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.WATCH MORE
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.
H55 CEO: “If you think about failing you will never make the right decision”
In the final part of her interview with Swiss pilot and entrepreneur André Borschberg, Ana Maria Montero steps into the cockpit of the Bristell Energic, the fully-electric plane from his start-up H55, to hear about that famous Solar Impulse flight and what it taught him about being an entre
Climate change goals set in Paris were “not enough,” says H55’s CEO
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.
Money and innovation aren’t the biggest hurdles, says Borschberg
Flying taxis, autonomous flight, electric-hybrid commercial airplanes: though it may seem like science fiction, great strides are being made in aviation. But according to H55 CEO André Borschberg, without certification it’s all a pipedream. “Companies don’t realize the difficulty of coming up with the certification,” he says. H55 is inching toward having the first-ever certified electric propulsion system in the world.
André Borschberg says the future of flight is electric
Switzerland’s first zero-emission plane, the Bristell Energic, took to the skies back in June. Developed by Swiss tech start-up H55 in Sion, the fully electric plane is being used by trainee pilots for test flights. One of the men behind it all is co-founder and CEO André Borschberg, the pilot of the famous Solar Impulse project, where he flew the longest-ever nonstop route around the world in a solar-powered aircraft. In part one, he talks about the impact of H55 technology on the aviation industry and the future of mobility.
VF Corporation insulated from U.S.-China trade dispute, says Guerrini
VF Corporation has successfully diversified its supply chain, so only 7 percent of its total production for the U.S. is made in China, says EMEA head Martino Scabbia Guerrini. In part two, he talks trade war, Brexit, and about VF’s special partnership with European e-commerce company Zalando: “It’s a best practice on how to partner with digital platforms.”
VF Corporation tests London rental market with its Kipling brand
In 2018, VF Corporation, home to brands like The North Face and Timberland, doubled its net profit to the tune of USD 1.2 billion and sold 400 million units. So how does the company balance increased production and profits with being green? Martino Scabbia Guerrini, VF’s EMEA head, says it’s not just about creating less waste or working with recyclable materials, but also about business innovation. This week, the company starts testing the rental market in London with its Kipling brand. “We’ve got to close the cycle,” he says.
