Review EXPERTsuisse Annual Conference 2020: "Secure in uncertain times".

The conference motto "Safe in uncertain times" has taken on a completely different meaning this year. Therefore, the EXPERTsuisse Annual Conference 2020 was held for the first time as a hybrid event on September 15: In the Kursaal in Bern, 300 guests followed the event on site while adhering to strict security measures, supplemented by 300 guests, members of EXPERTsuisse, politicians and journalists who followed the event online.

Ahead of the EXPERTsuisse Annual Conference 2020: Instead of short-time work, long working days in many places

Peter Ritter, President of EXPERTsuisse, welcomed the more than 600 participants with a big thank you for the large amount of extra work done in many places by the association's approximately 10,000 auditors and tax and fiduciary experts throughout Switzerland over the past six months. "Instead of short-time work in many places, long working days" had characterized the work in support of clients. As a result, fiduciaries, tax advisors and auditors have been very much at the forefront of supporting the new and previously unknown situation for the Swiss economy. "We are all challenged to find new solutions in a changed environment," said Peter Ritter. Member of the Council of States Erich Ettlin pointed out in his remarks on current affairs from the federal government that EXPERTsuisse has been helpfully involved in the political discussions on new framework conditions to deal with the COVID19 crisis.

The trust "Triple A" - Audit, Assurance, Advisory

"In uncertain times, it is a matter of offering our clients, the economy and society as much security as possible," also said Marius Klauser, Director and CEO of EXPERTsuisse. To this end, the trust services provided by EXPERTsuisse members - Audit, Assurance, Advisory - are particularly important. This so-called "Triple A" creates trust and trust moves markets, companies and people. This is particularly relevant in uncertain times. With the campaign www.confidence.swiss, the industry association would like to bring these topics closer to an interested public and in particular also to politicians, journalists and other stakeholders.

Human risk factor

The external presentations were kicked off by Solange Ghernaouti, Professor and Director of the Swiss Cybersecurity Advisory & Research Group HEC - UNIL and Ivano Somaini, Social Engineer and Cyber Security Expert. They explored the question of which cyber risks are most relevant to the practice of companies in Switzerland, and how business can better protect itself. The criminal forces, some of which are very well organized, target a very specific weak point - people. A risk factor that also represents one of the greatest uncertainties in the daily work of auditors and tax and fiduciary experts.

Effective overall governance

As part of overall governance, the risk situation must be adequately assessed and compliance ensured through appropriate measures. In effective overall governance, internal lines of defense are of great importance before complementary mechanisms such as special authorities, auditors and regulators can play their part in overall governance. This was also made clear in the panel discussion, which included Monika Rühl (Chair of the Executive Board of economiesuisse), Victor Balli (Board of Directors of the FAOA) and Martin Nay (Division President Audit of EXPERTsuisse). In this context, the need for a clarification of the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance was also discussed. A corporate objective must be the protection of material tangible & intangible assets. However, practice shows that the potential of a corporate implemented Internal Control System (ICS) is still underestimated.

Inspire women to take up exciting careers

Afterwards, Ruth Metzler, former Federal Councillor, president or member of boards of directors & foundations as well as patron of the "EXPERTsuisse FrauenNetz" and Bernadette Koch, certified public accountant, multi-board member and initiator of the "EXPERTsuisse FrauenNetz" gave insights into the important topic of promoting young talent and women. The main focus was on the issue of promoting the training of women in the auditing, tax consulting and fiduciary professions, and how to attract the right talent to the exciting professions and enable attractive careers.

Conclusion of the EXPERTsuisse Annual Conference 2020: People are not only a risk

In uncertain times, the ability to plan continues to decline and the importance of experimentation increases. Gerhard Fehr, CEO of FehrAdvice & Partners, demonstrated in a scientifically sound and practically proven manner how the formation and testing of hypotheses in an entrepreneurial context leads to knowledge gain and continuous learning. In his closing remarks, Marius Klauser, Director of EXPERTsuisse, pointed out how important alliances and cooperations are when experimenting in uncertain times and how EXPERTsuisse has positioned and networked itself in this regard - for example with the alliance denkplatz schweiz, which was launched in 2016, and the newly launched alliance e-tax schweiz.

As a conclusion of the various presentations and panel discussions at the EXPERTsuisse Annual Conference, there is a consensus that the human being at the center of all economic activity is both the greatest risk factor and will probably remain so, but it is also only the human being who can satisfy transparency needs and thereby build trust.

Source and information: www.expertsuisse.ch