An international and multilingual environment

Few places are as cosmopolitan in their outlook as the GREATER GENEVA BERNE area (GGBa). Historically this has always been the case, thanks to Switzerland’s modest size and relative lack of raw materials, but it is a successful policy implemented hundreds of years ago.
It is one of the principal reasons behind the success of the “Made in Switzerland” label.

Across the GGBa, from Berne in the east to Geneva in the west, at least one fifth of the population – and often much more -comes from abroad, ensuring business prosperity through the intellectual capital and energy of its newcomers. The region is also highly appealing to successful businesses, with one of the highest concentrations of Fortune 500 companies per million inhabitants.

Highly skilled foreign workers – in fields such as finance -are attracted to the business environment here and they often like it so much it can be difficult convincing them to take up their next posting...

Home-grown Swiss managers also acquit themselves admirably with regard to their international colleagues, not only because they are highly educated and multilingual, but also because of their experience in exporting to foreign markets.

Trusted the world over

The diversity of the organizations within the GGBa is impressive. Major consumer brands are nurtured and developed here, while the region is also home to dozens of international organizations -including the main UN agencies - 300 international non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations (NGOs and IGOs) and more than 200 diplomatic missions and consulates.

Speak your clients’ language…

Because French and German are the official languages in the GGBa, businesses setting up here have the instant advantage of being hotwired to two of Europe’s biggest linguistic and cultural communities. Italian is also spoken widely as Switzerland’s third national language.

Throughout the GGBa, all the cantonal universities offer teaching in English; there can be no better example of the Swiss system’s commitment to -and confidence in – its future international growth. At the same time, the value placed on English in Swiss education reflects the practical reality that the use of English is increasingly common among the region’s business, scientific and academic communities and the standard means of communication in international organizations. No less relevant, Spanish and Asian languages are also gaining currency. Chinese investment is notably developing rapidly in the region.

• 17% of the GGBa population speaks English every day at work.
• Cargill International’s Geneva office employs 500 staff; half are Swiss, the remainder comes from 35 countries.

This international character makes the GGBa an ideal place for cultures to mix in a tolerant, safe and stable cosmopolitan environment – and to do business.