OST invites you to the company review: Managing SMEs successfully in times of crisis

«Relationships, values and power structures that have developed over decades are being overturned,» says Andreas Löhrer, Professor at the Institute of Finance and Law at the OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and organizer and moderator of the Unternehmensspiegel Ostschweiz. In this increasingly erratic world, companies are faced with a variety of crises that could threaten their very existence.

Focus on corporate management

«The effects of these crises on our local SMEs are manifold,» emphasizes Andreas Löhrer. One of these effects is that there is a strong focus on company management: «Employees expect guidance and decisions.» Communicating clearly and transparently, breaking through and questioning habitual thought patterns, making well-founded but quick decisions - these are the skills that managers need to demonstrate in times of crisis. «A crisis is always an opportunity to rethink the business strategy and identify new opportunities. This can make the company more future-proof,» says Andreas Löhrer.

Resilience as a competitive advantage

Especially in times of crisis, it becomes clear which companies are resilient. Not only individuals, but also companies can be resilient. How a company reacts to change is a good indicator of this. According to Andreas Löhrer, corporate resilience is therefore becoming a key competitive issue. «Thanks to their ability to adapt and act, certain companies have even been able to benefit from crises in the past.» Entrepreneurial resilience and how companies can specifically promote it are key topics at the 17th Unternehmensspiegel Ostschweiz.

Two events with experts

The «Unternehmensspiegel St.Gallen» will take place on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at the St.Gallen campus of OST. The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a welcome address by Prof. Thomas Metzger, Head of the Department of Economics at OST. This will be followed by input presentations by Martin Saladin, Deputy Director and Head of the Directorate for Economic Promotion at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Seco, and Dr. Esther Omlin, lecturer at the IFL Institute for Finance and Law at OST, on the topic of «Global events and the impact on your own company». A panel discussion - moderated by Andreas Löhrer - will provide practical perspectives on the topic. The participants of the panel are: Martin Saladin, Simon Büchel, Head of Sales and Marketing and member of the Executive Board of Ergoswiss, Roman Federer, CEO of Federer Informatik, and Christoph Hammer, independent consultant and member of several boards of directors. Johannes Holdener, Chairman of the Executive Board of Raiffeisenbank St.Gallen, bids the audience farewell before the aperitif riche.

The «Unternehmensspiegel Appenzellerland» will take place at the Hotel zur Linde in Teufen on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Yves Noël Balmer, member of the cantonal government of Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, will welcome the audience at 6 pm. Dr. Simone Haeberli, Head of SME Policy at Seco, and Dr. Esther Omlin, lecturer at the IFL Institute for Finance and Law at OST, will give input presentations on the topic of «Global events and the impact on your own company». Andreas Löhrer will moderate a panel discussion in which the topic will be explored in greater depth with practical perspectives. Participants will be: Dr. Simone Haeberli, Philipp Wyser, CEO of Wyon, Daniel Toppel, CEO of Arcolor, and Ueli Manser, Director of Appenzeller Kantonalbank, who will also bid the audience farewell during the aperitif riche afterwards.

The Unternehmensspiegel Ostschweiz offers tradespeople and SMEs the opportunity to exchange information on current developments in the practical research of the ISM Institute for Strategy and Marketing and the IFL Institute for Finance and Law of the OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule. Further information and registration at: www.ost.ch/unternehmensspiegel-ostschweiz