We have an overabundance of milk, and cheeses are a durable value-added good that is easier to export.

“Switzerland possesses a rich sustainable heritage in producing the best GMO-free milk globally.”

Good cheese starts with fresh milk, and Switzerland possesses a rich sus-tainable heritage in producing the best GMO-free milk globally.

Emmi focuses on premium dairy prod-ucts with Swiss heritage. We are the clear market leader in smear-ripened mature cheeses, which is an artisanal salt brine curing method passed down from our alpine heritage.

We support traditional heritage, and within our USA investments are re-specting our subsidiary’s local roots. We invested and professionalized their pro-cesses so they can advance as a team. The USA is our second-biggest market, and we expect the specialty cheese segment to continue growing by up to 5% per year. ■

A Coffee Giant

Starbucks’ Coveted Swiss Partner

Without growing a single bean, Switzer-land exported nearly $2.4 billion worth of coffee in 2018. Although there are not any coffee trees growing within Switzerland, the nation is one of the most significant trading places for green coffee and one of the largest coffee processors in the world. Switzerland is also one of the world’s largest green coffee importers and pro-cessors through high-tech manufacturing methods. The Swiss have focused on ex-porting value-added, specialized formats, such as coffee pods, and Swiss roasted coffee sells on average at a 3.5 times

A perfect cup of coffee can make an-yone’s day better, and how a person consumes coffee is becoming part of people’s identities across the globe. With Starbucks’ popularity booming, some wonder how it consistently delivers the perfect cup of joe in every corner of the world. Surprisingly, the secret is not en-tirely in the flavorful beans or talented baristas, but also dependent on intelli-gent machinery. Thermoplan has been manufacturing coffee machines found in nearly every Starbucks in the world since 1999, and specializes in fully automatic coffee machines. Thermoplan’s various machine sizes and modular configura-tions adapt to the needs of heavy-duty users in the beverage industry, mid-sized offices and even homes.

Thermoplan’s other impressive clients include Nestlé and Google. Thermoplan’s A-list clientele trust Theromplan’s Swiss-made manufacturing promise of reliabil-ity, exceptional quality and innovation. The company has been referred to as the “hidden champion” in industry circles, and future growth is strategically designed to continue to make the empire flourish. Adrian Steiner, CEO of Thermoplan stat-ed, “We buy 82% of our components in Switzerland, and cultivate the Swiss qual-ity assurance. Our innovative and tech-nology-oriented coffee machines enable excellent coffee within each cup.”

Thermoplan’s phenomenal precision and craftsmanship guarantees the best quality and reliability in machines, which is absolutely essential for their elite cli-ents. Steiner mentioned, “The USA is our main market, and we have a twenty-year history with Starbucks. We also operate

price premium relative to global averages.Some well known Swiss coffee brands

include Mövenpick and Nestlé’s famous Nescafe and Nespresso. Nestlé’s Nes-presso capsules in particular embody the added-value potential of Swiss exports, with nearly 98% of the capsules being exported.

In addition to exporting coffee beans, Swiss players are partnering with global powerhouses to manufacture comple-mentary tools, such as the fully automat-ic coffee machines Starbucks installs globally within its stores. ■

in another 70 plus countries. We adapt our products and processes to meet different market and customer require-ments. We develop our products to align with new and up-and-coming trends. As coffee consumption continues to grow and evolve, we make sure to employ 20% of our workforce to focus on re-search and development. They work on new innovations and technology to make future intelligent coffee machines for new trends, such as cold brewed coffee. Tea, coffee, chocolate and milk based cold beverages are on the rise. We also offer offices self-cleaning machines that pro-vide the best quality, freshly brewed cof-fee with fresh milk components tailored to each user’s specific desires.”

As frothy coffee drinks continue to grow in demand universally, Thermoplan’s in-novative machines will complementarily grow in prevalence. The company also makes sure to implement high-tech functions. According to Steiner, “Users value our machines’ cloud connectivity and telemetry systems, allowing them access to unparalleled data surrounding their use and detailed analysis of opera-tions. It allows our clients to maximize the machines’ productivity, and heavy users value these easy to use advanced high-tech components.”

Steiner is confident about the future growth of Thermoplan, and international clients continue to look to Thermoplan for innovative products to increase their productivity, profitability and efficiency. In the meantime, Thermoplan’s products continue to play a sizable role in deliver-ing the perfect caffeine fix for millions of customers everyday. ■

The secret to consistent quality: Thermoplan

P.11 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

Luxury AviationPrivately owned and chartered aircraft arrive to Davos symbolizing a thriving sector

With Richard Gaona at the helm, Com-lux has transformed as a Swiss-based service provider in the fields of business aviation, transaction and completion services into a diversified global opera-tion continuing to rapidly expand. Gao-na is committed to continuously setting new standards in the field and believes, “Nothing is impossible with time and ad-equate resources.”

Richard GaonaCEOComlux

Comlux’s strong ties with the USA, and having Indianapolis as their base for their purpose-built facility handling all comple-tion services and cabin interiors, is one of the chief ingredients to the company’s success. Gaona unquestionably states, “The quality and innovative engineering in the USA brings a completely new di-mension to the aircraft we work on for our VIP clients. They are engineering luxury and innovation that you don’t find

elsewhere. Our engineers in the USA come from top-notch universities. It is an area with a tank of potential, young peo-ple who are an asset to us and make for an excellent team. North America is the land of business aviation expertise.”

Comlux’s clients seeking private avia-tion needs, both for personal and profes-sional management, trust the company to assist in the entire process, from air-craft sales and acquisitions to opera-tions, charter management, cabin inte-riors, and overall maintenance through the years. Their aircraft fleet utilizes cut-ting-edge technology and seamlessly in-corporates luxury at every corner. Com-lux Creatives integrate stunning interiors and cabin design, while Comlux Com-pletion creates customized solutions for ultimate comfort and luxury. It is one of the only completion centers in the world that can integrate all interiors in-house. Ensuring comfort for the duration of the flight, Comlux has been adding humidity systems to all long-haul flights for over ten years. Furthermore, Comlux has in-novative intellectual property regarding

noise level reduction. They reduce the noise without substantially increasing the weight of each aircraft, which in turn allows for a greater flying range. Their communication technology is also far above the rest, with their USA-based engineers continuing to work on the ca-pacity of high-speed internet services on long-haul flights, already reaching over 40 individuals using high-speed stream-ing services at once, such as video streaming and live video conferencing in-flight.

Always keeping space and comfort in mind, Comlux is the largest Airbus VIP operator worldwide. The company also has a large presence in the market work-ing on Airbus Corporate Jets, Boeing Business Jets and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Bombardier Global and Gulf-stream aircraft, in particular, allow their clients to reach their destinations in re-cord time.

Part of the company’s charm is the team’s commitment to delivering the best customer service imaginable. Gaona was eager to highlight, “Our teams are available 24/7 to make any and all nec-essary arrangements to make our clients fly in supreme comfort.” This elite cus-tomer service also takes place on their transactional side, as Comlux Transac-tions helps clients acquire new aircraft or sell existing ones. Gaona mentioned,

“Our team helps our clients evaluate po-tential costs around the maintenance of aircraft and costs associated with cabin upgrades prior to having them invest in the aircraft. Comlux has one flat man-agement fee, with total transparency for any potential added costs, which sets us apart as well.”

Gaona has already had a tremendous-ly successful career, including being re-sponsible for the sale of the first A380 VIP “Flying Palace” to the Prince of Sau-di Arabia, launching the successful Air-bus A318 Elite program, and now trans-forming Comlux into a world leader. His passion knows no bounds and his am-bition has set a professional benchmark for Comlux to achieve robust growth and be the number one provider in the USA in their field within the next five years. Gaona proudly stated, “We will contin-ue to deliver world-class Swiss-made business aviation services at the highest standards of safety and quality in the in-dustry. Some of our clients surely will be arriving to the World Economic Forum on aircraft we manage for them.” Comlux’s combination of Swiss business savvy with American engineering ingenuity has proved to be a winning combination. As Gaona believes, the sky’s the limit. ■

By Jennifer Jendusa

Knowledge Generates Value

Leading in Fundamental Scientific Research

Knowledge generates value, and it is the key to solving societal problems and overcoming global challenges. It is one of the most important resourc-es in our society, and it will become even more important in the future. In everything that it does, the University of Bern feels it has an obligation to bring about benefits for science, society and the economy by promoting knowledge. It primarily seeks fundamental insights but also addresses application-oriented questions. It contributes to the attrac-tiveness and well-being of the Canton of Bern, the region around the capital,

Prof. Dr. Christian LeumannRectorUniversity of Bern

How do you assess Swiss education?

Switzerland is known for its quality, and academia is no exception. Most Swiss universities are ranked within the top 1% globally. Switzerland’s education system has several advantages, including the dual education system, which allows the population to pursue different successful career paths. In higher education, global academia rankings show that the Univer-sity of Bern excels in scientific contribu-tions, even if few entities know our work.

and the other surrounding regions. The University of Bern is also a reliable and open partner of business and promotes innovation transfer.

Founded in 1834, the University of Bern offers a broad choice of programs across eight faculties for over 18,000 students from 140 countries. The Uni-versity of Bern also hosts international research platforms, National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCR) and trans- and interdisciplinary programs. In 2017, the University of Bern was ad-mitted to The Guild, a network which comprises 19 of Europe’s most distin-guished research-intensive universities.

What are some notableaccomplishments?

Within the Swiss educational land-scape, the University of Bern differ-entiates itself from other universities focusing on applied sciences. At the University of Bern, we are building the foundation of basic science that within 15 years will become the next genera-tion of innovative applied science pro-jects.

We have collaborated with the United Nations regarding climate science, and one of our core focus areas is in sus-tainable development. We have worked together with the UN to create some of the Sustainable Development Goals and help the organization with its agenda.

We are number three in Switzerland when it comes to attracting projects and financing from the Swiss National Sci-ence Foundation (SNF). We have solid links with Horizon 2020 and Horizon Eu-rope, which are increasingly investing in finding new solutions for societal chal-lenges and driving innovation-led sus-tainable growth. We also have powerful connections and collaborations with the USA.

What are some USA-basedcollaborations?

The space science program is one ex-ample. The first scientific experiment for the Apollo 11 mission 50 years ago was from the University of Bern. Since then,

we have participated in most NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) satel-lite operations. What is more, within our campus we have a Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), which fosters dialogue across various scientific dis-ciplines and nonscientific stakeholders on the implications of finding life else-where in the universe.

Other collaborations include the re-cent agreement with the USA Depart-ment of Energy’s Fermilab in Chicago, to collaborate on neutrino experiments to be carried out at the laboratory. We will be researching advanced neutrino detectors in various experiments. Other examples are our collaborations with the USA-based National Science Foun-dation (NSF) or with the National Insti-tutes of Health (NIH), that support basic research in the biomedical field. ■

The University of Bern is a leader and a pioneer in a number of research fields, and has had an impact on the history of science. During the first moon landing in 1969, Edwin E. Aldrin unfurled the solar wind sail from the University of Bern even before the American flag. Since then, space research in Bern has further expanded its internationally rec-ognized leadership. It still continues to regularly supply research instruments and experimental results to NASA and ESA missions. The Swiss National Science Foundation also awarded the University of Bern the NCCR PlanetS, which it manages together with the University of Geneva.

The University of Bern also con-ducts – with an international focus – high-quality disciplinary, interdiscipli-nary, and trans-disciplinary research and teaching in the area of sustaina-bility. Through its centers of excellence Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research OCCR, Center for Devel-opment and Environment CDE, and World Trade Institute WTI, the univer-sity makes important contributions to research on climate change, clarifica-tion of the effects of global change on natural resources and human life, and the sustainable regulation of interna-tional trade. With the Wyss Academy for Nature, a globally leading research and implementation center in the field of nature and people is being set up at

the University of Bern. The entrepre-neur and patron, Hansjörg Wyss, the President of the Government of the Canton of Bern, Christoph Ammann, and the Rector of the University of Bern, Christian Leumann, ceremoni-ously signed the contract on December 13, 2019. Over the next 10 years, over $200 million are going to be invested.

In medicine and dentistry, the Uni-versity, together with the University Hospital Inselspital, constitutes an internationally recognized center of excellence. With sitem-insel, the Uni-versity of Bern is investing in a pub-lic-private partnership with the canton, the Inselspital and partners from the medical technology and pharmaceu-tical industry in order to strengthen the translation of research results into application. In membrane biology, the innovative NCCR TransCure seeks novel therapies and drugs. Moreover, Bernese medical technology research, with the interdisciplinary ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Re-search, focuses on computer-assisted surgery and on artificial organs.

In all its work, whether in research or teaching, the University of Bern is committed to striving for excellence. It is future-oriented and focuses on the social relevance of its activities – in the spirit of its vision: knowledge generates value. ■

P.12 | Thursday, January 23, 2020

Editor: Hailey Kuettner and Alexander Teppert | Country Directors: Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo and Jennifer Jendusa | Graphic Designer: Alisson Stasiak

Bringing the best cheese from Switzerland to your table.

emmiusa.com

Our Pick ofSwitzerland's Best

Cheeses.

Switzerland’s Number One Holiday Destination

The Canton of Grisons combines pris-tine wilderness and snowcapped peaks with modern tourism infrastructure. It holds 1,000 peaks, 615 lakes, 150 valleys, and Switzerland’s only nation-al park. Its Rhine Canyon Ruinaulta is fondly referred to as the “Swiss Grand Canyon”.

This beautiful scenery was the inspira-tion behind Johanna Spyri’s worldwide bestseller, Heidi, which is set in the Can-ton of Grisons. Numerous attractions, museums, and themed locations refer to this iconic character.

This broad Alpine region possesses a network of over 10,000 miles of bike-friendly paths with impressive mountain panoramas. It remains Switzerland’s

number one holiday destination and its preferred winter retreat.

In addition to more than 40 ski areas and 1,300 miles of groomed ski runs, the Canton of Grisons is home to some of Switzerland’s most iconic tourist des-tinations.

Grisons has a large concentration of medieval castles and three World Her-itage Sites. The Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair holds Switzerland’s greatest series of figurative Roman-esque frescoes, the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona displays an exceptional geological example of a major tectonic thrust following a continental collision, and the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscape not only constitutes

an outstanding architectural ensemble, but also left a lasting socioeconomic im-pact on the isolated settlements of the Central Alps.

While is ill-advised to travel the touris-tic Alpine towns by car, a journey by train is one of the most pleasant and enrich-ing experiences in the region. Grisons is best viewed when traveling on pan-oramic trains; The Glacier Express con-nects Zermatt, Andermatt, and other pic-turesque towns. The Bernina Express is legendary; it cuts across the highest and most beautiful parts of the Alps in Chur, Tirana, Davos, and St. Moritz.

Alongside Davos, the luxury alpine resort town of St. Moritz is a world-re-nowned tourist magnet within the Can-ton of Grisons. Its uncommon location grants over 300 days of sunshine a year. Is described as the cradle of winter tourism. It has hosted the Winter Olym-pics on two occasions, holds an idyllic frozen lake where polo, cricket and even horse racing are played on ice. As the most expensive ski resort in the world, it hosts numerous luxurious five star hotels, high-end fashion boutiques, jewelers, upmarket restaurants, and après-ski clubs. St. Moritz’s two mile ca-ble car runs high onto the Piz Corvatsch mountain, where an impressive ice cave awaits alongside a five mile ski run. While the winter is cold and snowy, the summer is mild and sunny, encourag-ing additional outdoor activities such as

hikes and mountain biking, or sailing and windsurfing activities on Lake St. Moritz. Other memorable Swiss towns to visit in the Canton include Arosa, Flims, Len-zerheide and Scuol-Samnaun.

A favorite passtime of amateur zoolo-gists visiting the Alps in Grison includes its unique Alpine wildlife safari. The Alpine ibex, a species of wild goat fea-tured on the Canton of Grisons’s coat of arms and also roaming the wilder-ness. Although the species was almost pushed to extinction in the early 19th century, successful repopulation efforts have ensured the survival of this iconic regional symbol. Other fauna to lookout for include the chamois, deer, roe deer, marmot, and golden eagle.

Four ingredients make a Grisons holiday unforgettable, the unparalleled alpine scenery, the enormous diversity of year-round excursions from hiking to skiing, the welcoming hospitality, and the exquisite regional cuisine from three distinct cultural regions. ■

Swiss Hospitality: Fueling the Future Needs of the Industry

EHL Group: The Global Hospitality Powerhouse

The rise in global consumer purchas-ing power, coupled with developments in digital innovation, has created un-precedented growth in the tourism and hospitality sectors in recent years. However, with this expansion comes new challenges, and one of today’s most pressing challenges to the indus-try is finding and employing qualified individuals to lead companies, and the sector at large to the next dimension. Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) is a crucial global player in meeting this challenge.

EHL was the first hotel school in the world, and is now recognized as the world’s number one hospitality and leisure management school. Not only has EHL pioneered hospitality educa-tion, but it is continuously innovating, demonstrated by the development a new campus that will be fully sustain-able and fully digitalized in Lausanne, Switzerland. It has been awarded the renowned Michelin star, solidifying the importance of the university’s contribu-tions to the hospitality industry. Addition-ally, EHL is developing a new institution in Singapore to be opened in 2021, which will be the first Swiss university to offer a bachelor’s degree outside of Switzerland, setting new benchmarks once again. Well known for merging hands-on learning and academia, EHL collaborates with leaders in the industry and research organizations to create a dynamic learning experience for stu-dents, professionals and collaborating organizations.

As it celebrates its 126th anniversary, EHL Group, the world’s top hospitality management education group, enjoys a unique heritage that enriches its pro-grams, its partnerships and energizes the future careers of its graduates. From its professional training school in the Swiss Alps just a stone’s throw away from Davos, to its university programs in Lausanne (Switzerland), EHL Group has continually pioneered new teaching methods to deliver the highest quality in education. “We reached the title of world number 1 with great honor and this achievement confirmed our successful strategy to put innovation and academic excellence at the heart of our institution”, explained EHL Group CEO Michel Ro-chat. Its close working relationship with many industry leaders, as well as its im-pressive global alumni network, has also helped set EHL Group apart in terms of professional growth and opportunity for students.

Their flagship degree, the Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management, isn’t for the faint of heart, though. Students are challenged every day, and classroom attendance is but a

shortage is already being felt. Hoteliers need more hands on deck. What they need even more is to make their trade attractive enough to retain the best tal-ents, who are being wooed by a plethora of other big businesses for their excellent service credentials.

Michel RochatCEOEHL Group

In response to these growing concerns, EHL Group has created, through its con-sulting firm EHL Advisory Services, a Vocational Education and Training solu-tion that is being delivered in recognized

Professor Michel Rochat, Group CEO of EHL, stated, “We will have a direct transfer of knowledge from the different campuses, and be able to enter new markets at full force with on the ground knowledge about changing trends in the hospitality sector. This is particularly of importance as the tourism market is proliferating year-over-year, at five per-cent on average. Skilling talent to meet this growing demand is the greatest challenge for the future of the industry. EHL’s reputation has been built for more than 125 years on the quality of our ac-ademic programs, accreditations and the success of everyone who becomes part of our community. We partner with the best in the industry worldwide, and it is our mission to help skill talent for tomorrow, and have the foresight to know the future needs for the market. We also have a small hub of about 25 startups to build bridges directly to the market. Our students can directly net-work and develop meaningful connec-tions through these opportunities.”

In addition to its three campuses, EHL also has an advisory arm. EHL Advisory Services is the largest Swiss hospitality advisory services firm, and has ambitions to grow its presence in the USA and develop alliances to form new programs. It is already present in sixty countries, bringing expertise to businesses worldwide to thrive in the future and continue to develop emerg-ing talent. ■

fraction of the experience. The program promotes entrepreneurship and encour-ages students to experiment with new technologies, explore emerging trends and develop real-life business solutions well beyond their initial comfort zone. The young graduates then set off into many different industries, such as travel, lux-ury, retail, consulting or private banking where their unique skill sets have earned them the reputation of being masters of customer experience. This bold state-ment is corroborated by some impres-sive facts and figures. The EHL alumni network is said to be the world’s most influential hospitality network, with recent graduates boastinga 96% employability rate with global management careers in over 150 countries, half of which are in Senior and Executive positions.

In the coming years, the challenge will be for the entire hospitality industry to re-tain such talents this talented workforce. Indeed, the worldwide hospitality trade is set to grow faster than the global econo-my, especially in Asia. Today, travel, tour-ism and other related activities represent 11% of the world GDP and 413 million jobs worldwide, yet the human capital

local hospitality schools worldwide. This program aims to close the skills gap in many emerging markets where tourism and hospitality revenues constitute one of the core drivers of growth. The group, headquartered in Lausanne, has also just announced the opening of its first overseas campus in Singapore, offer-ing its students a unique opportunity to acquire South-East Asian experience, as well as actively work with industry leaders to face the industry’s growing challenges. “EHL Group, in addition to its University and professional school, has a responsibility to maintain open channels between the various actors that will forge the future of hospitality. It appears cru-cial to us to break down the barriers that often divide academic institutions and economic actors”, explained Rochat in a recent interview. ■

By Jennifer Jendusa

By Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo

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Photo:Destination Davos KlostersMarcel Giger