How does Swiss asset manager Unigestion hire new talent? “We will always favor meritocracy,” says Fiona Frick, but she admits that a more diverse group is better for their success. She talks diversity, equal pay, and whether or not she will join the upcoming nationwide Women’s Strike on June 14.European banks have lost narrative on purpose of banking, says DBS
Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS Group, says banks that don’t evolve and “disrupt themselves” by providing a very different customer experience won’t survive. The Singaporean banker lays out the digital future for the rapidly-changing industry and talks about how his bank competes with its Swiss counterparts for the coveted growing Asian market.
DBS Bank CEO sends a warning about “stratospheric valuations”
Since the financial crisis, economists and analysts have been wary of signs that another one could be on the way. Piyush Gupta, the CEO of Singapore-based DBS Group, points out what he sees as “unknown risks” and talks about the one thing he has in common with UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti.
“We could not have started Actelion or Idorsia outside of Switzerland”
Biotech entrepreneurs Martine and Jean-Paul Clozel explain why they are lucky to work in Switzerland and why, even though they have created two successful start-ups, they are still risk averse.
Andrea Pfeifer’s advice for Swiss start-ups? Include the U.S. sooner
Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune, is on a quest to find breakthrough therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. While Asian countries have shown a commitment to invest, she says that getting financing in Switzerland was “very difficult.” Her advice for Swiss start-ups is to include the U.S. much sooner.
Ian Bremmer: It’s “unfair” to say that Switzerland is populist
From the U.S. to Europe, populism has continued its rise on the back of anger about globalization. While Switzerland is home to one of Europe’s more successful populist parties, the Swiss People’s Party, political scientist Ian Bremmer argues that Switzerland is not actually populist, but rather some politicians play populism into an angry nativist movement.
Can we stay young forever?
Being forever young has long been a dream for many. Now there are new ways to slow down the aging process. Switzerland is jumping on the trend, with a growing hub of science and economic activity around staying young. Harvard Medical School’s David Sinclair says the „fountain of youth pill“ could soon become a reality.
Rönnlund: “People are actually completely wrong about the world”
Anna Rosling Rönnlund, founder of Swedish “fact tank” Gapminder, has worked for over 20 years to help people better understand the world. The biggest issue, she says, is not just widespread ignorance, but, rather, people’s “ignorance about their ignorance.” Rönnlund talks about the dangerous implications of making uninformed decisions, and about how countries like Switzerland can help promote a fact-based world.
The acquisition of Red Hat is a “big move for IBM”
While the likes of Apple and Google steal the spotlight, some forget that IBM, which has been around for 107 years, provides the “infrastructure of the world,” according to executive vice president John Kelly. And as the company enters the final phase of its acquisition of Red Hat for USD 34 billion, Kelly says it will establish IBM as the “definitive leader” of the cloud.
