Tag: digitalswitzerland

  • Stefan Metzger takes over at digitalswitzerland

    Stefan Metzger takes over at digitalswitzerland

    According to a media release , Stefan Metzger will take over the management of digitalswitzerland from January 2022. The previous managing director, Nicolas Bürer, is stepping down at his own request. Bürer led the initiative for around five years. Last year he was also responsible for the operational merger with the ICTswitzerland association.

    “I would like to thank Nicolas for his commitment to digitalswitzerland,” said President Sascha Zahnd. Bürer has “successfully further developed the initiative and transformed the once regional vision for Zurich into a nationwide and now even global movement,” he adds. According to Marc Walder, digitalswitzerland founder and Ringier CEO, digitalswitzerland has grown to become “the most relevant location initiative in Switzerland” under the leadership of Bürer.

    With Metzger, digitalswitzerland is gaining “a proven expert in the field of digital transformation” with global experience, according to Walder. The press release describes Metzger as a digital expert. For 13 years he served the Swiss business of the global IT consulting firm Cognizant as Country Managing Director. Metzger has been committed to digitalswitzerland for a year and was also a member of the Executive Committee.

    Diana Engetschwiler, head of the Swiss Digital Day launched five years ago, will also become the deputy managing director of digitalswitzerland from the beginning of 2022. She succeeds Sébastien Kulling, who is moving to the digitalswitzerland foundation as managing director.

    The aim of digitalswitzerland is to position Switzerland as the world’s leading, digital innovation location. The initiative currently has 240 organizations among its partners.

  • Digitalswitzerland shows start-ups the Swiss market

    Digitalswitzerland shows start-ups the Swiss market

    The Digitalswitzerland initiative aims to attract promising young companies to Switzerland. To this end, it launched the Swiss Market Entry Program, which was carried out for the fourth time this year in cooperation with the European innovation platform Kickstart .

    As part of the program, start-ups that are already successful abroad receive an insight into the Swiss ecosystem. Meetings with leading companies, public institutions and innovation programs are organized. The aim is to motivate companies to enter the Swiss market and to support them in doing so.

    According to an announcement , 25 start-ups from 16 countries took part in the Swiss Market Entry Program this year. They come not only from European countries, but also from the USA and Israel. A company from New Zealand also took part with CarbonClick . It supports companies in climate protection by giving them carbon offsets.

    The 25 start-ups were received in Switzerland on December 6th. The program took place in the Kraftwerk, a former power station that has been converted into a space for innovation in Zurich.

  • Sascha Zahnd is to lead digitalswitzerland

    Sascha Zahnd is to lead digitalswitzerland

    The digitalswitzerland general assembly is called upon to approve a change at the top of the location initiative: Sascha Zahnd is to take over the presidency of the executive committee on July 1, informs digitalswitzerland in a message . The Bernese succeeds Ivo Furrer. Furrer had already announced when he took office that he would give up the presidency after three years in office.

    By the end of 2020, Zahnd was "one of the closest employees of Tesla founder Elon Musk", the message further explains. At Tesla , the designated President of digitalswitzerland had acted as European boss and Vice President Global Supply Chain. Zahnd had previously worked for ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse and IKEA . He is currently active for mytheresa.com and Valora AG , among others.

    "Sascha Zahnd is one of the most impressive top managers in Switzerland with a lot of international experience," Marc Walder, founder of digitalswitzerland, is quoted in the press release. The designated president of the location initiative stands for “innovation, transformation and entrepreneurship”. According to Walder, digitalswitzerland wants to continue campaigning for the country's digital transformation. Here the pandemic "relentlessly exposed Switzerland's existing weaknesses".

    Ivo Furrer will stay on digitalswitzerland as a member of the board of directors. The vice presidency is to remain with the FDP National Council (SG) and entrepreneur Marcel Dobler.