The goals set by countries to mitigate climate change, including the Paris Agreement, are too far away, according to H55 CEO André Borschberg. “It’s great to have a vision for 2050, but we should set goals in two years, in three years, in five years so that people will fight for that,” he says. In part three, he talks about making sustainability more attractive and addresses the tech world’s own sustainability conundrum.WATCH MORE
Debiopharm: We’re more flexible than the Swiss pharma giants
The focus at Debiopharm is on the drugs, says its president Thierry Mauvernay. The Lausanne-based private company says its smaller, less complicated structure is key to producing disruptive drugs, something that Mauvernay says is difficult for larger Swiss pharma rivals. He credits Debiopharm’s business model as the reason the company has some promising new cancer drugs in the pipeline.
Financial historian on Mario Draghi and the ECB’s big misstep
Tobias Straumann, professor of financial history at the University of Zurich, has some harsh criticism of former European Central Bank head Mario Draghi and the policies of the last few years. In part two, he talks about what’s wrong with Europe’s monetary union, the ECB’s “wrong theory,” and why many Swiss don’t really care about negative interest rates.
Forget Brexit: There’s another storm brewing in Europe, says Straumann
While all eyes are on Brexit and trade disputes, Tobias Straumann, professor of financial history at the University of Zurich, is worried—even pessimistic—about the situation in southern Europe, which he compares to pre-WWII, 1930s Germany. “Be very careful about what you’re doing,” Straumann says, directing his comments to the EU.
Employees and leaders are struggling, says SIYLI’s Von der Assen
Currently a USD 1 billion industry and growing, the mindfulness approach is being used by companies to retain employees and keep them engaged, while business leaders are using it to improve their methods. In part two, Angelika von der Assen from the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute explains the methodology but stresses that “this is not a quick fix.”
Can mindfulness help the “massive crisis” in business leadership?
Angelika von der Assen is Switzerland’s first certified teacher from the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI), pioneered at tech giant Google. SIYLI’s neuroscientific approach of mindfulness has been embraced in the U.S. and is gaining traction in Switzerland. Notable Swiss companies like AXA, Credit Suisse and ABB are working with Von der Assen to become “more open and present” and tackle the stresses of the corporate world.
How European airlines get it wrong, according to Helvetic Airways CEO
European airlines could stand to learn from their U.S. counterparts, says Helvetic Airways CEO Tobias Pogorevc. Their business models, he adds, give them more flexibility and reduce complexity. In part two, Pogorevc talks about how Europe can push ahead in the global airlines industry and how Helvetic is leaning more toward a wet lease model.
Helvetic Airways CEO confident about new fleet despite A220 comparison
Helvetic Airways unveiled the new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft to its fleet today. CEO Tobias Pogorevc says the investment will “transform us to a more modern, environmentally-friendly airline.” The recently grounded Swiss A220 flights contained similar engines, but Pogorevc remains confident that the rollout of the new vessels won’t be impacted.
Europe, not U.S. or China, has the AI advantage, says tech VC Khaliq
Europe was an early leader in artificial intelligence and despite great strides made in the U.S. and China, top tech investor Siraj Khaliq says the advantage still belongs to Europe. In part two, he talks about his run at Google when it was still just a start-up, about his own start-up being acquired by Monsanto, and stresses that the only way to have diversity in the tech world is to force the issue.
No “magic pixie dust” in Silicon Valley, says tech venture capitalist
Some Swiss tech start-ups look to Silicon Valley as the ultimate goal. “But there’s nothing you can do in the Valley that you can’t do here,” says Siraj Khaliq, investment partner at Atomico, an international tech investment firm. Khaliq has invested in three Swiss start-ups, including Teralytics and Scandit, and praises Switzerland’s unicorn potential but points out some crucial stumbling blocks.
