The Swisscom StartUp Challenge 2022 was all about Climate protection and sustainability. More than 200 startups from 30 countries applied for the tenth implementation of the funding program. In the first round, a jury of experts selected ten finalists by the beginning of August 2022. What they have in common is that all of their innovations contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases. The spectrum of solutions is broad, ranging from IoT applications and hydrogen fuel cell technology to platforms for the circular economy.

Convincing business models honored

On September 2, 2022, the ten-member jury with representatives from Fastweb, ETH, South Pole and Swisscom selected the five winners. To score in the final, however, the startups not only had to present smart, sustainable solutions and a convincing business model, but also demonstrate team spirit and determination. The jury was particularly enthusiastic about Almer Technologies AG, ECCO2 Solutions AG, mobileup, SmartHelio Sarl and Swiss Vault AG.

The five winners secured participation in a week-long exploration program with sustainability and ICT experts from Swisscom and access to the Swisscom ecosystem. In addition to workshops, coaching, a network of climate protection and energy efficiency entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, the winners also have the chance to partner with Swisscom. Because Swisscom wants to save one million tons of CO2 per year by 2025 Swisscom wants to save one million tons of CO2 per year by 2025, in addition to its climate-neutral target, by offering private and business customers innovative ICT solutions that enable them to massively reduce their carbon footprint.

Failure and success are close together

In the ten years that the Swisscom Startup Challenge has been in existence, around 2,000 startups have applied for the competition and 45 have completed the support program. Nearly 100 young entrepreneurs traveled to the Swisscom Outpost in Palo Alto and pitched their business cases to major venture capitalists and Internet giants. Among them were startups such as Ava (2015), Creal (2019), Ecorobotix (2017), Geosatis (2014), Gmelius (2019) and Nanolive (2016). Swisscom Ventures, a division of Swisscom, also invested in all of them. Six of the winning startups have since sold their companies: For example, regtech startup Qumram (2016) to Dynatrade or intelligent image recognition Fashwell (2016) to Apple. Some of the Swisscom Startup Challenge alumni are now ranked among the top 100 young companies in Switzerland. 4 of the 45 have unfortunately already had to abandon their entrepreneurial journey. "Compared to the statistics in the US, the failure rate in the Swisscom Startup Challenge Hall of Fame is much smaller," explains Beat Schillig from Venturelab. "So either the selection was very good or we in Switzerland take fewer risks than startups in Silicon Valley and still have a lot of untapped innovation potential. Because those who dare more can also win more!"

Short portraits of the winners of the Swisscom StartUp Challenge 2022

Almer Technologies AG
Almer Technologies focuses on providing high-tech augmented reality glasses with Swiss-made hardware/software for businesses and offers its service all over the world. Their service offers multiple solutions to problems: Eliminating the travel time an expert must spend to a foreign office, no transportation costs, and reducing the company's carbon footprint.

ECCO2 Solutions AG
ECCO2 reduces building heating energy consumption by an average of 15 percent with a data-driven IoT/AI solution and compiles ESG-relevant building data. Property owners are challenged by high energy consumption. Energy costs, regulatory obligations and social pressures are a real nuisance. Energy efficiency impacts market value for tenants and investors. The ECCO2 solution is fast, affordable, can be deployed anywhere and is subsidized by the Swiss government.

mobileup
mobileup is a platform for buying and selling used smartphones and tablets. All devices are sold with a 12-month warranty and a 30-day return policy. The price and the product range are the most important criteria for customers. Therefore, mobileup has set up APIs for the largest European providers. An algorithm identifies the devices with the best price-performance ratio and thus helps match supply with demand.

SmartHelio Sarl
SmartHelio is the fastest growing cleantech data intelligence company in the world, according to the company. The company's solution, founded by Bcorp and Y Combinator, is used by leading solar developers in Europe, Asia and the U.S. to make solar installations profitable and sustainable. After investing $15 million in research and development, SmartHelio has developed software that predicts PV system faults in real time. This can prevent downtime and increase revenue by up to 10 percent.

Swiss Vault AG
Swiss Vault is a data innovation company that helps the world manage its data efficiently and in an environmentally responsible way. Swiss Vault provides companies with technologies that combine hardware and software solutions for better, economical, resilient and environmentally sustainable data management.

It all started at a table half rented on the second floor of a coffee house in Basel: The start-up Revendo was founded in 2013 by two friends to fight electronic waste - a growing problem: More and more smartphones and computers end up in the trash, even though they could still be used. To combat this, Revendo started buying used devices, repairing or upgrading them, and then reselling them at a low price. The concept was successful: one year after the online store, the first store was opened. Today, Revendo already has 10 stores and more than 145 employees. And at the end of 2021, the company won the Prix SVC Northern Switzerland a prestigious entrepreneurial award.

Salt customers benefit several times over

Now Revendo has found a new partner in telecom service provider Salt: Together, the two companies are fighting e-waste and thus promoting a sustainable circular economy. Thanks to the partnership with Revendo, Salt can now simplify the buyback of used devices: In a Salt branch, customers can have their smartphone valued directly on site. In doing so, they benefit from a price guarantee: The amount estimated in the branch is guaranteed to be paid out to the customer by Revendo. Alternatively, customers can also have their device valued conveniently online and then send it in for sale. They also benefit from an eco-bonus: For every device sold at Salt, customers receive an additional eco-bonus of CHF 15. By selling their old devices, they are helping to conserve our planet's resources. The used devices will be recycled by Revendo
reconditioned and then sold to new owners. In this way, the useful life of the equipment can be massively extended.

Two strong partners for less e-waste

As Aurel Greiner, CEO of Revendo elaborates: "We are convinced that our two companies complement each other ideally in this partnership. Revendo has nine branches and over 145 employees. This makes Revendo the largest provider of refurbished devices in Switzerland and a perfect fit with a strong partner like Salt, one of the largest telecommunications providers in Switzerland." Thanks to the competencies of the two partners in their respective core businesses, the collaboration has the potential to be the start of a longer-term trend towards reducing e-waste in Switzerland, the two companies are convinced. According to estimates, there are currently more than one million unused devices lying around in Swiss households. Only about 20% of the e-waste produced worldwide is recycled. "By all of us consistently focusing on more upcycling and reuse, we can change that. That's why we are very motivated to use this partnership to ensure that fewer used smartphones are gathering dust in Swiss drawers. After all, it would be much better if these devices found new owners again and gave them plenty of pleasure for a long time to come," says Aurel Greiner.

Source and further information: Revendo / Salt

On September 3, 2022, the Generations Forum will be ceremoniously opened in the Kulturpark Zürich. The promotion of a changed culture of the perception of age images, the understanding of generations and a meaningful contribution of the "old" and "young" as an active contribution to a better generation togetherness are the goals of the Generation Forum Zurich.

Solutions for relevant future topics

Initially, the Kulturpark will offer a platform as a sounding board and breeding ground for existing projects that connect generations. In the future, solutions for relevant future issues will be actively developed and promoted with partners from civil society, government and business. The Generations Forum is initially financed by the Hamasil Foundation, which also operates the Culture Park. In and with the Kulturpark at Pfingstweidstrasse 10 and 16 in Zurich, over 200 new jobs have since been created. The business activities are diverse and are all committed to a sustainable society. In addition to societal, social and cultural services, others are offered in the environmental sector and for the economy.

Promote meaningful dialogue between generations

Exciting panelists from different generations, such as Samantha Zaugg (28), journalist and art student, and Ludwig Hasler (78), philosopher and publicist, who have been conducting a public correspondence for two years, will show on September 3 in Zurich how the dialog between the generations succeeds - or fails. They discuss expectations, attitudes, experiences, dating, climate and humor.

www.kulturpark.ch

According to Biomasse Suisse and the Swiss Gas Industry Association VSG, biogas and other climate-neutral gases are key to the decarbonization of gas supply envisaged by politicians and the industry. The technologies to provide renewable and climate-neutral gases such as biogas and synthetic biomethane and hydrogen have been available for years. Against this background, the topic of this year's Bioenergy Forum could not have been more topical: Implementing a net-zero gas supply is challenging. The annual gathering of research, producers, business, administration and politics provided a platform to discuss seminal ideas on how to shape the gas supply of the future.

Contribution of biogas to decarbonization is underestimated

The first part of the forum was devoted to biogas, which still receives far too little attention as a domestic, renewable and flexible energy source. Biogas can be produced on our doorstep from waste and at the same time reduces greenhouse gas emissions (especially methane from livestock). The presentations showed that the contribution of biogas to decarbonization is generally underestimated.

Power-to-gas plants on an industrial scale

In the second part, representatives of research from Germany and abroad reported on the latest innovations in the field of renewable gases and their potential for sector coupling. Power-to-gas plants can only play their key role in the seasonal storage of renewable energies if the framework conditions are right. The Limeco plant was presented as the first industrial-scale example in Switzerland. It also dealt with its economic operation and issues such as an exemption from grid usage fees. Another presentation addressed the technical challenges of using green hydrogen to increase biogas production.

General conditions must be adapted

The third part dealt with the necessary technical adjustments to the gas infrastructure so that hydrogen and other renewable gases can also be transported safely. Furthermore, a research project was presented that converts the electrically produced hydrogen into biogas deep underground (power-to-gas). The fact that seasonal storage can also take place there underground could efficiently combine two important processes of sector coupling.

In a panel consisting of representatives from politics, business and administration, the various topics were discussed in depth. The participants agreed that increased promotion of biogas and climate-neutral gases is the order of the day. There is still room for further debate on the how.

Source and further information: Biomass Suisse

The hot summer of 2022 and supply bottlenecks for fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas as a result of the Ukraine conflict make it obvious: our energy resources are becoming scarce. Energy experts believe it is likely that there will be supply disruptions in winter. Saving energy is therefore the order of the day, to avoid rationing of energy sources in the worst case scenario. With the campaign "Energy is scarce. Let's not waste it" campaign, the Swiss government is now calling on companies and private households to cut back on energy consumption.

Savings potential everywhere

Every company has the potential to save energy, and the amount varies depending on the industry. However, many companies are not sufficiently aware of this. Despite energy-efficient construction methods, the planned values are often not achieved because user behavior is not adjusted or is adjusted too little, regret the authors of the guide "Energetic Optimization of Operations" published by energieschweiz. Often, this is also due to the fact that technical building systems are not operated optimally. A lot can be achieved here with professional optimization of operations (OO). With simple measures, companies - whether in the service sector or in industry - can save 10 to 15 percent in energy costs.

Five tips for saving energy quickly

In addition to optimizing operations in terms of energy, the following energy-saving measures can already make a difference:

1. Optimize heating (savings potential: 10 - 15 percent)
   Check the thermostatic valves: are they working and set to the right temperature? In older and new buildings, heating costs increase for each additional degree in room temperature. So, if necessary, set the thermostats 1 degree lower. In workrooms (i.e., at the workplace itself), ensure at least +20 °C for light work while sitting and +17 °C for medium work while standing or walking.
   Vent the radiators: Do the radiators make bubbling noises and only get partially warm? Then bleeding them will help. This will make the heating work more efficiently again and consume less energy.
   Setting the heating curve correctly: The heating curve, also called heating characteristic, describes the relationship between the outside temperature and the flow temperature of the heating system. First define the temperatures (especially in critical rooms), determine the room temperatures, correct the heating curve if necessary, adjust the heating limit, observe the course and then set the temperature correctly. It is important to have the appropriate documentation.
   Reduce the flow temperature of the heating system or individual heating circuits outside the times of use, e.g. at night.
2. Optimize ventilation (savings potential: 10 - 25 percent)
   Adjust the operating times to the effective room usage and reduce the power at unused times or switch off the ventilation altogether. For example, if you turn off the ventilation from 8 pm to 6 am every day, its energy consumption will decrease by up to 40 %.
   Adjust the air volume of the ventilation system to the effective demand in the rooms, because especially in large rooms (restaurants, halls of all kinds) the occupancy fluctuates greatly. If you halve the air volume, you save up to 80 % of energy.
3. Lighting (savings potential: 10 - 25 percent)
   Adjust motion sensors and daylight sensors: Readjust the daylight setpoint and overrun time so that the lights turn off with enough incoming daylight, or when no one is in the room.
   In rooms with long periods of use, check whether replacing fluorescent lamps with LED tubes is worthwhile in the short term. In the long term, plan best with a new, energy-saving lighting system.
   Adjust the light output to individual use by selectively removing luminaires in overlit zones or setting the basic illumination to a lower level. Install presence and motion detectors as needed. For healthy and younger workers, an illuminance of 500 lux is considered optimal; older people need 750 to 1500 lux in the office.
4. Refrigeration equipment (savings potential: 10 - 15 percent)
   Outside opening hours, refrigerated cabinets should be consistently closed. Night blinds, covers or glass doors are suitable for this purpose. This way, the cold stays inside the furniture and you avoid unwanted temperature fluctuations. Make sure that all refrigerated and frozen furniture such as display cases, shelves, trip or action chests are closed outside opening hours (at night, on weekends). If ice accumulates on the ceiling or on the evaporator of freezer rooms, there is too much moisture in the room. In both cases, remove the deposits, reduce the moisture input and check the room regularly for ice formation.
5. Fix leakage
   Check piping systems for leaks. For example, even in a regularly maintained compressed air network, 25 to 60 % of air can often be lost through leaks. Check the compressed air piping system annually for leaks, mark the spots and seal all of them. One indication of leaks is, for example, compressors starting too frequently.
   

Further and more detailed tips as well as information brochures on saving energy can be found here: https://www.energieschweiz.ch/programme/nicht-verschwenden/spartipps-unternehmen/

2021 was a golden year for private banks in Switzerland. Assets under management increased by CHF 373 billion (12.9%) last year and now stand at CHF 3,263 billion. Net new assets of CHF 131 billion and performance of CHF 234 billion due to very positive equity and foreign exchange markets were key contributors to the growth. At 91% of banks, assets under management increased in 2021, with median growth reaching a record 13.7%. Gross profit rose to CHF5.8 billion in 2021 and revenues to CHF19.7 billion, according to a survey by auditing firm KPMG in collaboration with the University of St.Gallen. In this study, "Clarity on Swiss Private Banks," a total of 76 private banks operating in Switzerland and 11 in Liechtenstein were examined. The performance of these institutions and the most important industry trends were assessed.

Accentuation between "weak" and "strong" private banks increases

Despite the excellent results mentioned above, the gap between strong and weak private banks continues to widen. According to KPMG, the number of banks with operating losses rose sharply in the last three years despite a very positive environment. The median return on equity was 10.1% for strong banks and -2.0% for weak banks. "The strong banks are entering a clearly deteriorating macroeconomic environment very robustly. For the weak and medium-strong banks, the uncertain economic environment will be a major challenge, again leading to an accelerated decline in the number of private banks," adds Philipp Rickert, Head of Financial Services at KPMG Switzerland.

"Big8" will dominate the Swiss private banking landscape in the longer term

With the softening of banking secrecy as well as the increasing tax transparency due to the automatic exchange of information, many private banks have made strategic and operational improvements and invested in the repositioning of their business. With corresponding success: excluding UBS and Credit Suisse, a group of eight large Swiss private banks stands out the longer, accounting for almost 80% of assets under management of the analyzed banks and almost 90% of gross profit. "The high growth is the result of continued success in the market. Through better customer service and above-average performance, the "Big8″ have succeeded in retaining existing customers, increasing their 'share of wallet' and attracting new customers," explains Philipp Rickert. Crucially, success enables these banks to attract the best people and continuously invest in high-quality services, tailored products and digital initiatives. This enables the banks to stabilize their revenue margins in a highly competitive market.

The number of private banks in Switzerland fell from 99 at the end of 2020 to 92 in June 2022. The strong transaction momentum with ten M&A transactions in the first quarter of 2022 came to a halt due to the uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine, rising inflation and interest rates, and fears of an impending recession.

Independent asset manager industry facing fundamental transformation

The Swiss independent asset management (IAM) sector has also been successful in recent years. 37 of the largest UVVs manage client assets of more than CHF 100 billion. This exceeds the combined client assets of CHF 69 billion of the 29 small private banks included here. But the UVV market is also in flux: Higher regulatory requirements, growing interest from foreign private equity investors, and an aging advisor base nearing retirement.

By the end of July 2022, only about 400 out of 2,100 UVVs had received a license from FINMA as a result of the Swiss Financial Institutions Act (FINIG). "Most independent asset managers are very small firms that are more likely to sell their business than apply for a license under the current time pressure. This could lead to a significant increase in M&A activity or to the disappearance of many small players," explains Christian Hintermann.

Headwinds in the coming years accelerate consolidation of private banks

After many years of rising valuations in the financial markets and ten years of negative interest rates, inflation is returning and interest rates are rising. The group of strong private banks is well positioned to face this against the clearly increasing headwinds triggered by an increasingly likely economic stagnation or even recession. However, the pressure to act on the weaker banks, which were able to profit during a record-long stock market boom, will increase markedly. KPMG Switzerland believes that this new reality will increase the need for consolidation among Switzerland's weaker private banks and that a new wave of market exits and greater concentration in the Swiss financial center will become apparent.

Source: KPMG

As the first university of applied sciences in Switzerland, the Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences Switzerland FFHS receives the accreditation of the Higher Education Promotion and Coordination Act (HFKG) and the Health Professions Act (GesBG) for the Bachelor's degree program in Nutrition and Dietetics in July. With the accreditation, the Swiss Accreditation Council confirms, at the request of the Swiss Agency for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (AAQ), that graduates of the program achieve the required competencies according to the specifications and are qualified to practice in the diverse professional field of nutrition counseling. The Nutrition and Dietetics degree program has been conducted with two classes each year since fall 2015 and is the first bachelor's degree program toward a regulated health profession offered by the FFHS Department of Health. The accreditation is valid for the study program until 2029, a first review in terms of quality assurance will be carried out by AAQ in 2023.

As the Swiss agency for accreditation and quality assurance, AAQ carries out institutional accreditations at universities on the one hand and accreditations for medical education and training on the other. According to the GesBG, seven categories of health professions are subject to accreditation. This also includes the profession of nutritionist and thus the course of study "Bachelor of Science SUPSI Nutrition & Dietetics". In short, the GesBG requires graduates of the Nutrition and Dietetics degree program to be able to provide professional advice, guidance and care to individuals of all ages in various contexts (institutional, private practice, home).

The program accreditation by AAQ started at the beginning of 2020 with preparatory work and surveys and took place over several stages. In spring 2021, AAQ granted institutional accreditation to FFHS as an affiliated school of SUPSI. This was the prerequisite for fulfilling the further accreditation requirements according to GesBG for the study program Nutrition and Dietetics. A self-evaluation report, including a statement on each quality standard, provided the basis for the external evaluation in November 2021, which took place in an online visit together with representative groups of students, lecturers, staff and practical trainers of the study program. The international group of experts then wrote a report that listed the strengths and development potential of the program and awarded accreditation with a single condition and a few recommendations for further development.

Source: FFHS

Digitalization optimizes processes, makes them faster and cheaper - but also increases the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime. According to police crime statistics, more than 30,000 digital crimes were reported in Switzerland in 2021 - 24 percent more than in 2020. However, as a representative study by AXA shows, Swiss SMEs still have very low risk awareness with regard to potential cyberattacks. This is demonstrated, for example, by a lack of password guidelines and a lack of employee awareness.

SMEs less affected by cybercrime? A fallacy!

Fifteen percent of the companies surveyed said they had been the victim of a cyberattack in recent years in which external persons attempted to access the company network to obtain company data (14 % of smaller SMEs, 29 % of large SMEs, one in ten even repeatedly). Despite this, Swiss firms hardly expect their company to be targeted by cybercriminals: A full 62 percent of the SMEs surveyed consider the risk of becoming the victim of an attack in the future to be low. Only 12 percent of the companies consider the risk to be high. A fallacy, as Andrea Rothenbühler, Head of AXA Cyber Insurance, explains: "Attacks on the IT systems of Swiss companies are increasing from year to year. SMEs in particular are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals, as they can invest fewer resources in their own IT security than large corporations."

As a result of unwanted access to the corporate network, companies may not only incur direct costs. Such attacks can also lead to a production stop or cause lasting damage to the company's reputation. However, the SMEs surveyed consider the probability that a cyber attack could cause significant material and immaterial damage to their company to be rather low. SMEs most frequently expect costs to be incurred to restore IT security, with as many as 36 percent of respondents expecting this. Twenty-nine percent expect their ability to operate to be severely impaired, and around one in five SMEs anticipate high financial losses because operations will be interrupted, or significant damage to their reputation.

With the exception of the high costs of restoring IT security, however, the predominant assessment is that these effects are rather to very unlikely. According to cyber expert Andrea Rothenbühler: "Just one week of business interruption can lead to a painful loss of sales for a medium-sized mechanical engineering company. In addition, high costs are incurred for data recovery, crisis management and support from IT service providers and cyber security specialists. In addition, data breaches can result in claims for damages from customers and fines for the SME."

Password policies only in about half of SMEs

As survey results show, 60 percent of SMEs feel adequately protected against access to their company data by firewalls and virus protection programs. As many as 17 percent of all respondents believe that their IT protection measures are not sufficient, and around a quarter of the SMEs surveyed were unable to assess whether they have taken sufficient protective measures. And there are also differences in the other technical protective measures: 73 percent of all SMEs surveyed make regular backups of their data, and just over two-thirds have installed virus software. 55 percent of the SMEs surveyed have installed a firewall to protect the corporate network, while only 46 percent have established password policies.

The focus on improving IT security is also less on the company's own employees; only two out of five SMEs sensitize their staff to existing cyber risks. There are clear differences in terms of company size: while 74 percent of large SMEs with 50 to 250 employees sensitize their workforce to potential IT risks, only 51 percent of medium-sized SMEs with 10 to 49 employees and only 38 percent of small SMEs with 2 to 9 employees do so. But this is precisely where SMEs should invest: "In around 70 percent of cyberattacks, employees open the gateway for malware. Accordingly, investments should be made above all in the training of the company's own staff. Not only must the software be regularly updated, but also the company's own people. This makes it more difficult for criminals to get in, and if an infection does occur, well-trained employees know how to react," explains Andrea Rothenbühler.

A good fifth of respondents do not feel affected by the new data protection law

The new data protection law is still barely on the radar of SMEs. The study results show that a good fifth of the SMEs surveyed do not feel affected at all by the total revision. And even among those companies that consider themselves to be within the scope of the DPA, only one in two has taken action to date. Just 16 percent have already obtained information on the subject, and concrete implementation measures have only been taken by around one in ten SMEs. Brigitte Imbach, lawyer and Data Privacy Officer at AXA-ARAG, warns against underestimating the impact of the new Data Protection Act: "With the total revision of the Swiss Data Protection Act, important provisions on the processing of personal data will change from September 2023, and small and medium-sized enterprises will also be affected."

Deliberate violations of the new data protection law, such as breaches of obligations to provide information, to provide information, to cooperate or to exercise due diligence, can be sanctioned with fines of up to CHF 250,000. In principle, the natural person responsible is fined. However, the company itself can now also be fined up to 50,000 Swiss francs if identifying the culprit within the company would involve disproportionate investigation costs. "SMEs would therefore do well to implement the new legal data protection requirements in their company in good time and to review their data protection declarations and guidelines and adapt them accordingly. Anyone who does not have the necessary expertise within the company should seek external support and advice," advises the expert.

Source: AXA

The EcoVadis Rating 2022 considered over 90,000 companies from 200 industries in 160 countries in assessing the four areas of environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and "sustainable procurement." The latest EcoVadis report highlights that Canon performed very well in all areas, ranking among the top 5% companies, and among the top 4% in its industry. In the area of "Sustainable Procurement" in particular, he says, the company's proactive and sustainable approach to working with suppliers was ranked among the top 2% - and recognized accordingly with the Gold certificate. Carina Berchtold, Strategic Business Developer, Canon Switzerland AG, comments: "More and more customers, NGOs and regulators are demanding measurable sustainability. We are proud that our efforts have been taken into account and rewarded with the Gold rating from EcoVadis for the seventh time in a row. This shows that we are a trusted partner when it comes to achieving sustainability goals."

As a global company, corporate activities will continue to be dedicated to helping strengthen a sustainable society, the company writes. To this end, Canon is working to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the product lifecycle, including the supply chain, with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. This improvement is supported by various environmental activities. These include developing smaller, lighter and more energy-efficient products, streamlining logistics operations, energy-saving initiatives at manufacturing sites, and recycling products and consumables. In addition, Canon is committed to strengthening its initiatives to protect the dignity and rights of people and to fulfill its social responsibilities within the supply chain. As a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), an industry coalition dedicated to ensuring socially responsible global supply chains, Canon complies with its RBA Code of Conduct1.

More information: Canon

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FernUni Switzerland can already look back on several highlights this year 2022. The Anniversary celebrations for 30 years of existence was followed last weekend by the inauguration of the Briger university campus. And this week, the top management of FernUni Switzerland has been reappointed: With Stefan Bumann, Dipl. Ing. ETHZ, a personality takes over who is characterized by a rich experience in the private sector and a long-standing leadership position in the public service. Stefan Bumann is also very familiar with both the Valais and the Swiss educational landscape. Since joining FernUni Switzerland's governing bodies, he has played a key role in shaping the institution's new university development plan and has been a strong advocate for the expansion of research at FernUni Switzerland.

The further expansion of FernUni Switzerland will be shaped by

On his election, the new president said: "I am, of course, very pleased with the election. I accept this task with respect and humility. The word humility also contains the word courage. With courage, I want to tackle the challenges of the coming years with the committees of our institution and with all employees. The development of further educational offerings, the increase in the number of our own professorships, the strengthening of research in all faculties, as well as continuing education and service offerings are among them. First and foremost comes the 2027 accreditation as a university."

Merits of the departing management members

In his closing remarks, outgoing President Wilhelm Schnyder expressed his sincere thanks to all employees, to the members of the Directorate headed by Rector Prof. Dr. Marc Bors, and to all members of the governing bodies of FernUni Switzerland. Also to the address of the local communities, the canton of Valais and the canton of Schwyz, as well as the federal government. In a brief review, he paid tribute to the extremely successful path taken by FernUni Switzerland over the past ten years. As a highlight, he highlighted the accreditation as a
university institute as well as the recognition of the eligibility for contributions by the federal government.

The previous vice president Maria-Pia Tschopp and foundation board member Bruno Attinger have also stepped down. Maria-Pia Tschopp and Bruno Attinger have been on board for many years. Vice-President Maria-Pia Tschopp was one of the driving forces behind the foundation of the Centre romand d'enseignement à distance in Sierre, the former Study Center Sierre, and Bruno Attinger was involved in the establishment of the Study Center in Pfäffikon/SZ from the very beginning and was responsible for the construction of the university campus at FernUni Switzerland as President of the Building Commission.

Appointments to the Political Strategic Advisory Board and the Scientific Advisory Board

Both the political-strategic advisory board, which is jointly elected by FernUni Switzerland and FernUni Switzerland, and the scientific advisory board of FernUni Switzerland play an extremely important role in advising the foundation board and the management. The political-strategic advisory board is chaired by former National Councillor Felix Müri, former President of the Education Commission of the National Council. The former Vice President of ETHZ, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schmitt, chairs the scientific advisory board of the Fern-
Uni Switzerland.

Dr. Mauro Dell'Ambrogio, who headed the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation for many years, joins the aforementioned bodies as a new member. Mauro Dell'Ambrogio built up the University and the University of Applied Sciences in the Canton of Ticino and has an international network in the field of education and research. Serge Gaudin, Director of Novelis, has been appointed to the political-strategic advisory board and the scientific advisory board as a representative of French-speaking Switzerland. He has successfully implemented the principles of the circular economy in the private sector. President Stefan Bumann as well as Mauro Dell'Ambrogio and Serge Gaudin will take up their duties next September 1, 2022.

Source and further information

With 1118 new students (2021/22: 1145), the KV Zurich business school is starting the new school year. Of the prospective business people who began their training at Switzerland's largest commercial vocational school at the start of the school year, 116 students (2021/22: 117) chose the basic basic training (B profile). 711 (2021/22: 698) opted for the extended basic training (E profile). In addition, 291 young people (2021/22: 330) will complete the commercial apprenticeship with vocational baccalaureate (M profile) in the next three years.

Success story "BILI" continues

For the first time in the canton of Zurich, a bilingual course of study for the vocational baccalaureate for adults (BM2-BILI) in the business type will start at KV Zurich in the new school year 2022/23. As in the already successfully launched BILI courses for the vocational baccalaureate (BM1) and the E profile, the subject matter will be taught not only in German but also in English. The students also take the vocational baccalaureate examinations bilingually. For Rector Christian Wölfle, the new course offers several advantages: "BM2-BILI generally improves future opportunities thanks to the expanded general education. In addition, it opens up interesting prospects for linguistically gifted students who, after completing BM2, will find themselves in an increasingly multilingual professional environment or who later aim to study at a technical college or university".

Founded in 1887 as the KV Zurich Commercial School, it appeared under the name KV Zurich Business School from 1998 and became the KV Zurich Business School in 2018 after the decoupling of the basic and continuing education departments. Today, the educational institution is the largest commercial vocational school in Switzerland with around 4,200 learners. It is one of the largest educational enterprises in the German-speaking world. At this year's graduation ceremony in Zurich's Hallenstadion, 1248 successful KV graduates received their final diploma.

More information: www.kvz-schule.ch

A virus, inflation, war in Ukraine - a "new normal" has dawned. At the 28th Rheintaler Wirtschaftsforum (Wifo), leading figures from business, politics and the army set out what they expect from this new "age" and how they are responding to it.

Kaspar Villiger as keynote speaker

Keynote speaker Kaspar Villiger will address the Rheintal Economic Forum on "Crises as the new normal? Democracies in the headwind" and illuminate the topic with his decades of political experience. After graduating from the ETH with a degree in engineering, Villiger was president and CEO of the family-owned cigar factory Villiger and Sons. His political career began when he was elected to the Grand Council of the Canton of Lucerne in 1972. From 1982 to 1989, Villiger served five years in the National Council and then in the Council of States. In 1989, he was elected to the Federal Council and served first as defense minister, then finance minister. Twice he was president of the Swiss Confederation. In 2003, he resigned from the Federal Council and joined the boards of directors of Nestlé, Swiss Re and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. From 2009 to 2012, Villiger was chairman of the board of directors at UBS. In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Lucerne. Since 2009, he has been Chairman of the UBS Foundation of Economics in Society.

High-profile panel with Gutmann, Walser and Thoma

Another speaker will be Johannes Gutmann, who will tell how he was able to use the crisis for his Sonnentor Kräuterhandels GmbH with 370 employees and 1000 organic contract farmers thanks to sustainability and environmental justice. Furthermore, Corps Commander Hans-Peter Walser, member of the army leadership and Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces, will speak from a military perspective on "Security policy after a geopolitical turning point". And finally, Suzanne Thoma, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sulzer AG since April 2022, will explore the question: Does the new normal demand a new kind of corporate governance? Thoma started her career at Ciba Specialty Chemicals Ltd after completing her doctorate at the ETH. She was still CEO of the BKW Group until the end of June 2022.

Abacus new as main sponsor

Furthermore, the organizers of the Economic Forum announce a significant change in sponsors: Abacus has moved up from co-sponsor to main sponsor. This means that Wifo is now supported by the five main sponsors Abacus, Alpha Rheintal Bank AG, BDO AG, Helvetia Versicherungen and RLC AG.

Registrations for the event are already possible today via the new website www.wifo.ch possible.