Testimonials from people in the GREATER GENEVA BERNE area
“We’ve been able to attract professionals from all over the world to come and live here… this has been a great benefit to us.”
Herb Riband
Vice President External Affairs
Medtronic Europe Sàrl
“If we had the option to redo our decision to move here, we’d come up with the exact same answer. We’ve been exceptionally pleased here.”
Michael Mac Garry
Vice President Europe
PPG Industries Sàrl
“The economic development agencies were instrumental in helping us find sites,
staff and providers.”
Alf Tuvesson
Vice-President Finance and Administration
VeriSign
“The region is very international and international experience is an asset in this industry (bioscience).”
Ernest Loumaye
Founder
PregLem
“A European headquarters needs people who understand the different European cultures. Switzerland itself is a melting pot of Germans, French and Italians.”
A global tax & legal and advisory services firm
“I am, literally, an hour and a half from most of my key markets.”
Thierry Clidière
Area President
Alcon Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America
“Located in Biel/Bienne means not only that we can communicate in French but also that we have a privileged access to the German culture. This is useful when specifying products and software which have to suit to the German habits. This area is a bridge between German and Mediterranean Europe.”
Emmanuel Hannard
CEO
Selectron Systems AG
“Fribourg offers a very attractive living environment for an international management team.”
Rainer W. Schorr
CEO,
Senior Bayer Group Representative Switzerland
“If the region were not so attractive, we would not be here! It has the potential to be the next Silicon Valley.”
Daniel Borel
Co-founder and President
Logitech
“The EPFL plays a key role in technological innovation in the region. It offers companies cooperation at the level of research and technology transfer, talented engineers for recruitment and highly specialized continuing professional development programs.”
Patrick Aebischer
President of the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)
“High educational standards, a stable employment market, multilingual skills of most employees, proximity to universities – all these factors contribute to the attractiveness of the region on a global level. And of course, the geographic position in the heart of Europe is another advantage.”
Uwe E. Jocham
Senior Vice President and General Manager
CSL Behring AG
“The conditions for executives here are unique. Centrality, stability, quality of life
are as highly valued as the excellent infrastructure and facilities.”
Gianni Ciserani
President
Western Europe – Procter & Gamble
“The support of the Economic Development Agency during our relocation was instrumental to a successful start-up, and since then our business has gone from strength to strength.”
Mark Dady
Vice President, Purchasing
Pepsico International
“We discovered that there was tremendous potential in the region in the form of a new and dynamic infrastructure for start-ups.”
David Crettenand
Chief Executive Officer
RedElec Technologie SA
“The presence of generations of highly skilled engineers in the region has enabled the creation and growth of many companies in the field of information technology, which obviously creates a network of skills, a cluster.”
Jean-Albert Ferrez
Deputy Manager
IDIAP Research Institute
“We wanted to find the best location for the kind of research that we do [...]Switzerland gave us access to world class resources in terms of biological research.”
Achin Gupta
Vice President
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals SA
“Switzerland is a first-class location for companies engaged in medical technology thanks to the availability of highly qualified, multilingual engineers and skilled workers …and because it actively promotes technology and know-how transfer.”
H.C. Willy Michel
Chairman
Ypsomed Holding AG
“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
“We sell as much energy-saving technology as we do energy itself.”
Philippe Virdis
Director General
Groupe E
“The people here are aware just how important precision is – it is in their blood.
This is connected with the tradition of the precision industry in the region.”
Marco G. Zingg
Chairman
DT Swiss
“The region has excellent infrastructure in a wonderful setting in the heart of Europe, with inhabitants that are simultaneously open and hard-working. Moreover, good relations with the cantonal authorities make it possible to do business in a way that is both pragmatic and effective.”
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe
President
Nestlé
“Usually a hub has a strong position either in banking or in trading. It is a unique combination to have banks and traders in the same place.”
Geert Descheemaeker
Secretary General of the Geneva Trading
and Shipping Association (GTSA)
“Being in Geneva allows us rapid and close interaction with the key intergovernmental bodies based here, namely the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), whose activities touch on our member companies’ activities.”
Harvey E Bale, Jr.
Director General
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)
