“The welcoming nature of government and the people to having multinationals in their front and backyards bodes well for the ability to do business here.”

Jeffrey Weedman
Procter & Gamble’s Vice-President
for External Business Development

GGBa: the Business location

Some of the world’s biggest international banks, global hi-tech and biotech firms, as well as leading trading companies, have chosen the GREATER GENEVA BERNE area (GGBa) for their headquarters or a key services office base, such as Cisco, Medtronic, Hewlett Packard, Cad-Bury Schweppes, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Celgene, eBay, Pepsico, Eaton or Yahoo!. The region has evolved far beyond its traditional watchmaking roots and CEOs from all walks of industry continue to find that the GGBa satisfies their business needs, owing to its:

• Liberal business climate with an exceedingly high level of intellectual property protection;
• Advantageous tax regime and other incentives with GGBa partner cantons;
• Excellent transport and telecommunications infrastructure; the GGBa is the gateway to Europe, major capitals are within 2 hours; check-in at Geneva International Airport compares favorably with other larger cities;
• Generous government investment in state-of-the-art business centers for SMEs and large companies that reiterates the officially pro-business line at a cantonal and federal level;
• Qualified and flexible workforce that is one of the most motivated and productive in the world.

Company executives appreciate the business climate here and, in some case, have even chosen Switzerland over their company’s country of origin as the location for their worldwide headquarters. Part of the reason is the scope of skilled R&D services available for outsourcing in the GGBa – an increasing trend among multinationals. When asked if they would choose Switzerland again, 74% of CEOs indicated that they would make the same choice.

the international Factor

The GGBa’s multilingual community also provides an easy solution for global companies needing to locate project management and help desk services in Europe owing to time difference constraints. Many international call centers are located in Biel/Bienne and Fribourg for this reason. The region as a whole is incredibly cosmopolitan and open to newcomers, particularly Geneva (40% of its population is foreign) and the federal capital Berne, thanks to its embassies and numerous international organizations.

superb lifestyle

As important as all the factors above, the GGBa offers an exceptional quality of life for company executives, managers and their families. A wealth of international schools, associations, clubs and many other multicultural institutions bear witness to the region’s openness, while the huge range of sporting and cultural  opportunities contribute to the GGBa’s competitive package as a place to work.