Opening Doors

This episode features Patrick Pruniaux, the current CEO and owner of the Sowind Group, which is the parent company of Ulysse Nardin and Girard-Perregaux. He shares with us his unique career path, including the role of a Vice-President for TAG Heuer at LVMH, a Managing Director of Apple UK & Ireland and a CEO of Ulysse Nardin and Girard-Perregaux at Kering. Furthermore, he provides deeper insights into leadership and teamwork and talks about what he appreciates in a team. Finally, we talked about his management buyout, where he told us about the challenges, the financing and the change from management to ownership.

This episode’s guest is Odilo Lamprecht. Odilo is the global head of CPO at Bucherer, the largest retailer of watches and jewellery. He talks us through his early career and how he ended up in the watch industry, where he currently oversees the pre-owned division at Bucherer. He then shares his insights of how the pre-owned division was created within Bucherer and why the official certification of pre-owned watches is essential to establish trust in a customer relationship. Lastly, we talk about the current situation within the market for second-hand watches and what’s next in store.

This episode’s guest is Alexander Keberle. As a member of the board and Head of Environment, Energy & Infrastructure at economiesuisse, he shares his expertise on the topic of energy and climate. We learn how Keberle perceives his function that requires him to represents about 100 000 companies’ interests. He then shows us his perspective on what the post-crisis period could look like and how crisis is always an opportunity to use that momentum in your favor. Furthermore, Keberle talks about his interesting path from studying at HSG up to working at McKinsey and finally joining his current employer economiesuisse. We also cover what our guest would do if he were energy minister as a first official act. Timestamps (00:00:00): Intro (00:01:25): Academic journey: (00:05:14): Setbacks as a student and employee: (00:06:50): Door openers (00:09:00): Current energy and climate situation (00:10:50): Pressure from public interest? (00:12:05): Does the 1.5 degree target will be reached? (00:14:10):Switzerland as a key climate location (00:16:01): Why is the switch to emission-free production is very difficult? (00:21:05): Could the crisis even have a positive impact? (00:22:09): Q&A: Ending of every sentence (00:23:40): What advice would you give your mid-20 years old self?

In this episode we welcome Urs Wietlisbach. At the end of his first day at the SQUARE as a personality in residence, he shares his path to where he stands today. We cover how he left Goldman Sachs to become self-employed and talk about the founding process of Partners Group. Wietlisbach tells us how the three founders made the perfect entrepreneur when put together. We also talk about financially giving back – especially to the HSG foundation. Wietlisbach was one of the first to contribute to the building of the SQUARE and he expresses how private funding helps the University of St. Gallen to keep the high rankings it has. Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:04) Personality in residence at SQUARE (00:01:23) Professional background (00:02:53) Studying at HSG (00:03:52) Wish of becoming self-employed (00:04:33) Who opened doors for you? (00:05:35) For whom do you want to open doors? (00:06:24) Swiss Sports Aid Foundation (00:07:18) Entrepreneurship as a banker’s son (00:10:14) Fraud in the founding process (00:10:51) Learning through mistakes or success (00:11:21) Most rewarding moments (00:13:21) Work-life balance (00:15:28) HSG Alumni (00:16:30) Private funding of SQUARE (00:17:43) Summer sport or winter sports? (00:17:56) Safe and predictable or risky but exciting? (00:18:04) Early stage or established player? (00:18:14) Hard skills or soft skills? (00:18:23) E-Mails or phone calls? (00:18:30) Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs (00:19:24) Outro

This episode’s guest is Uli Sigg. During his stay at the SQUARE as a personality in residence, he tells us about his various professional milestones. They go from journalism, diplomacy and building the first Joint Venture in China to collecting art and vice-chairing the Ringier Group. Further, he gives us deeper insights into how life was in China in the 70s and 80s. We cover how he, as a Swiss person, gained trust in China. We also talk about how he set the framework for doing business and investing in China at a time where no one had envisioned what it once would become. Sigg tells us, how he brought some Chinese traditions and attitudes into his own life and businesses, such as listening more and leaving some things as they are without always intervening. Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:12) Personality in residence at SQUARE (00:01:55) Key takeaways from SQUARE (00:02:25) Law studies in the 60s  (00:03:30) Professional background (00:07:31) Joint Venture in China (00:09:18) Most rewarding moments (00:11:13) Are setbacks more important than victories? (00:11:58) Life in China in the 70s/80s (00:14:25) Gaining trust as a Swiss person (00:16:33) The importance of listening (00:18:07) Leaving things where they are (00:20:15) Business or Art? (00:20:37) Entrepreneurship or official? (00:20:45) Switzerland as a mediator or proactive player? (00:20:57) Fondue or Beijing duck? (00:21:02) Summer or winter? (00:21:12) Anything you would like to say to our listeners? (00:21:26) Outro

In this episode, Ambassador Jürg Lauber tells us about his career path up to the point of diving into the diplomatic world and becoming Head of the Swiss Mission. We cover how essential it is as a diplomat to leave the meeting room once in a while to gain insights into operational ground work. Lauber reviews why it is important to be prepared to grab any opportunity in the international world of diplomacy. He also gives us his definition of neutrality regarding the role of Switzerland in the UN. We discuss the process of finding compromise within a large group of countries and stakeholder, giving the cybersecurity negotiations as an example. Further, he elaborates on his work-life balance and the large variety of professional and ethnic backgrounds in diplomacy. Lastly, the Ambassador shares what he thinks a student of diplomacy should have as a basic skill set. Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:56) Professional background (00:04:33) Ground vs. office work (00:06:13) Importance of ground work (00:07:10) Who opened doors for you? (00:09:12) When preparation meets opportunity (00:09:51) Shift towards cybersecurity (00:12:27) Opening up the negotiations (00:14:56) Finding compromise (00:18:07) Swiss neutrality (00:19:59) Dealing with frustration (00:21:13) Variety of backgrounds in diplomacy (00:22:04) Advice to self in retrospective (00:22:43) Assessment & importance of integrated thinking (00:24:58) Work-life balance (00:26:29) Skillset for students of diplomacy (00:27:11) Outro