Swiss Economic Forum SEF24: A look back
On June 6 and 7, 2024, 1350 managers discussed solutions and strategies for dealing with geopolitical and economic challenges at SEF24 in Interlaken under the motto "When the going gets tough".
On June 6 and 7, Interlaken was all about the Swiss economy: the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF) took place for the 26th time over these two days. Around 70 speakers from Switzerland and abroad gave presentations. The 1350 participants at the sold-out forum showed that they are resilient, persistent and cautiously optimistic. Corine Blesi, Managing Director NZZ Connect, is very satisfied with the 26th edition of the SEF: "We are convinced that the entrepreneurs will lead the Swiss economy into a more positive future with the necessary determination and resilience."
Top-class speakers with interesting discussion topics
The program offered a variety of outstanding national and international personalities from the fields of business, politics and science. As is tradition, President Viola Amherd opened the forum. She is currently very much in the spotlight due to the unstable global security situation. "We need to prepare for a prolonged crisis and be flexible," was her succinct assessment of the situation. The political side of things continued with Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland, and Micheal R. Pompeo, the 70th Secretary of State of the USA. Sanna Marin took a look into the future: "The system change is upon us and we must use new technologies such as AI or quantum", said the former Finnish Prime Minister. Michael R. Pompeo recommended learning from history - also with regard to the upcoming presidential elections in the USA: "I believe in our constitutional system. Throughout history, it has always produced good results."
Other highlights for the participants included the emotional performance by world-class athlete Dominic Lobalu and his coach Markus Hagmann. Or professional footballer Lia Wälti, who explained the difference between men's and women's football with a twinkle in her eye: "Women's football is more honest. We spend less time on the ground."
Impetus for SMEs at SEF24
At the Swiss Economic Forum, the focus is naturally on the economy and therefore also on SMEs. Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, began by explaining why cooperation between industry, politics and society is crucial for the mobility transition. Caspar Coppetti, Co-Founder of On, and Daniel Gutenberg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hookipa, spoke about what the current situation means for start-ups and young entrepreneurs: "Our drive is no longer 'survive', but 'create'". Jeff Rowe, CEO Syngenta Group, urged company bosses to continue working as before. Georges Kern, CEO Breitling, also encourages his colleagues: "To come out of the crisis stronger, we have to gain market share, be better than the competition and make a double and triple effort." The appearance of the young analog astronaut Eleonore Poli, who may one day fly to Mars, was also impressive and out of the ordinary. She told everyone to be open to trying out new things and meeting new people.
And last but not least, prizes were once again handed out at SEF24: The Swiss Economic Award honors outstanding entrepreneurial achievements every year. The 2024 winners are Flowit AG (services), Voliro AG (deeptech/life sciences) and Qumea AG (production/commerce), see our Report here.
