Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) joined the Net-Zero Banking Alliance on December 12, 2022, to make its contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. It is committing to interim targets for 2030 and every five years thereafter until 2050. ZKB is aware of the key role the financial sector plays in efforts to achieve sustainable development worldwide, which is why it has anchored the principles of sustainability as an integrated principle in its business operations and is constantly developing them further, according to a statement. In doing so, it says it is guided by science-based international, national and cantonal net-zero reduction paths. "By joining the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, we want to set an example: We want to make an active and impact-oriented contribution to the transition to net zero 2050 with our banking services for the economy and society," says Urs Baumann, CEO of Zürcher Kantonalbank.

Sustainability as an integral part of the ZKB business model

Zürcher Kantonalbank says it is one of the pioneers in Switzerland in the field of sustainability. Back in 1992, for example, the bank produced a product innovation for the important decarbonization of the building sector in the form of the environmental loan - a low-interest mortgage for environmentally friendly construction and renovation - which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. This offer was supplemented in 2020 with free heating replacement advice. ZKB has also been running its own sustainability research since 1996. Building on this, it launched its first sustainable equity fund in 1998. In addition, since 2005 it has been supporting innovative solutions that drive the transition to net zero through targeted investments in start-ups and is now one of Switzerland's most important promoters in this field. In 2020, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, its asset management business set active investment solutions on the 2-degree reduction path by default and joined the Net-Zero Asset Managers Initiative in 2021, steadily increasing its commitment to the 1.5-degree reduction path.

ZKB aims to expand leading position in the field of sustainability

By joining the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, Zürcher Kantonalbank will further strengthen its leading position in the field of sustainability and steadily expand its range of products and services to accompany customers into a sustainable future. In addition, it will continue to support innovations needed to decarbonize the global economy and drive active dialog at the national level as an important cornerstone of its efforts for net zero by 2050.

"We are proud to join the Net Zero Banking Alliance. As a bank that has deeply embedded a commitment to the environment, the economy and society in its business activities, our commitment to the net zero target by 2050 is central," says CEO Urs Baumann. "We are pleased to be able to contribute together with like-minded banks, our customers and our employees - to international, national and cantonal net zero targets. Achieving these is both a major challenge and an opportunity for society as a whole. We will only achieve this if all players from business, science, politics and the population work closely together."

Alliance of over 120 banks

The UN-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance brings together over 120 banks from more than 40 countries, currently accounting for around 40 percent of global bank assets under management. Among other things, members have pledged to move their operations to net zero by 2050. This ambitious commitment calls for banks to set interim targets for 2030 or earlier, following sound, science-based recommendations. The Net-Zero Banking Alliance underscores the important role banks play in supporting the global real economy's transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: Zurich Cantonal Bank

As our medium has already reported in its print edition, the Alpine Symposium is making a comeback with new impulses, space and time for contacts, discussions and experiences. The highly regarded event was originally launched by Oliver Stoldt in Grindelwald and under his aegis has evolved into a high-profile event with 17 runs. Stoldt has since handed over the reins to Act Entertainment. But even under the new leadership, the Alpine Symposium is intended to provide an opportunity for the exchange of trends and topics, insights and ideas on economic and social challenges. Last but not least, the event is always a welcome networking opportunity, about which we reported here repeatedly in the past have

Originally, the new start was to take place on January 10 and 11, 2023, at the usual venue in the Hotel Jungfrau Victoria Interlaken. However, due to scheduling conflicts and at the request of partners, the organizers now feel compelled to postpone the restart of the 18th Alpine Symposium by one year to January 30-31, 2024. The tickets purchased will retain their validity. The program concept will be retained, but the organizers reserve the right to adapt part of the speaker line-up to current events. Prominent names such as former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, economist and women's rights activist Zarifa Ghafari, and business personalities such as Daniel Bloch, Daniela Landherr, Urs Kessler, and Marc Trauffer have already been announced as speakers.

More information

The PKG Pension Fund was established in 1972 as a pension fund for trade, commerce and industry in Lucerne. It was the same year that the three-pillar model of Swiss pension provision was adopted with a yes vote of 74 percent and subsequently enshrined in the federal constitution. Now the pension fund has also looked to the future and commissioned a study from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. "In essence, the study shows that the trend of increasing life expectancy will continue and that work and family models will continue to change. Individualization will increase, which will reduce the willingness to show solidarity and increase the demand for transparency. Politicians will have to set the course for the design of pension models," Peter Fries, Chairman of the Management Board of PKG Pensionskasse, concludes the study.

The main features

No one can know today exactly what the world will look like in 2050; however, megatrends that are already emerging today provide indications of how society and the economy might one day have changed. This allows differences ("gaps") between future and current social life to be identified, which make it possible to derive the most important features that an occupational pension plan must have in order to survive in 2050.

For this reason, one objective of the study was to describe the implications of specific megatrends on the pension system and to provide food for thought on how occupational pensions should be structured in 2050. The following research questions were analyzed:

• What are the most important aspects of today's occupational pension plan with regard to the accumulation and dissaving of retirement capital?
• Which megatrends will shape social and economic life in 2050?
• What are the gaps between current and future social life in 2050?
• What are the implications of these gaps for occupational pensions?
• How must occupational pension provision be designed, given the premise of megatrends, to meet the economic realities and social life in 2050?

Megatrends with an impact on retirement provision

The relevant megatrends are social, technological and demographic change. They are leading to a society in which individualization and self-fulfillment are highly significant and are shaping how people live together, both in private and in society. The platform economy will be predominant. It is characterized by flexible, non-permanent employment relationships. Platform employment and crowdworking will lead to widespread self-employment. In addition, it will be possible to live a longer and healthier life.

More personal occupational pension

The major differences between the society of 2050 and that of today mean that both sexes will increasingly pursue part-time and self-employment, which would increase the number of uninsured gainfully employed persons if the current pension system were to be maintained. Gainful employment is also increasingly being reconciled with private life, which entails more time off during the employment phase. There will be a greater desire to determine retirement individually according to one's own vitality. The effective working life will therefore be much more individualized. Adherence to a predefined retirement age would not do justice to individual preferences. The desire to shape occupational pension provision more in line with one's own needs is contradicted by the current redistribution of occupational pension provision, which is secured by guaranteed benefits.

Food for thought for occupational pension provision

For the future design of occupational pension provision in 2050, the study formulates the following food for thought:

• All earned income is taken into account for the formation of pension assets. No longer are only employees with a certain salary level insured.
• The occupational pension plan is linked to the insured person. This means that the employer is no longer obliged to organize the occupational benefit plan. However, he will continue to co-finance the contributions.
• The length of the savings phase is determined by the working life. The start and end of the savings phase are no longer dependent on reaching a certain age.
• It is possible to save for time off during the accumulation phase.
• There must be a clear separation between social policy objectives and individual pension savings. Benefits are no longer guaranteed, not even those in the savings phase. The insured person determines his or her own occupational pension provision within a statutory framework.

Occupational pension provision continues to retain its mandatory character and thus its importance for overall retirement provision. It therefore also remains up to politicians and society to answer various unanswered questions about the design of future occupational pension provision.

Source: PKG Pension Fund

The bankruptcy wave rolls and rolls: with an increase of over nine percent compared to 2018/2019, i.e. before the Corona pandemic, it is reaching a new peak. The creditor protection organization Creditreform does not expect any more big changes by the end of the year. Creditreform had expected since the beginning of government pandemic aid in the spring of 2020 that so-called Zombie Companies were only given a reprieve because they were simply ready for bankruptcy. Now this additional liquidity has been used up, and the only thing left to do is to go to the bankruptcy court.

End of the wave of bankruptcies not in sight

Creditreform expects around 6,700 insolvencies for the year that is coming to an end. And it does not look as if this wave of bankruptcies will abate in 2023, according to the organization's assessment. It may even get worse in view of an emerging economic slowdown.

The figures speak for themselves: a comparison of the insolvency figures for 2018/2019 with the average for the three subsequent years shows that there is still "catching up to do", with a drop of just under nine percent. This is because bankruptcies were already on the rise in 2019, meaning that this rising trend is now also likely to continue with a delay. The pressure on companies will also increase further in the coming year due to supply chain problems, which will lead to a rise in purchasing prices, and higher energy costs.

Problem: Bankruptcy Riding

Insolvencies due to organizational deficiencies are almost 47 % higher than in the previous year. An amendment to Art. 731b of the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), which has already come into force on January 1, 2021, is now having an effect. This still makes sense, as it removes from the commercial register those companies that no longer have any business activity.

There are increasing signs that more and more companies want to get rid of their debts by leaving the company without the necessary bodies. According to Creditreform, these abusive bankruptcies will continue to increase. Here, he said, there has already been a significant increase in suspicious cases since September 2021: At that time, 47 cases of suspected abusive bankruptcy were identified, with a peak subsequently in the months of December 2021 and January 2022 with 63 and 66 cases, respectively. On average, Creditreform identified 55 suspicious cases per month from January to November 2022.

New registrations, deletions, net growth

But on the other hand, many new companies are still being founded, albeit at a somewhat lower level than in the previous year. 45,111 new companies were entered in the commercial register from January to November, 1.2 % fewer than a year earlier. By the end of the year, we expect over 49,400 new registrations. Deletions may be slightly below the previous year, with net growth thus declining by around 3.4 %.

Source: Creditreform

Brazil, Italy, Spain, Germany and France ... The soccer world champions of this century all had one thing in common: effective leadership. The battle for the World Cup trophy is now entering its decisive phase, and the performances of individual players, teams and coaches will once again be scrutinized by fans and television pundits.

Unlike many other leaders, football coaches are in the public eye: they are expected to deliver victories if they want to keep their jobs. With this in mind, the experts at Hogan Assessments - a specialist personality testing and leadership development company - have identified three leadership tips on how remaining teams can continue to win.

Tip 1: Leadership is about creating a high-performing team - not individual results

In the sports world, the goal for leaders is not to get to the top of an organization. Rather, the goal is to ensure that the team performs optimally together in order to triumph over other teams. In football in particular, team success rests squarely on the shoulders of the coach. A team is defined by shared leadership, shared goals, and shared success or failure. Therefore, the actions of one person often influence the results for everyone else. Didier Deschamps, coach of the French national team, once expressed, "Beyond quality and talent, there are two important aspects: Group feeling and mental attitude."

A successful coach should be able to coordinate players' efforts and encourage them to trust and rely on each other for team success. "Coaches must actively encourage their teams and have an awareness of how to best address each player's skills and talents. This is the only way they can ensure success and be effective in their role as leaders," explains Ryne Sherman, PhD, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessments.

Tip 2: With an understanding of players' different personalities, coaches can make smarter strategic decisions

To develop an effective game strategy, coaches must consider the human aspect of the team and athletes. Top athletes are competitive, hard-working, organized, goal-oriented, and motivated individuals by personality. These traits play a big role in the decisions made by players on the field. Gareth Southgate, former England international and coach of the England national team since 2016, put it succinctly: "You have to realize that every player has different characteristics and a different personality, and therefore responds to different things."

Personality and team-oriented leadership are particularly important in soccer when coaches have to make changes in their teams. "These situations clearly illuminate the complexity of leadership in sports, where performance alone cannot be the only determining factor. Personality - especially in adverse circumstances - is also a determining factor in this decision-making process," Sherman said.

Tip 3: Awareness of how others perceive you can help trainers better grow and develop in their leadership roles

From Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola comes the following quote about what he thinks makes a good coach. Guardiola: "What characterizes a good coach? What the players will say about him when it's all over." The players on a team react to their coach's decisions. A relatively recent and drastic example of this was a decision made by Zlatko Dalic, the Croatian coach who led his national team to a World Cup final for the first time in its history in 2018. When Nikola Kalinic refused to start in the match against Nigeria, Dalic kicked him out of the team. This tough decision showed his leadership.

Coaches should become more aware of how they are perceived by players and other notable players in the sports world. This will help them identify aspects of themselves and their teaching and training style that can be improved. This self-knowledge then helps them grow both personally and professionally. Many managers can certainly take a leaf out of their book.

Source: Hogan Assessments

As of December 8, 2022, the Swiss peer-to-peer camping platform MyCamper from Basel acquired 100 percent of the Swedish competitor Housecar. The provider Housecar, which has been active in Sweden since 2020 and in the meantime also in Norway and Finland, will thus be merged into MyCamper and will in future be known as their website be detectable.

From minority interest to complete takeover

In the markets of Sweden, Norway and Finland, there are a total of around 700,000 camping vehicles. That is almost seven times more than in Switzerland. MyCamper had therefore started in 2019 to build a presence itself in the very attractive camping market of Sweden. "After a few months, we noticed that the competition was doing a very good job and it would be difficult to achieve our growth targets there," reports Stefan Lieberherr, CEO of the young company. Instead, MyCamper had invested in the competition and acquired a minority stake in Housecar in 2021. It was by no means a hostile takeover, according to reports from both sides. "We share the same vision and values," said Rickard Magnusson, CEO of Housecar. "Camping vehicles are used on average about 20 days per year. We want to help make better use of existing resources. In addition, we want to make camping and the camping experience accessible to everyone."

Significant expansion of the volume

With the acquisition, four new employees join MyCamper, two of them in management. Thus, the team grows to 25 people. In the markets of Sweden, Norway and Finland, approximately 1100 new rentable private vehicles will be added to the platform. In Switzerland, there are currently more than 2000. In the new markets, MyCamper expects an additional booking volume of 5.4 million francs next year - about half as much as currently in Switzerland. "According to a survey, Scandinavia is one of the most popular camping destinations for our community. So we expect that in the future more Swiss people will take advantage of the opportunity to rent vehicles via MyCamper in the respective markets," says Lieberherr.

Success story in the sharing economy

MyCamper can be described as a Swiss start-up success story. The "Financial Times" ranked the company among the 1000 fastest-growing companies in Europe in 2021. Early investors in the company included Tobias Reichmuth and Roland Brack, known from "The Lion's Den Switzerland" and even die-hard outdoor fans. Already in the first active year 2016, more than 1000 rental nights were arranged. In 2019, it was already almost 26,000. The growth could be accelerated again during the pandemic. "This year we are slightly below last year, but firmly expect that we will return to the growth track," says the CEO.

MyCamper is the largest Swiss peer-to-peer sharing platform in terms of sales, the fourth largest camper sharing platform in Europe and the number one in all markets with its own presence (Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland). By means of the expansion to Sweden, Norway and Finland, economies of scale are to be taken along with the aim of entering further European markets in the future.

More information

Cyberlink AG has been an independent Swiss managed service provider for ICT infrastructures since 1995. The service portfolio includes Cloud- and Connectivity Services and is aimed exclusively at business customers. According to the company, its cloud platform is one of the most modern in Switzerland, and services provided on it are audited in accordance with the ISAE 3402 standard. Now Thomas Knüsel (49) has taken over the CEO position from Beat Tinner. Tinner, who founded the company, retired from management and operations at the end of October, but remains Chairman of the Board of Directors. Knüsel has worked for Cyberlink for ten years and was most recently responsible for the MSP's operations as COO, focusing on cloud and connectivity. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, an Executive MBA and completed a leadership program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Thomas Knüsel's successor as new Head of Operations and member of the Executive Board is Michael Sommer (37) - a long-time Cyberlink employee who has been on board for more than twelve years. Of these, he led the Operations team for five years. In the last two years, he was also co-responsible for internal and external project management and most recently was also responsible for the Service Delivery Team. The handover of operational issues to Michael Sommer offers Thomas Knüsel the opportunity to focus more intensively on strategic issues in the future and to operate even closer to the market, according to the statement.

The new Head of Finance, Sonja Bucher (30), also comes from within the company. She takes over the finance area from Simon Anderegg, who, as a member of the Executive Board, will focus on market issues in the future. Sonja Bucher holds a degree in Business Administration HF, has been working for Cyberlink since 2019 and was Team Leader Finance & Admin prior to her promotion, as well as HR Manager since autumn 2021. The Cyberlink management team is completed by CSO Stephan Ulrich. He continues to be responsible for the Sales division. With the anchoring of the two service areas in the management, the customer and market orientation of the company will be further strengthened.

The high level of customer satisfaction is also reflected in Bilanz Telekom's rating: this year, for the fifth time in a row, business customers have named Cyberlink the leader in the "Internet Service Provider & Corporate Networks" category.

Source and further information: Cyberlink AG

"Where electricity flows and is used, we are the successful execution provider of electrical installations and systems for low voltage, extra-low voltage and signal transmission" is the vision of Jaisli-Xamax AG. In order to now give even more relevance to the day-to-day business, the position of the operational areas of electrical installations, building systems technology and switchgear construction PLUS will be emphasized by having one management member per area. At the same time, the functions of the resources Purchasing, HR Management and Central Services will be strengthened. The goal of Managing Director Rolf Weber is that in the course of 2023, each of the following divisions will have one division manager present as a member of the Executive Board.

Newly composed management

Accordingly, as of January 1, 2023, the Executive Board of Jaisli Xamax will consist of Rolf Weber (Managing Director), Markus Schmid (Division Manager Finance), Danijel Martinovic (Division Manager Electrical Installations), Kosta Vellidis (Business Development Manager), Marco Acikgoez (Division Manager Strategic Purchasing/Acquisition), Giovanni Marzocchi (Division Manager Central Services) and Sandra Schiesser (Division Manager HR Management). The new GL member Marco Acikgoez, Division Manager Strategic Purchasing/Acquisition says about the integration of his division into the new corporate organization: "Strategic Purchasing makes a significant contribution to the company result, therefore it is part of the corporate policy of Jaisli-Xamax AG. The centrally managed procurement, which consequently acts as a pivot, pursues a common, uniform and sustainable purchasing policy as internally and externally."

Into the future with a new organization

In the course of the adjusted organization, strategic goals were set for the core business, field of activity and employer branding, with which the company intends to further expand its success in the business field of electrical installations throughout German-speaking Switzerland. In doing so, the business areas of building systems technology incl. energy management and switchgear construction PLUS are also to be further strengthened. The consolidation as a secure and attractive employer with optimal employment conditions, development opportunities and career planning continues to be very important to Jaisli-Xamax AG. Sandra Schiesser, Head of HR Management and new member of the Executive Board, sees the reorganization and expanded GL as an important step for the company: "Our employees are our most valuable resource. In order to pursue the strategy and vision of Jaisli-Xamax AG and to continue to be successful, we ensure that the line and the employees are supported to receive the necessary training as well as motivation to work as efficiently and effectively as possible." Giovanni Marzocchi, another new member of the Executive Board, is also pleased with the integration of his operational unit Central Services and is quoted as saying: "Through uncomplicated, streamlined and digitalized processes, we support our employees in carrying out their daily work with efficiency and pleasure. What was good yesterday needs to be rethought today. Constant innovation and organization distinguishes us from our market competitors."

Jaisli-Xamax AG has been serving its customers with innovative solutions in the entire electrical sector for almost 55 years. The company operates in Dietikon (headquarters), Basel, Bern and Zug. The electrical company is committed to the new generation in the industry and trains around 100 apprentices off.

Source and further information

Where is my data? A simple question that is difficult to answer today - unlike in the past. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications like Microsoft 365 or Salesforce behave like software, are a software, but the data is in the cloud, the data flows change with the state of the networks between the data center and the user in the office. No one can guarantee that data will flow undamaged across all network points. In upcoming crisis scenarios, such as a power shortage, the risk of data corruption increases if, for example, the service in the data center is still running thanks to emergency power, but access to it is repeatedly interrupted, either planned or unplanned. It is therefore time for a backup and disaster recovery strategy that is easy to implement and that answers the question posed at the beginning of this article: Where is the data in an emergency? In the backup. Checked, tested and stored according to the well-known 3-2-1-1-0 rule.

Salesforce is one of the best known and most common SaaS applications around, at the heart of what we do with and for our customers. Switzerland is therefore one of Salesforce's top global markets. In general, it can be said that the strategic value of customer and company data increases exponentially. Data-driven customer relationship management (CRM) therefore also means that defective or non-existent data directly leads to lead losses and thus to revenue losses. It is therefore all the more surprising that backups have not yet been given a particularly high priority. A survey conducted by Veeam among 800 IT decision-makers and Salesforce implementation partners revealed this and more. That could change in the near future, as IT risks increase - as does the complexity of IT environments and use cases.

What can go wrong

The Veeam investigation has revealed a clear picture of where Salesforce's data risks lie. In addition to the usual human operating errors, corrupt data due to faulty imports are also a possibility. In addition, other cloud applications can be linked directly to Salesforce - another possible source of error. Data loss can often be traced back to many other causes, such as incorrectly set permissions or hardware defects, which are certain to increase with more power outages, for example. However, the most important reason for a backup strategy is the fact that companies themselves are responsible for their data and not the provider or service.

Salesforce's main responsibility is "only" to provide the global infrastructure necessary for the service. Salesforce has built-in data replication and geo-redundancy between data centers. The Salesforce ecosystem provides a variety of tools and resources to store, back up, move and interact with Salesforce data - always with the risk of data loss. If you take a look at the help pages, you'll quickly see that a recovery process is manual and can be quite complex.

Profound effect of defects

The creation and modification of data through manual or automated processes is the responsibility of the user or the company for which they use the data. Custom applications that the user creates for their requirements, workflows, fields, and validation rules - all of this is also the responsibility of the Salesforce user.

Salesforce data consists of two components: Salesforce data and Salesforce metadata. Both are essential for the success of the often widely ramified, international sales departments. Metadata are descriptions of the company's data, for example the labeling of the fields, so entire processes can be automated with metadata. It is understandable that defects here can cause unimagined profound interactions and error cascades. Therefore, it is simply business-critical that the clean state can be restored within minutes after a data loss.

How to use Salesforce more securely

Responsibility for your own data involves more than just address and date fields, but control over the fundamentals of business continuity as well as track record. That's why Veeam believes companies need a readily available copy of their data stored in a location other than the Salesforce infrastructure and stored separately from the source. To that end, our company recently launched Veeam Backup for Salesforce was launched. This enables backups to be restored within minutes at any granularity; they can also be stored on- and off-premises in any cloud environment. Salesforce records, hierarchies, fields, files and metadata are under the complete control of a company and its user groups.

Author:
Stephan Herzig is Enterprise Technical Advisor Switzerland at Veeam

A new study by Tradeshift - in cooperation with CFO Dive - highlights the challenges finance leaders face as they grapple with an expanding role and a range of strategic responsibilities that until recently were outside the purview of the finance department. A highlight of the study is that nearly half of CFOs (45 percent) cite attracting and retaining talent as their top concern in 2022 and beyond. Other top concerns include the increased cost of goods and services (42 percent) and the adoption of new technologies (39 percent).

The right investments made, but: "Afterwards you are always smarter".

For the most part, respondents were positive about their recent technology investments. But well over half (59 percent) admitted they would have taken a different approach if they could have anticipated the events of the past few years. This tension highlights how CFOs are coping with the sudden evolution of their roles and responsibilities triggered by the seismic events of recent years.

"The upheavals of recent years have brought the evolution of the CFO role to the forefront. CFOs now have to deal with an ever-increasing range of strategic tasks," says Mikkel Hippe Brun, co-founder and general manager, payment automation, at Tradeshift. "Finance executives recognize the critical role technology must play in addressing a growing number of strategic challenges, from supply chain risk mitigation to ESG. They also recognize that any investment in technology requires an equal investment in human talent capable of handling new technologies and extracting value from new data sets."

The difficulty of identifying the top priorities

The survey further revealed that many CFOs were struggling to juggle changing priorities. Indeed, most CFOs (28 percent) said they spend too much time on traditional finance functions (areas such as treasury, accounting, treasury and controlling), while 35 percent also said they spend too little time on talent development. CFOs, however, believe they have generally done an excellent job, according to the survey. However, they said the transition from efficiency to value creation is critical. Nearly all CFOs (93 percent) are at least satisfied with their company's finance function. More than a third (38 percent) described it as excellent. Still, 49 percent of CFOs ranked providing a more detailed view of the company's cash and liquidity and 41 percent ranked automating processes through intelligent automation as high priority areas for new technology investment. To reach the next level of value creation, CFOs expect to need financial technology expertise (59 percent), followed by data and technology skills (50 percent) and knowledge of business strategy (38 percent).

Further need for investment and lack of resources

Companies are lagging behind in adopting the latest technologies to help their departments do their jobs better and more efficiently. Only one-third (35 percent) of CFOs said their latest technology projects have reached the implementation stage or beyond, with most still in the planning or proof-of-concept phase.

Furthermore, CFOs lack the necessary resources to support their teams in their work. For their teams to work better, they need better data integration (56 percent), better training (48 percent) and more modern technologies (42 percent), according to the survey. As a result of this, another finding can be gleaned: The vast majority of CFOs plan to increase budgets for digital transformation projects within their department. More than one in three respondents (36 percent) said they planned to increase technology spending by more than 26 percent, with one in five CFOs reporting an increase of more than 50 percent. Only 6 percent of respondents planned to reduce their investment in new technologies. According to the survey, CFOs place a high priority on several technology investments, but also acknowledge that their companies' main concerns about adopting new technology are many, including implementation costs (46 percent), ease of integration with an existing technical system (41 percent) and training or hiring employees who can best use the technology (38 percent).

CFOs believe their teams can meet tomorrow's challenges, but they lack skilled talent. While the vast majority (88 percent) of CFOs say they are strongly or somewhat confident that their current team can meet evolving business needs, more than a third (37 percent) say they lack the internal expertise to properly analyze their financial data.

Source reference: 

• https://hub.tradeshift.com/research-and-reports/talent-and-tech-investment-top-the-list-of-cfo-priorities-for-the-year-ahead/
• https://www.cfodive.com

The new Gold Partnership between Mazars and SVC will start from January 1, 2023 and is designed to be a long-term collaboration. José Caneda, Country Managing Partner of Mazars, is looking forward to this new engagement and says: "The partnership with SVC is an excellent opportunity for us to present and position ourselves in an inspiring SME environment in all economic regions of Switzerland. With its excellent network and the prestigious Prix SVC awards, the SVC is one of the most important platforms for entrepreneurs in Switzerland."

Mazars is a leading international firm specializing in audit, tax and legal, as well as accounting, financial advisory and consulting, with a presence in over 90 countries. More than 44,000 experts - 28,000+ in the integrated Mazars partnership, 16,000+ in the Mazars North America Alliance - work in a spirit of trust with their clients, helping them to sustainably secure and grow their business. In Switzerland, more than 300 employees work for the company at sites in Zurich, Berne, Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Sion, Delsberg and Lugano.

Mazars also on the SVC Board

As part of the new partnership, José Caneda will also sit on the SVC board. In addition, Mazars will serve with other representatives on the eight regional expert juries of the Prix SVC awards.

SVC is pleased to have found a seamless successor in the ranks of the national Gold Partners in the form of Mazars. SVC President Andreas Gerber is also convinced that the company ideally complements the existing partners in Switzerland's renowned SME network: "We are very pleased that we have once again been able to win a very competent national Gold Partner in the field of auditing and tax consulting. Mazars operates in a decidedly entrepreneurial manner and is very well positioned among medium-sized SMEs. This is a perfect fit for us, our award-winning companies and our members."

Long-term partnership with EY comes to an end

Mazars succeeds EY (Ernst & Young AG) as Gold Partner. EY was active as a Gold Partner at SVC for around 15 years. The firm was also represented on the Board, most recently by André M. Bieri, Markets Leader Switzerland & Liechtenstein. SVC would like to thank EY for its long-standing partnership and the very good cooperation in a spirit of partnership over this long period.

For more information on Mazars, please visit: www.mazars.ch; Source: Swiss Venture Club

"You're as intelligent as a refrigerator!" Many people might not take that as a compliment.

But the SmartFridge EMIL Fröhlich shows that a refrigerator can indeed be intelligent! Because the autonomous food station of the SV Group not only provides employees at a wide range of Swiss SMEs with up to 300 options of fresh, healthy and delicious meals, snacks and sweets. Thanks to the app and intelligent technology, the culinary selection is automatically refined according to the employees' tastes.

EMIL serves on demand, 24/7, conveniently and super-easy via "Tap, Grab & Go" at every workplace. Anyone who wants to keep shift workers, night porters, call center professionals, researchers after their lab appointments, flight attendants before their flights, and employees under stress or in a food desert equally happy and well fed has to have a fair amount of logistical, technical, and culinary intelligence behind them - especially if they're refrigerators.

The ultimate list of why the SmartFridge EMIL Fröhlich not only spreads good cheer, but also has a high IQ:

- "Tap, Grab & Go" - intelligently simple

Anyone who feels hungry or "Gluscht" goes to the SmartFridge and opens the EMIL app on their cell phone. One digital push of a button - and EMIL opens. Guests can select their food product directly, take it out and enjoy it right away.

IQ value: 20

- Automatic booking and billing via app - simply smart

If the refrigerator door closes, EMIL registers the product selection made via a live scan of the inventory. The "missing" product is associated directly with the EMIL user's guest account via the still-active app, where it is automatically charged and paid for. There is no need for cumbersome scanning of items and separate digital payment, as is the norm with other food ridges.

IQ score: 25

- Small but mighty: concentrated intelligence via RFID chip:

Grab&Go" RFID technology makes it possible. EMIL has a built-in radio frequency identification antenna. It recognizes each item by the RFID chip in the label. This means that EMIL always knows the status of its inventory and the purchases made by guests identified via the app - without complex sensor technology such as computer vision or weight measurement.

IQ value: 15

- EMIL is capable of learning - Smarter catering thanks to back-end knowledge

Via app and RFID, EMIL not only handles shopping seamlessly and smoothly. Via the live inventory, EMIL recognizes missing products and handles reorders of the most popular dishes in the SV Group manufactory. On this basis, EMIL Fröhlich even analyzes the shopping behavior of its guests at the individual location and adjusts the stocking in the medium term according to their preferences. The clever EMIL is capable of learning!

IQ score: 25

- Clever functionality: little data, high protection

In addition to providing information about the menu, dish, additives, and allergens, the EMIL app allows users to store almost any means of payment (except cash!) in the "wallet. And although it also sends invoice vouchers for expense debiting (with VAT no.!) or newsletters on request, all that is needed to register is an e-mail address without the need for a clear name. Only our external payment service provider sees personal data and payment method information. Who protects them securely and reliably.

IQ value: 20

- Intelligent rental model - for the benefit of all

To cater for their staff with EMIL, corporate customers, such as SME owners or HR managers, pay a monthly service fee (rental price flat rate from CHF 2100.-) for the 24/5 or 24/7 operation of EMIL, with an additional option for flat-rate subsidization of the products. Employees pay for their own consumption and thus not only enjoy high-quality curries, wraps or seasonal dishes with price points close to those in the retail trade. Since EMIL provides in-house catering, it also saves employees precious time during their lunch break! EMIL is simple, efficient, convenient - a smart catering solution!

IQ score: 12

- Smart Move: Culinary Quality and Food Safety

Based on more than 100 years of gastronomic experience of the SV Group, EMIL offers culinary top quality from fine, tasty and non-industrial production. Thanks to its own supply chain and system landscape, SV Group's self-produced products and raw materials can be traced back to their origin - if necessary, all the way to the animal breeding farm. EMIL and SV Group thus guarantee the highest level of food safety - a smart move for any responsible company when it comes to healthy catering for its workforce.

IQ value: 10

EMIL may be "just" a refrigerator, but he's got it in spades. With all its smart features, it reaches an IQ of 127 - it's actually a Smartfridge!

More important than its above-average intrinsic intelligence quotient, the SmartFridge is a Smart Choice for Swiss SMEs. Thanks to its simplicity, elegance and intelligent design, it is simply the sensible choice for entrepreneurs and HR managers who rely on objectively high-quality and flexible catering to express the highest appreciation for the workforce, even without maintaining a company canteen or restaurant.

 

Test now without obligation!

EMIL Fröhlich

Wallisellenstrasse 57

8600 Dübendorf

We will gladly advise you

T +41 79 518 84 54

info@emil-froehlich.ch

www.emil-froehlich.ch