AN NUAL MAGA ZINE 2021 - Alumni Association Switzerland - INSEAD Alumni Association ...
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Alumni Association
Switzerland
AN
NUAL
MAGA
ZINE
2021
Switzerland and INSEAD are
remarkably similar – both foster
innovation, intellectual development,
high-value creation and a respect for
multiple cultures.
03 President’s Message
Vibrant community
04 Dean’s Message
Commitment and agility
05 Highlights from the School
Expansion and sustainability
06 Future Events
Growing and connecting
08 Past Events
Engaging and enriching
16 Learning
Swiss initiatives
Imprint 20 The Swiss Committee
Publisher: INSEAD Alumni A ssociation S witzerland
Dedicated volunteers
communications@insead.ch
24 INSEAD Alumni Fund
Art Direction and Printing: Abächerli Media AG, Sarnen
Progress and impact
Cover Photo: Grindelwald, BE (c)istock ascentxmedia
Project Management & Content: Valerie Thompson
26 Newsmakers
Swiss alumni in the news
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland is positioned to thrive in 2021 just
as the Swiss INSEAD alumni community pulled together during a double-wave
pandemic.
As the new President of our Association, it is my great A vital and resilient community in Switzerland
pleasure to greet and acknowledge our members, Writing these lines in the midst of the second wave, I
volunteers and active alumni who made possible so reckon we are all looking forward to enjoying in-per-
many opportunities for learning, growing and net- son events again. Our volunteers are developing
working in last year’s challenging environment. I am some new ideas around hybrid events and the Asso-
impressed by how the Swiss INSEAD alumni com- ciation’s first ever Swiss Conference in Geneva, fea-
munity reacted rapidly and pulled together during a turing business leaders, faculty, entrepreneurs, and
double-wave pandemic. alumni. The social events will re-start as soon as
conditions will allow, with after-work drinks, lunches,
Virtual events and engagement growth art exhibitions, ecosystem tours and sport events.
A resilient pivot to online events in March meant we
were able to invite alumni to about 50 events, includ- As an Association volunteer for over ten years, I am
ing several well-attended expert panels, 10 co-work- deeply impressed by the vitality and resilience of the
ing sessions, several virtual apéros and lunches, and alumni community lately. I am confident our Associ-
our first ever online general assembly. In addition, ation will continue to thrive. I thank my fellow volun-
INSEAD’s Lifelong Learning offering sky-rocketed to teers who enable its dynamism.
60 webinars. Due to the virtues of digital meetings,
the number of participants at speaker and special Very much looking forward to 2021 and beyond!
topic events was higher than at in-person events.
Keeping close to the school, we participated in Global
INSEAD Day, with Swiss Association volunteers or-
ganising Jean-Claude Biver’s chat with Deputy Dean
Peter Zemsky. Swiss alumni also took part in both of
the INSEAD Community Impact Challenges. The As- Philippe Mauron – President
sociation supported fundraising for both the Leba- INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland
nese Red Cross and Giving Day 2020, with alumni
generously donating to the School and the Swiss
Scholarship, making Switzerland #2 worldwide.
3
DEAN’S MESSAGE
Supported by our alumni and dedicated volunteers, we remain committed to
our mission and values, and look to INSEAD’s future at the forefront of
business education with confidence.
The unprecedented challenges
we all faced in 2020 have seen
the INSEAD community display
incredible reserves of agility, re-
silience and innovation. The
school will emerge from the pan-
demic having learned new and
transformational ways of deliv-
ering academic excellence to
prepare our students for leader-
ship.
Transition to a hybrid learning
model The pandemic was a trig-
ger for innovation, allowing us to
pioneer a new, hybrid learning
environment. We leveraged new
technologies to offer a diverse The pandemic made INSEAD’s platform, iLink, an exceptional
range of live, interactive, virtual mission more relevant than ever, platform for career-related dis-
programmes that deliver the and funds raised will allow us to cussions and advice.
same course content, world-class further our vision by ensuring
faculty and diverse participants student diversity through schol- It is clear that the world, more
as our on-campus sessions. I am arships, unlocking world-leading than ever, needs responsible
confident that our learnings will research, and developing leaders leaders making it their mission
help the school and our students who embody business as a force to transform business and socie-
chart a course for a more sus- for good. ty. Leaders with resilience, agili-
tainable, secure and prosperous ty, and resourcefulness to bring
future. Enhancing Lifelong Learning cultures together and create op-
Along with the INSEAD Alumni portunity and prosperity where it
Unparalleled community support Association (IAA), we invested is most needed. We are one com-
I have been humbled by the significantly in our lifelong munity with a common purpose:
many ways in which the INSEAD learning programme to help our to be a force for good in the
family has supported the school community navigate the chal- world.
over the past year. My call to lenges, opportunities and chang-
alumni at the start of the pan- ing business and societal land-
demic to support students as scape. Our Alumni Associations
they transitioned to a challeng- and Global Clubs also offered
ing job market garnered an in- exceptional online content
credible response from over 1,800 throughout the pandemic, result-
alumni. ing in a total of over 100 webi-
nars and pop-up programmes to Ilian Mihov – DEAN INSEAD
The generosity of our communi- support, inform and sustain our
ty saw over 2,100 alumni, staff alumni.
and faculty rally to raise a record
€2.1m for Giving Day in 2020, as Together with the IAA, we also
well as €76m towards our Force launched our peer-to-peer career
for Good Campaign. advising and mentoring
4
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SCHOOL
INSEAD Opens San Francisco Hub Launch of Master in Management
INSEAD expanded its global presence and reach The first Master in Management (MIM) students
with the opening of the INSEAD Hub for Business arrived on campus in September 2020 for an inno-
Innovation in San Francisco in March. INSEAD vative 14 to 16-month full-time programme de-
plans to use the facility to forge connections and signed for young professionals with up to 2 years of
expand the provision of executive development work experience, preparing to launch their careers
programmes. Photo Credit: INSEAD in business. With a hands-on skills and prob-
lem-solving curriculum, MIM answers the needs of
today’s graduate job market. Photo Credit: INSEAD
Tackling Global Problems Together
Two influential INSEAD Community Impact Chal-
lenges (CIC) took place in 2020 in a pioneering col-
laboration between INSEAD alumni, the Hoffmann
Global Institute for Business and Society and the
global INSEAD Alumni Association.
Thousands of students, alumni, faculty and staff
from 90 countries reduced their use of plastic for
two months in the first challenge.
In the second CIC, participants from over 100 coun-
tries upgraded their know-how to make more sus-
tainable food choices.
Image source: UN SDG
5
EVENTS
2021
A vibrant community with
many opportunities to engage
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mar 25, 2021
IWIB
IWIB Networking Lunch
Relaxed mid-day break for a
virtual get-together
April 23, 2021
Alumni Forum Europe
Purposeful Leadership: Strat-
egies to Drive the Renewal of
Business and Society
Speakers, panels, and more
May 6, 2021
We are sharing experiences and networking at many Swiss National Alumni Assoc.
Annual General Meeting
business and social events across Switzerland! Swiss volunteers and mem-
bers gather for the yearly
meeting
One of the highlights of this year’s event programme is the
Swiss alumni conference in Geneva. It is a full day with an in-
spiring programme of speakers, panels, and networking at Hotel
President Wilson, presided by Peter Zemsky, INSEAD Deputy June 3, 2021
Dean and Dean of Innovation. The relaxing evening gathering INSEAD
will be at the Golf Club de Genève in Cologny (pictured here). All INSEAD Giving Day
upcoming events are listed on insead.ch/events. Participate to support the
school and the Swiss Scholar-
ship
September 11, 2021
Swiss National Alumni Association
INSEAD Alumni Conference Geneva
Join alumni, faculty, and guests at the Hotel President Wilson
7
EVENTS
2020
Discovering and sharing
experiences across
Switzerland
PAST EVENTS
Ashoka Leading With Purpose:
The Social Entrepreneur Journey
Changemakers bring new energy and unexpected transformative
solutions to the serious problems facing society today.
In January 2020, Ashoka, the grow unexpected ideas into Changemakers Journeys
world’s largest and longest estab- transformative social progress. Alumni and guests then heard
lished network of social entre- from two Ashoka Fellows. First,
preneurs, collaborated with the Together they inspire others to Nicola Forster, founder of Swiss
INSEAD Alumni Association be changemakers. INSEAD Forum of Foreign Policy (foraus)
Switzerland on a memorable alumnus Alain Nicod, MBA’83, and a serial social entrepreneur,
evening conference in Zurich. Chairman, Ashoka Switzerland spoke about challenges and re-
and a partner at VI Partners, an wards of the journey so far. He
Pioneering Work early-stage venture capital fund, was followed by Ramakrishna
Ashoka pioneered the field 35 spoke briefly about why he has N.K., an Ashoka Fellow since
years ago and has supported served Ashoka Switzerland for 2012. He told the eventful story of
more than 3,500 social entrepre- over a decade and provided some creating Rang De, an innovative
neurs across the globe. These insights into the Swiss entrepre- non-profit organization in India,
leaders are elected as ‘Ashoka neurial ecosystem. He also de- providing microcredit to under-
Fellows’, and Ashoka helps them scribed some of the current op- served populations. Afterwards,
portunities for participants engaged with
Ashoka Fel- Ashoka guests and each other
lows and over an informal, hearty apéro
Ashoka Sup- riche prepared by the chef of the
port Network Zunfthaus zum Rüden.
members
(business lead- The event was organized and
ers who pro- moderated by Richard Bissonnet,
vide support MBA’81 and Emilie Romon, Part-
with funds and ner and Global Co-Lead Ashoka
time). Support Network.
9
PAST EVENTS
questions from the Active in the Federal administra-
investment-savvy au- tion since 2011, State Secretary
dience. Afterwards Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch
the conversations con- has a career that spanned Swiss
tinued over an apéro economic and foreign trade chal-
riche and drinks at the lenges. After a thorough pres-
Zunfthaus zum Rüden. entation of the evolution of the
The event was organ- WTO, she entered a lively discus-
ized by Richard sion with the audience and
Bissonnet, MBA’81, talked about global trade politics,
and Lucian Wagner, sharing her experience as the
MBA’81, and supported by Reto country’s representative in nego-
SaaS Startup Investor Gygax, MBA’13D, Zurich Chapter tiations around the world, and
Night With Investiere President. giving examples of how she sup-
Zurich Chapter ported the federal council. After
INSEAD alumni and guests gath- February 2020 the official part of the evening,
ered in Zurich to learn more alumni took the opportunity to
about investing in Software as a engage with fellow alumna Ma-
Service (SaaS) startups. Repre- rie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch.
sentatives from Investiere, the
European startup investment Over 60 INSEAD alumni gath-
platform for qualified and insti- ered for the event. It was moder-
tutional investors, described the ated and organized by Martin
key criteria for selecting soft- Spirig, MBA’06J, IPEC
ware startups. They defined SaaS President, and sup-
startup metrics, such as custom- ported by Reto Gygax,
er acquisition cost, recurring MBA’13D, Zurich
revenue, churn, the J-curve posi- Chapter President.
tion, along with other due dili- Photo credit: admin.ch
gence details. Merlin Photography
Then the founders of two SaaS February 2020
startups, both of which had al-
ready been vetted by Investiere,
presented their companies. The
co-founder and COO of guuru,
Benno Marbach, made the pitch
US-China Trade War and
for his company’s customer ser- Beyond: A Barometer for
vice chat platform which is pow- International Trade and
ered by expert users. WTO Affairs
Zurich Chapter
Then INSEAD alumnus, Stefan It was a full house at Au Premier
Pinggera, MBA’12J, presented in Zurich when the Secretary of
CheckYeti, a popular outdoor ac- State for Economic Affairs and
tivity booking platform. Founded Trade, Marie-Gabrielle
in 2014, it is now active in 16 Ineichen-Fleisch, MBA’89D,
countries with more than 1,500 shared her unique perspective
mountain and beach destina- on global trade with INSEAD
tions. Throughout, the startup alumni.
founders answered challenging
10PAST EVENTS
Bruno Léa (Performer event. Moderated by Martin
CNC), Caroline Spirig, MBA’06J, IPEC President,
Leopold-Metzger the 75-minute session conveyed
(Deppeler SA) and all the latest global and European
Ignacio Olavarria data on fundraising, exits, and
(Istria Capital). investments. It was presented by
Christophe De Vusser, Head of
Search Funds are Bain & Company’s EMEA Private
taught at business Equity practice, and alumnus
schools across the Rolf-Magnus Weddigen,
world and are gaining MBA’92D, Chairman of Bain &
popularity amongst entrepre- Company’s Private Equity prac-
The Search Fund: An In- neurial alumni. The event was tice in DACH.
novative Model for SME co-ordinated by Doina Cebotari,
Buyouts in Switzerland MBA’13J, Beatriz Barros, Afterwards, two panel members
Geneva Chapter MBA’15D, and supported by joined in, Arthur Brothag,
An expert panel of successful Mina Draganova, MAP’17J, MBA’06J, a partner at Apax, who
search fund entrepreneurs in Geneva Chapter President. is specialized in investments in
markets such as France, Brazil, the healthcare sector, and Verena
Mexico and Switzerland were May 2020 Mohaupt, MBA’96D, a partner at
invited to speak at this virtual Findos Investor, who is special-
Swiss INSEAD alumni event. ized in small and mid-market
With more than 180 alumni and buyouts. The lively round, includ-
guests attending the live session, ing Q&A from the audience, cov-
interest was high. The speakers ered portfolio management chal-
gave insights on search funds as lenges and opportunities caused
an asset class, why search funds by the onset of the COVID-19
are attractive to a range of inves- pandemic.
tors, and what it is like to search
for an SME in Switzerland. They One of the positive
also provided tips on building takeaways: the global
relationships with business own- health crisis raised
ers, and what to look out for after awareness of the rele-
the acquisition is completed. vance of ESG. It is
higher on the agenda
The speakers included Omer Ben now, especially the “S”
Shach (BM Holding), Angel for social. Seen as an
Cadavieco (ALZA Capital Part- opportunity, getting
ners) Lucas Correa & Patricia ESG right will be a de-
Barbosa (Horizonte Capital), fining characteristic of portfolio
Lukas Kunz (akompani SA),
State of The Private winners in the years to come.
Equity Industry:
COVID-19’s Impact on June 2020
European PE Portfolio
Management and
Investment
INSEAD Private Equity Club (IPEC)
More than 288 alumni and
guests registered for the INSEAD
Private Equity Club (IPEC) of
Switzerland’s first ever online
11PAST EVENTS
supported by Alexander Each event had the goal to get
Wyss, MBA’01D, Ex work done but it was structured
Officio. to include an introduction round
with regular breaks to meet and
Global INSEAD Day connect with each other. Partici-
2020 took place on pants could talk to the group
11-12 September 2020 about a work challenge, inviting
with contributions by others to freely respond with
22 national alumni advice, support, or insights in a
associations from lively exchange.
around the world, each
creating a unique online event. Despite being virtual, co-working
Working in a Disruptive Last year was also the 60th anni- enabled meeting new people and
World: Jean Claude Biver versary of the global INSEAD the refreshing of existing rela-
and Peter Zemsky Alumni Association (IAA). tionships. Friendships were
Global INSEAD Day 2020 formed that continue into the
The Swiss contribution to the September 2020 new year. One participant even
first ever digital Global INSEAD received an order for new busi-
Day featured the legendary ness.
Swiss luxury goods entrepre-
neur, Jean-Claude Biver, Honor- The co-working series was
ary Chairman of Hublot, in a con- organized and moderated by
versation with Peter Zemsky, Andrea Ullmann, MBA 10J, a
INSEAD’s Deputy Dean and Dean volunteer with the Swiss IWIB
of Innovation. It was a fast-mov- club.
ing discussion of entrepreneur-
ship, purpose, passion, and the April-December 2020
making of iconic Swiss watch-
making brands. It delved into the
real meaning and creative power
of disruption, how social and
justice causes are inseparable
from business, the most impor-
tant (and often overlooked) met-
ric, materials innovation, know-
ing which side of technology
disruption to stand on, and being
happy about the changes that
the next generation will bring.
The interview with Jean-Claude
COVID Support Initiative:
Biver was organized by Cyrille IWIB Virtual Co-working
Ghorayeb, MBA’13D, and INSEAD Women in Business Club
Responding to exceptional times
with exceptional measures, the
Swiss IWIB created something
new in 2020. To support fellow
alumni working from home dur-
ing the first and second wave of
the pandemic, IWIB hosted ten
virtual co-working sessions.
12PAST EVENTS
involved in attracting startup, and an INSEAD alum-
the first top tier funds nus. The presentation first tack-
to the platform, ad- led several myths associated
dressing the legal, reg- with the potential of AI technolo-
ulatory, and govern- gies. Unit8 has grown quickly
ance aspects in since starting up in 2017, attract-
multiple jurisdictions, ing entrepreneurial talent from
developing compliant leading schools and technology
onboarding, future companies. It uses data science
plans, and much more. and AI technologies to solve
problems facing large companies
Moonfare: The Fintech The event was organized and in seven different industries,
For Private Equity moderated by Richard Bissonnet, including telecom, finance, avia-
INSEAD Private Equity Club (IPEC) MBA’81, IPEC Event Organizer, tion, oil & gas, advertising, auto-
More than 60 alumni gathered and Martin Spirig, MBA 06J, motive, and chemical.
online to hear about Moonfare, a IPEC President.
four-year-old fintech company The participants heard about
that is contributing to the November 2020 how industry is applying Unit8’s
digitalization trend underway in technologies, as well as insights
private equity, venture capital, about the ROI and project time-
and private capital investments. lines.
Moonfare’s co-founder, INSEAD
alumnus Alexander Argyros, Interest was high throughout
MBA’14D, described the career with many guests remaining
path that led to creating an end- online beyond the allotted 60
to-end digital platform that minutes for an extended Q&A
“democratizes” private capital session. The event was organ-
asset classes by making them ized and moderated by
accessible to wider pools of capi- Ingrida Elijosiute,
tal beyond traditional institu- IEP’07, Geneva Chapter
tional investors. It met a need in Committee Member,
the market and Moonfare now supported by Mina
has 1,000 clients, committing Draganova, MAP 17J,
more than €450m in assets un- Geneva Chapter
der management (as of Novem- President.
ber 2020).
October 2020
With INSEAD alumni hailing
from family offices, private equi-
ty, and other industries across
Switzerland in attendance, the
Unit8: Artificial Intelli-
Q&A was lively. Alexander’s an- gence (AI) & Real-life
swers revealed the challenges Business Cases
Geneva Chapter
A hit with the Swiss INSEAD
alumni community, this online
event delved into AI and its ap-
plication in real-life business
cases, featured Dr. Marcin
Pietrzyk, co-founder and CEO of
Unit8, a quick-growing deep-tech
13INSEAD GIVING DAY GENEVA
June 22, 2020 Geneva Chapter
ZURICH OLD TOWN WALKING TOUR
October 1, 2020 Zurich Chapter
WHAT DOES ESG MEAN FOR BUSINESS
March 2, 2020 IPEC in Geneva
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING COCKTAILS
September 3, 2020 Geneva Chapter
SUMMER LUNCH TENNIS CLUB DE GENÈVE
July 2, 2020 Geneva ChapterEDDIE ROSCHI MBA’99D STARTUP CHAMPIONS @EPFL
September 28, 2020 Geneva Chapter
SUMMER LUNCH AT SOCIÉTÉ
NAUTIQUE DE GENÈVE
August 27, 2020 Geneva Chapter
ART GENEVA PRIVATE TOUR
January 30, 2020 Geneva Chapter
AGM APÉRO ZURICH
September 3, 2020 Zurich ChapterLEARN-
ING
2021
Swiss initiatives for growth
and new career perspectivesSWISS IN-BOARD INITIATIVE
Based on the principle of life-long
learning, the INSEAD Board (IN-BOARD)
initiative is an executive education
programme organised by the
International Alumni A ssociations. It is
targeted at those who are or will be serv-
ing on boards of SMEs, startups and
listed corporations.
January 2022
Zurich
Legal Baker & McKenzie
February 2022
Zurich
Strategy McKinsey & Company
April 2022
IN-BOARD Kick-off in Fontainebleau Zurich
IN-BOARD begins with a kick-off weekend in Fon- Human Resources Egon Zehnder
tainebleau. Professors Erik van de Loo and Jaap
Winter introduce participants from the Belgian,
Dutch, German and Swiss Alumni Associations to May 2022
topics such as board dynamics and board effec- Zurich
tiveness. Local modules on Legal, Strategy, HR, Accounting & Audit PricewaterhouseCoopers
Accounting & Auditing and Startups are offered
by selected top-level professionals in a series of
Zurich-based workshops, tailored specifically to June 2022
the Swiss corporate environment as shown in the Zurich
calendar here for the 2021/22 intake. Startups Startup investors and board members
November 2021
INSEAD Fontainebleau (two intake dates) Each Zurich module takes place from 2pm to 6pm and
Board Dynamics: Erik van de Loo and Jaap Winter concludes with a networking dinner.
Price CHF 6,500. Includes fees and networking
dinners; does not include travel expenses or hotel
accommodation.
Limited to 12 participants
Contact Matthias Frieden MBA`05J
frieden@thefrieden.com
17SWITZERLAND LEADERSHIP CHECK-UP SERIES
The Leadership Check-up Series,
exclusively for INSEAD alumni
in Switzerland, will be back
in-person in fall 2021
To stay on top of their game, elite athletes and teams constantly Session 1
review and reflect on their performance, taking stock of their Leadership Diagnostics and
achievements while learning from setbacks. Executives can Outlook at the Individual
benefit from applying this same philosophy to their leadership Level
development. In the Leadership Check-up Series (LCS), INSEAD Prof. Vincent H. Dominé
alumni have an opportunity to reflect on their personal leader- and Fabio Coluccia
ship and apply state-of-the-art methodologies to make sustain- Date To Be Announced
able progress on their own and their team’s development objec-
tives. Launched with great success in Switzerland in 2019 by
Prof. Vincent H. Dominé, INSEAD Adjunct Professor of Organi- Session 2
sational Behaviour, and Fabio Coluccia, INSEAD Leadership Leadership Diagnostics and
Consultant, the next edition starts in fall 2021. Pre-register now! Outlook at the Team Level
Prof. Vincent H. Dominé
and Fabio Coluccia
“Leadership always starts “This programme was very Date To Be Announced
with oneself and it is a enriching. I particularly
lifelong learning journey. The appreciated the development
Leadership Check-up Series focus on both the individual Session 3
2019 (LCS) grew my self- and the team level as well as Holistic Approach to
awareness and provided connecting with other Performance
insights on how physical, participants. It was amazing Fabio Coluccia and
mental and emotional energy how quickly we could engage Dr. med. Anna Erat MD/PhD
contribute to higher in meaningful conversations Date To Be Announced
performance. The LCS offers on our personal leadership.
a great balance between peer The Leadership Check-up
learning within the powerful Series 2019 was a fantastic Session 4
INSEAD network, theory and experience and it helped me Progress Review and
real-life implementation.” develop to the next level.” Follow-through
Prof. Vincent H. Dominé
Remo Schmidli LEAP’18 Sophie Bertin MBA’02J and Fabio Coluccia
Member of the Executive Board at Founder of Parnima Consulting Ltd. Date To Be Announced
Zürcher Kantonalbank / Head of IT,
Operations & Real Estate
Eligibility MBA or EDP
Participation Fee CHF 1500
The LCS uses GROW, the digital platform deployed by Number of participants max. 14
I NSEAD to support the MBA and EMBA leadership devel- Time 14:30-19:30 (Sessions 1-3)
opment programmes. GROW (www.grow360.com) is an 16:30-18:30 (Session 4)
online solution for leadership development of individuals Contact Alexander Wyss
and teams in companies and business schools. (alexander.wyss@insead.edu)
18SWISS IWIB INITIATVES
Impact starts with the power of one
The Swiss INSEAD Women in Business club accelerates alumnae networking and supports their career
development. Since the launch it has hosted leaders like Simona Scarpaleggia (Edge), Dominique Druon
(Aliath), Helen Vasilevski, MBA’98D, Christine Blondel (INSEAD), Saada Zahidi (WEF), and dozens of net-
working events. It also launched the Swiss IWIB mentoring programme, now in its 4th edition!
In 2020, it resiliently moved events online, and introduced popular virtual co-working sessions. This year,
it launched peer-to-peer group coaching for INSEADers, and a small number of IMD alumni.
One person, one step at a time
IWIB founders, Laurence Amand-Jules and Mafalda Tenente, believe that it all starts with the power of
one. You can see the power of one in the mentoring programme. Each mentor shows up at the training
sessions ready to learn, share and support. Similarly, the mentees, each one willing to move out of com-
fort zones, keep commitments, and grow.
You can also see it in our volunteers team. Making a positive impact are Mary Antenen, IDP-C’16O, IWIB
Mentoring Zurich, Andrea Ullmann, MBA’10J, Peer-to-Peer Coaching, Geneva and Kathrin Niederlaender,
GEMBA’17, External Relations.
ower to Achieve
P
IWIB stayed the course in 2020. With your positive feedback, IWIB is strongly positioned to support the
Swiss alumni community. There is a need to be. Gender equality progress has been slowing here.
Yet 2021 is also the year of the start of universal paternity leave and women will comprise 30% of listed
company boards within the next 5 years (plus 20% senior management roles within 10 years). With listed
companies a fraction of the economy, and a long timeframe, we need more power than ever.
We believe the years ahead can bring positive change. What if everyone in the Swiss alumni community
(over 3000 alumni) were to take one step this year to support gender equality? It could be a bold new idea,
continuing to engage, or simply getting the conversation on equality started in your sphere of action. Join
IWIB to see what your “power of one” can achieve.
19SWISS
COMMIT-
TEE
Promoting INSEAD and
serving Swiss alumni with
creative energy and dedicationSWISS NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Philippe Mauron, MBA’95J Mafalda Tenente, MBA’06J Monica Naef, IEP F/S’02 D
President Vice President Treasurer
Brigitte Reverdin, MBA’81 Alexander Wyss, MBA’01D
INSEAD Alumni Fund (IAF) Ex-Officio
Switzerland, President
Swiss Committee
As a non-profit organization serving thousands of INSEAD Alumni
across the country, the INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland
is driven by the Swiss Committee volunteers. Its members include
the chapter and club leaders on the following pages. The Annual
General Meeting rotates between Zurich, Geneva, and Basel, as well
as online.
21CHAPTERS
Ticino Chapter President Geneva Chapter President
Alessio Ascari, MBA’94J Mina Draganova, MAP’17J
Offering alumni in the Swiss Italian region The Geneva chapter has 10 volunteers
a range of regular social and business bringing to the INSEAD Romandie commu-
events in and around Lugano, the Ticino nity a rich mix of learning and social
Chapter attracts an ever-changing group of events, many of which were virtual in 2020.
participants. The team plans to continue Along with visits to iconic Swiss compa-
informal virtual events, while developing nies and social impact organizations, they
business events with alumni communities organize expert speakers, panel discussion
in the Northern Italian region. Ticino Chap- events, and regular social get togethers at
ter President, Alessio Ascari is also co-pres- unique venues. Its annual events include
ident of the Swiss Entrepreneurship Club. the Art Geneva tour, the Verbier Ski-Week-
end, the Geneva summer lunches, and ran-
dom dinners. Join the Geneva chapter’s
Instagram group @insead_alumni_geneva
Basel Chapter President Zurich Chapter President
Marc Galin, MBA’99J Reto Gygax, MBA’13D
Serving about 200 alumni in the region, Lifelong learning, and opportunities for
including INSEAD’s executive education networking are the driving force in the Zu-
alumni. The Basel Chapter hosts after-work rich chapter. Most recently it hosted expert
get-togethers at trendy venues, and knowl- speakers on entrepreneurial, technology,
edge events with expert speakers on topics and international trade. It also created
like negotiation, blockchain, healthcare, many opportunities to renew friendships
and career development. The team warmly and connect on a private tour of the city
welcomes new volunteers. Make new and at the regular drinks events, several of
friends and contribute, either regularly or which were virtual. Planned for the coming
ad hoc for single events. Please contact months are virtual events and local eco-
marc.galin@insead.edu. system visits, Covid-permitting.
22CLUBS AND IN-BOARD
INSEAD Women in Business Club Entrepreneurship Club President Head of IN-BOARD
Co-President, Geneva Bernhard Escher, MBA’10J Matthias Frieden, MBA’05J
Laurence Amand-Jules, Bernhard Escher and Alessio The INSEAD Board Initiative was
MBA’99D Ascari (Ticino Chapter President) launched in Switzerland in
The INSEAD Women in Business launched the Swiss Entrepre- 2013/14. Now in its 7th edition, it is
(IWIB) creates career development neurship Club as a platform for experiencing increasing demand
initiatives, speaker events, and networking and exchange. New by those who are or will be serving
regular networking opportunities volunteers joined in 2020 and on boards of SMEs, startups and
to support gender parity. Purpose- plans are underway for new listed corporations. To date about
ful volunteers manage the highly events. Since about half of all 80 Swiss INSEAD alumni have
valued Swiss IWIB Mentoring co- INSEAD alumni run their own participated, forming an exclusive
horts and the peer-to-peer group business at some point, events “IN-BOARDERS” alumni network.
coaching initiative, virtual will be about transitioning from The next edition kicks-off in No-
co-working sessions, as well as the corporate world, creating a vember 2021. Potential partici-
collaborating with external successful business in Switzer- pants are invited to email Matthi-
like-minded networks. land, or becoming a business as Frieden ahead of the official
angel. September announcement to
frieden@thefrieden.com.
Swiss Healthcare Industry Club INSEAD Private Equity Club
(CHIC) President President
Aleksandar Ruzicic, Martin Spirig, MBA’06J
MBA’97J The IPEC team, including Katja
The CHIC team, including Lau- Berlinger MBA’05, Richard Bis-
rent-Dominique Piveteau, sonnet MBA’81, Konstantinos
MBA’01D, and Arul Ramadurai, Dermanis MBA‘13J, Martha
MBA’05J, hosts a few events a Heitmann MBA’07, enables Swiss
year, typically in Geneva, Basel, alumni to learn about private
and Zurich. Besides premium equity, keep up-to-date on the
knowledge events, it occasional- industry, and be informed about
ly organizes life science compa- trends, challenges, and opportu-
ny visits. There are plans for vir- nities. IPEC events are an oppor-
tual roundtable and expert tunity to network with entrepre-
speaker events on current neurs, experts, and leading
healthcare topics in 2021. private equity practitioners.
23INSEAD ALUMNI FUND NEWS
INSEAD Campaign Progress
€ 269.2 43 %
INSEAD Campaign Board
Members from Switzerland
Total gifts to date Participation rate Goal is 50% Rémy Best MBA’93D, Chair
Campaign ends 08/23 Julien H. Firmenich MBA’08J
€ 60M
Luis Freitas de Oliveira MBA’93D
€ 21.7M
Erin Gainer EMBA’08D (FR,CH)
Gift in 2020 from an André Hoffmann MBA’90D
Contributed to Dean’s Fund anonymous alumnus Roberto Italia MBA’94J (IT,CH)
Kay Noh EMBA’04D
€ 39.6M
Brigitte Reverdin MBA’81
Anne Rotman de Picciotto MBA’01D
Contributed to scholarships Christoph Rubeli MBA’92D (SG,CH)
Mirjam Staub-Bisang MBA’99J
SWISS SCHOLARSHIP
The INSEAD Alumni of Switzerland Endowed Swiss tech startup entrepreneurs wanted
Scholarship capital is over EUR 1 million. A spe- We have launched a new initiative to attract entre-
cial Thank You to all donors. During the summer preneurs with 3+ years’ experience to the INSEAD
2016, the Founding Donors Group and INSEAD MBA programme. A €40K scholarship will be of-
Alumni of Switzerland created the first endowed fered to graduates from ETHZ, EPFL, Swiss State
scholarship for Swiss candidates. Scholarships Universities or Schools of Applied Sciences that
are more important than ever with 31% of MBA have a strong and demonstrated entrepreneurial
candidates receiving scholarships and tuition at experience. Roland Mattis, MBA’87D, will lead the
€89K in 2022. task force, with Leila Ojjeh, MBA’01D, as the con-
tact person for EPFL.
GIVING DAY 2020
€ 265K
The generosity of Swiss alumni was outstanding on Giving 2020 Giving
Day with donations of €265K. The effort was led by Mina Day Country
177 gifts Draganova, with Alexander Wyss, 2020 NAA President, and Ranking
the chapter presidents: Alessio Ascari, Marc Galin, Reto 1. UK
Gygax and the IAF. Mafalda Tenente created the edelweiss 2. Switzerland
graphic. 3. France
4. USA
INSEAD Alumni Fund Switzerland 5. Germany
Brigitte Reverdin, MBA’81 President
Richard Bissonnet, MBA’81 Representative
Further information –
https://www.insead.ch/swiss-scholarship
24SWISS SCHOLARSHIP
Romain Fakhoury, MBA’20D Scholarship Recipient
How did you hear about the Swiss Scholarship? occasions to bond. In fact, I feel that 20D students
I heard about the Swiss Scholarship quite early in might be particularly close to each other because
the application process by visiting the school’s of the exceptional events we had to go through
website. Indeed, given my “non-traditional” back- together.
ground in law, I knew that applying for the INSEAD How did you overcome the difficulties? The MBA
MBA would be challenging, including financing, a experience was definitely different than expected
concern that I obviously shared with many candi- with the pandemic. I feel that it made me grow. I’ve
dates. Early on, I conducted a rather thorough “due always had the tendency to plan far into the future;
diligence”, learning about the financial aid options. the past year taught me that sometimes, one has to
I purposely applied in early rounds to be eligible for take split second decisions without much fore-
the Swiss Scholarship. thought. After the first two months of the pro-
Did getting the scholarship make a difference in gramme, which unfolded normally in Fontaineb-
your decision to go to INSEAD? INSEAD was al- leau, the French government announced the first
ways my only target for an MBA because of its confinement. From one day to the next, I was in a
widely international student body, its academic plane to Singapore, where the pandemic still
reputation, and its campus in Asia. I had my mind seemed to be under control. To my dismay, the Sin-
set on INSEAD even though I knew my savings gaporean government also announced a complete
would not cover all fees. I still remember vividly lock-down within a couple of weeks. This addition-
getting the fantastic news from the INSEAD Finan- al blow was frustrating, but soon enough I was
cial Aid team that I had been selected as the Swiss back in Fontainebleau where measures were start-
Scholarship recipient for the 20D intake. It ulti- ing to be lifted and social life with other students
mately confirmed my decision to embark on the intensifying again. It was quite an epic roller-
adventure. I am deeply grateful to the donors of the coaster!
Swiss scholarship for their generosity. What are your future aspirations? I want to provide
What was it like to study for your MBA during a entrepreneurs and businesses with accurate and
pandemic year? The experience was hybrid, with tailored services, leveraging my background in law
in-person classes for four months out of the ten- and business administration in the Swiss private
month programme. Attending classes on Zoom equity ecosystem. I started my INSEAD MBA with
required a bit of adaptation at the beginning, but I an open mind, intending to explore potential new
got used to it rather quickly and believe it did not professional territories. I already had a growing
negatively impact my learning. On the contrary, interest in the sector in my previous role, and the
the periods of mandatory confinement allowed me past year confirmed my strong affinity for it.
to delve deeper into academic subjects that inter-
ested me. As for networking, we had plenty of
25NEWSMAKERS
Swiss INSEAD alumni are taking on new challenges across the country’s
corporate, non-profit, and startup ecosystems. Here are just a few representing
the diversity of the Swiss community.
IN THE NEWS
Carole Ackermann, IDP-
C’20Jun
In 2020, Carole Ackermann
was appointed as President of
the Board of Directors and
President of the Board of Gov-
ernors of Lausanne-based
IN THE NEWS EHL Group. Along with being
Rémy Best, MBA’93D chair of the 126-year-old hos-
Rémy Best joined the Assem- pitality management school,
bly of the International Com- she is a member of the Board
mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) of Directors of Allianz Switzer-
in 2020. The Assembly is the land, BKW, BNP Paribas
supreme governing body of Switzerland, BVZ Holding, and
the ICRC with up to 25 mem- the Bern-based innovation
bers. It is led by the President IN THE NEWS agency be-advanced. Carole
and Vice-President of the Dorothee Deuring, MBA’96D Ackermann is also a senior
ICRC. Photo ©ICRC In April, Dorothee Deuring was lecturer at the University of
appointed to the board of St. Gallen and a well-known
Lonza Group Ltd, the listed early-stage tech investor.
Swiss pharmaceutical, health- Photo ©EHL
care, and life science products
company. She also serves on
the board of Axpo Holding AG,
Elementis PLC, and Bilfinger
SE. Photo ©Tettamanti
26NEWSMAKERS
IN THE NEWS
Tania Micki, MBA’02D
In March 2020, Tania Micki
became the CFO of Tecan, the
ENTREPRENEURIAL NEWS Swiss life science lab automa-
Pascal Uffer, MBA’13J tion company. In December,
Pascal Uffer made the leap she joined the Board of Direc-
from the Selecta C-suite to tors of EHL Holding SA and
founder, establishing two ven- the Board of Trustees of the
tures: Boostbar (co-founder: EHL Foundation.
Johannes Lermann, MBA’16J), Photo ©Tecan
a foodtech startup that seeks
to revolutionise coffee breaks
at work with a fresh alterna-
tive to canteens and vending
machines, and Bivio Rösterei, IN THE NEWS
the highest coffee roaster in William Dujardin, MBA’04J
Europe. In January 2020, William Du-
jardin became the CEO of Am-
eropa SA, after a 14-year ca-
reer at Bunge. Ameropa, the
Binningen-based privately
owned, grains and fertilizer
production and trading com-
pany, was founded in 1948 and
is active in 35 countries.
Photo ©Ameropa
IN THE NEWS
Jos Dijsselhof, AMP’05Oct
Jos Dijsselhof, CEO of SIX, was in
the news when SIX acquired Ma-
drid’s Bolsas y Mercados (BME),
making it Europe’s third largest
financial market infrastructure
group. Photo ©SIX Group
27Save the Date Swiss Alumni Conference Geneva Saturday September 11, 2021 Conference Location: Hotel President Wilson, Geneva Evening Reception: Golf Club de Genève Presided by: Peter Zemsky, INSEAD Deputy Dean and Dean of Innovation Peter Zemsky, INSEAD Deputy Dean and Dean of Innovation
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