The Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences Switzerland FFHS is the new partner university for the MSc Business Information Systems program, which is offered jointly with the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) and the OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule. The master's program is held for all participants at the FFHS's new location, the Gleisarena Campus at Zurich HB. FFHS course director Stefan Eggel is delighted: "Through the cooperation of four universities, we are taking advantage of valuable synergies. Each school has its own focus areas that it can bring to the study program."
The MSc Business Information Systems comprises 90 ECTS credits and can be completed in four semesters while working, with a recommended workload of 60 percent. Depending on the modules taken, the program can be extended to six semesters and the workload increased accordingly to up to 80 percent. The core modules cover the subject groups Digital Transformation, Digital Enterprise Management and Data Driven Enterprise. In addition, there are elective modules that can be individually combined, as well as scientific work and projects. The master's degree is completed with a master's thesis worth 15 ECTS credits.
The master will start in September 2022 and will be conducted in a face-to-face model with classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. In the future, a blended learning model combining online study and face-to-face classes will also be evaluated. The registration deadline for the start of the fall 22/23 semester is May 15. As a federally recognized university of applied sciences, FFHS has been offering part-time bachelor's and master's degree programs as well as continuing education in the fields of business, information technology, engineering, law and health since 1998. It has campuses in Zurich, Basel, Bern and Brig and employs around 150 academic and administrative staff and over 500 (part-time) lecturers. The FFHS currently has around 2900 students. In its research institutes, the FFHS also conducts application-oriented research in the areas of Web Science, Management & Innovation, and E-Learning in accordance with the performance mandate of the federal government.
More information. Source: FFHS
After the Shareholders' Meeting of Helvetia Holding AG had been held without the physical participation of shareholders in the past two years, it was again possible to attend the 26th Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting on site at the Olma Messen St.Gallen. The 1810 shareholders present and entitled to vote (representing 64.8 percent of the share capital) approved the management report, the annual financial statements and the consolidated financial statements for 2021. They also discharged the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Management for their activities in the past financial year.
In her presidential address, outgoing BoD President Doris Russi Schurter addressed the need for reform in the pension system, which was both compelling and urgent due to demographic changes. "The challenge has long been known: We are living longer and longer. The baby boomers are retiring. That costs us more than we pay in. Also because we're getting almost no more interest," Doris Russi Schurter explained and immediately outlined a solution: "Save more, pay out a little less and a little longer in return, and work a little longer." In conclusion, she said: "Switzerland deserves a secure pension system.
Dr. Philipp Gmür, Group CEO of Helvetia, informed the Shareholders' Meeting about the 2021 financial year. Thanks to profitable growth, a substantial contribution from the Spanish company Caser and a very good investment result, Helvetia was able to significantly increase its profit and business volume. Helvetia also made a successful start to the new strategy period. helvetia 20.25 and is investing in customer convenience in particular, the report continues. Thus, the successful business model of Smile, the digital lifestyle brand in Switzerland among insurers, is now to be launched in European country markets as well. The launch will take place in Austria. The aim is to establish Smile as the leading online insurer in this market by the end of the strategy period.
The Annual General Meeting approved a dividend of CHF 5.50 per share (previous year: CHF 5.00). With this dividend increase of 10 percent, shareholders will benefit from the good financial year 2021 as well as from the successful acquisition of Caser and the associated strengthening of earnings power and dividend capacity.
The shareholders elected Dr. Thomas Schmuckli as the new Chairman. Dr. Thomas Schmuckli has been a member and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Helvetia Holding AG since 2018. In addition, he has led the Board of Directors of Helvetia's anchor shareholder, Patria Genossenschaft, since 2019. He will relinquish this mandate as of May 13, 2022. As announced, Doris Russi Schurter, the previous Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, did not stand for re-election due to a stroke of family fate. Dr. Thomas Schmuckli paid tribute to her services to Helvetia at the Shareholders' Meeting: "Doris Russi Schurter has played a decisive role in the further development of Helvetia into a European financial services provider. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Doris Russi Schurter most sincerely for her many years of service to Helvetia."
The shareholders also elected Luigi Lubelli as a new member of the Board of Directors. He lives in Spain and has many years of operational and strategic experience in the insurance industry in Italy and Spain, which are important country markets for Helvetia. Due to the term limit for members of the Board of Directors, Prof. Dr. Christoph Lechner did not stand for re-election.
Furthermore, the Annual General Meeting approved the total amounts of the fixed compensation of the members of the Board of Directors as well as the fixed and variable compensation of the Group Executive Committee.
Source and further information: Helvetia
With 21,828 successfully integrated persons, the 26 cantonal IV offices were able to record a slight increase in the integration figures of 0.7 percent in 2021. This stabilization at a high level could not be taken for granted in the second year of the pandemic, according to a media release from the IV-Stellen-Konferenz (IVSK). The almost 22,000 people who were integrated benefited from the principle of "integration before pension". They were either able to keep their current job (14,062 people) or find a new job in the general labor market (7,766 people). This shows that the measures of early detection and early intervention are effectively applied by the IV offices. After all, reintegration into working life is the core task of the IV.
Florian Steinbacher, President of the IVSK, is very pleased about the stable development. "We could not assume that the good result of the previous year would be repeated. The dedication and commitment of the employees at the IV offices are unbroken." In addition to the nearly 22,000 people integrated into the first labor market, there are 824 who were integrated into the so-called second labor market. "We must not forget that behind the numbers are individual fates and stories. If we have made a contribution to people experiencing an improvement in their situation, we are very pleased," adds Florian Steinbacher. The success stories are also written by the employers and the institutions, without whose support the integration would not work.
The IV revision that has now come into force will in particular optimize IV measures and the integration offers for adolescents and young adults, it says. The IV supports this target group on their training path with a wide range of vocational measures. This is reflected in the steadily increasing number of benefits granted, the IVSK added. Last year, 15,894 people in Switzerland were undergoing initial vocational training supported by the IV. This development should be viewed positively and underlines the integration idea of the IV.
Source and further information: IV-Stellen-Conference
Samuel Meyer becomes the new CEO of Bank Cler. At the same time, he will become an Associate Member of the Executive Committee of Basler Kantonalbank. In his new role, Samuel Meyer will continue to head the Sales division. With this move, Bank Cler wants to emphasize the importance of customer focus and proximity in its future positioning, according to a media release. Bank Cler Ltd. is headquartered in Basel. Its offering is focused on the needs of private and real estate clients as well as private banking. In the 2021 financial year, the bank generated net interest income of CHF 181.3 million.
The choice of Samuel Meyer as CEO of Bank Cler represents "a clear signal for the future orientation of Bank Cler as a distribution bank," according to the statement. In making its selection, the board of directors said it attached importance to a great deal of experience in the banking business, strength of implementation and a pronounced customer orientation. Meyer brings exactly these prerequisites with him. Together with his management team, he has successfully developed the sales department over the past two years and focused the sales organization even more strongly on customers, Bank Cler continues to write. Samuel Meyer will take up his position as CEO on May 1, 2022. He succeeds Mariateresa Vacalli, who is leaving the bank due to her nomination to the Board of Directors of Swiss Post Ltd.
Samuel Meyer started his career at UBS in 2002. After an all-round internship, he first became Head of the UBS Ahornhof branch. He then managed various branches in the Basel-Stadt area before becoming Head of Private Clients UBS Rayon Basel Aeschenvorstadt at the end of 2017 and was appointed Deputy Head of Private Clients UBS Basel Region at the beginning of 2018. From August 2018 to October 2019, he was Head of Private Clients at Basler Kantonalbank BKB and Deputy Head of Sales Private Clients BKB. Since November 2019, he has been Head of Sales at Bank Cler. Samuel Meyer is married and father of four children.
In addition to the areas of sales and finance and risk, a third business area is being created to strengthen sales. This comprises units responsible for the development, management and support of sales. The Board of Directors of Bank Cler has initiated an evaluation process for the management of this business area. This person will also become a member of the Executive Board at the same time. A communication on this will follow as soon as the decision has been made.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Basil Heeb, is convinced that with Samuel Meyer, Bank Cler has nominated the ideal CEO for its future direction and planned growth. "I am very pleased that we have been able to recruit Samuel Meyer as a successor from the existing management team. With his extensive experience in the banking business, his high level of customer orientation and his entrepreneurial thinking, Samuel Meyer is the ideal candidate for this position."
Source: Bank Cler
Lyreco has been using renewable electricity at its Dintikon site for around ten years. Now, in line with Lyreco's sustainability strategy, a photovoltaic plant is being built on the roof of the logistics center in Dintikon. Around 3000 solar panels on a total area of 5424 m2implemented by partner Romande Energie, will supply the Dintikon site with ecological electricity from solar energy from April 2022. The newly constructed plant will be able to generate 1.1 gigawatt hours of solar power per year, which is equivalent to the demand of 450 apartments. The Lyreco logistics center will use around 40 percent of this for its own use, with the remaining 60 percent flowing directly into Romande Energie's solar power grid. The solar plant is designed for a useful life of 30 years. According to Romande Energie, it will use the latest generation of solar panels, which are 15 to 20 percent more efficient than older models.
Sustainability is firmly anchored in Lyreco's corporate philosophy. That is why the company says it is consistently committed to further minimizing its ecological footprint and reducing CO2 emissions. This is to be achieved, for example, with environmentally friendly transport via rail, by E-Van or e-rickshaw - or with the robust and climate-neutral reusable boxes made from recycled material, which are used up to six times on average. The company's goal is to reduce CO2 emissions in Switzerland by 15 percent by 2024 compared to 2019. Ecologically produced electricity from solar energy is intended to bring the company an important step closer to this goal.
Source: Lyreco
For the past two years, the Höhere Fachschule für Aussenwirtschaft (HFA) in Aarau and procure.ch have been strongly represented in the Swiss market with a joint educational offering, the course for foreign trade specialists with a federal certificate. This positive collaboration will now be comprehensively expanded, according to the two organizations. Retroactive to January 1, 2022, procure.ch, the professional association of buyers in Switzerland, will take over the Swiss College of Foreign Trade. The takeover is part of the succession plan for the HFA, which was previously family-owned and characterized by a correspondingly lived culture and commitment to quality. The takeover by procure.ch is intended to secure both the continuation of the previous company culture and the successful market presence in the long term. The previous owners of HFA will remain associated with procure.ch and HFA. The current Chairman of the Board of Directors, Urs Angliker, will continue to directly oversee projects until the end of 2023 and thus support the newly appointed operational Managing Director, Fabian Angliker, as required from May 1, 2022. The HFA brand will remain fully intact. The cooperations with procure.ch will be expanded.
As the The HFA's positioning as a provider of training in the foreign trade environment is strengthened by the the Education provider around the procurement, procure.ch ideal, as it says in the communication. The services for members will be expanded. The joint market presence will be strengthened and HFA will be managed as an additional, independent brand. All employees will be taken over, as both organizations will continue to be run in parallel. As a result, the understanding of quality as well as the expertise will remain fully intact. Both organizations are pleased about this logical and positive step into the future.
Source and further information: www.procure.ch, www.aussenwirtschaft.biz
In January 2021, Axept acquired the ERNE Group as a new major customer. This group of companies from the construction industry, which is in the fourth generation of family ownership, examined the replacement of the previously used software solution based on SAP in an extensive concept phase and searched for a new digitization partner. The concept phase was successfully completed at the end of 2021 and the implementation phase started in the first quarter of 2022. Axept will provide more than 10,000 service hours in the project until the go-live date. Almost all available Abacus applications will be introduced. The high requirements in the area of data management due to the connection of more than 10 different software solutions are implemented by Axept on the basis of AXsuite. Data analysis is done with AXview, Axept's BI solution , with which different systems can be connected and the data can be displayed and analyzed in the form of key figures and dashboards.
After other large and innovative construction companies, the ERNE Group now also relies on the specialists and products of Axept. Axept will ensure the Abacus business software, which is tailored to customer needs, as well as its constant support and permanent further development from the planned go live on January 1, 2023. Thomas Brühlmeier, CFO at the ERNE Group, is convinced that the collaboration with Axept will enable the new Abacus system landscape to be used optimally: "Digital transformation is and remains an important topic. The effects of digitalization, especially the implementation of integrated processes as well as new ways of communication, will lead to more efficiency, better quality and new opportunities in our company." Brühlmeier adds that in Axept they have found a partner who stands for a holistic introduction as well as sustainable support and further development of the new system.
"We are extremely pleased to be working with the ERNE Group. The trust placed in us confirms our leading role as an Abacus software integrator and additionally strengthens our market position in the construction industry. Our most important concern in the coming years is to accompany innovative Swiss companies into a successful digital future. The challenging major project with ERNE will help us to achieve this," comments Raphael Kohler, CEO and Partner at Axept Business Software AG. The software company, founded in 2006, implements business management solutions with Abacus Business Software, Business Intelligence Software from Qlik and PROVIS for well-known Swiss companies, not only from the construction industry.
Source and further information: www.axept.ch / www.erne-gruppe.ch
IT security service provider Sophos has published its annual "State of Ransomware 2022" study. It provides an overview of the development of ransomware in practice. The report shows that 60% of companies surveyed in Switzerland (globally 66%) were affected by ransomware in 2021, up from 46% in 2020. The average ransom paid by Swiss companies whose data was encrypted in their largest ransomware attack has decreased by around 6%, amounting to CHF 84,052 (CHF 89,147 in the previous year). 35% (globally 46%) of Swiss companies whose data was encrypted paid the ransom to get their data back, even if they had other means of data recovery, such as backups. The report summarizes the impact of ransomware on 5,600 SMBs in 31 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, with 965 companies internationally (7 in Switzerland) providing specific details on ransomware payments.
"In addition to escalating payments, the survey also shows that the percentage of victims willing to pay continues to rise, even when they have other options available to them," said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist at Sophos. "There could be several reasons for this, such as incomplete backups or preventing the publication of stolen data on a public-leaks site. After a ransomware attack, there is often a lot of pressure to restore operations as quickly as possible. Restoring encrypted data using backups can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Therefore, it is seemingly tempting to pay a ransom for data decryption because it appears to be a quick option. However, this approach comes with high risks. Companies do not know what the attackers may have done on the network besides the ransomware attack, such as installing backdoors for future attacks or copying passwords. In a worst-case scenario, if organizations don't thoroughly clean up the recovered data, they still end up with potentially malicious programs on their network and may be exposed to another attack."
The "State of Ransomware 2022'" survey looks at ransomware incidents and experiences in 2021. The survey was conducted by Vanson Bourne, an independent market research specialist, in January and February 2022. For the global survey, "affected by ransomware" was defined as one or more devices affected by a ransomware attack but not necessarily encrypted. Unless otherwise noted, respondents were asked to report on their most significant attack. The key findings of the study can be summarized as follows:
"The findings suggest that we may have reached a peak in the evolution of ransomware, where attackers' greed for ever-higher ransom payments collides head-on with a hardening of the cyberinsurance market. Insurers are increasingly seeking to reduce their ransomware risk and exposure," said Chester Wisniewski. "In recent years, it has become easier and easier for cybercriminals to deploy ransomware because almost everything is available as a service. In addition, many cyber insurance providers have covered a wide range of recovery costs due to ransomware, including the ransom, which has likely contributed to ever-increasing ransom demands. The findings also suggest that cyber insurance providers are getting tougher, and victims of ransomware may be less willing or less able to pay extremely high ransoms in the future. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to reduce the overall risk of a ransomware attack. Ransomware attacks are not as resource intensive as other more crafted cyberattacks. Therefore, any ransomware is a worthwhile payoff, and cybercriminals will continue to seek out the easy targets."
How to protect yourself from extortion malware
Sophos recommends the following best practices to protect against ransomware and similar cyberattacks:
- Installation and maintenance of high-quality protective measures throughout the company. Regular audits and security checks ensure that the security measures permanently meet the company's requirements.
- Actively search for threats to identify and stop attackers before they can carry out their attacks. If the IT or security team does not have the resources or knowledge to do this themselves, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) specialists should be engaged.
- Harden the IT environment by detecting and closing dangerous security vulnerabilities, such as unpatched devices, unprotected machines, or open RDP ports, are identified and eliminated by Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions.
- Be prepared for the worst. Companies should know what to do if a cyber incident occurs and keep the contingency plan up to date.
- Creating backups and testing recovery so the business can resume operations as quickly as possible with minimal disruption.
Source and further information: Sophos
Four out of five executives believe that HR and business issues have never been more closely intertwined. That's why it's critical for companies to be more open and approachable, helping potential employees make the right choice when looking for the right employer. This and more is a finding of Mercer's new 2022 "Global Talent Trends" study, titled "The Rise of the Relatable Organization." Drawing on insights from nearly 11,000 executives, HR leaders and employees, the research identifies trends in how to build authentic and credible organizations in an environment of heightened risk.
"Today, more than ever, talent and employees expect employers to make a contribution to society and thus also to make their values visible to the outside world," says Stephan Pieronczyk, Partner and Leader of the Transformation Practice Europe at Mercer. "At the same time, people are also looking closely at how companies behave internally. Do they show empathy, understanding and flexibility towards employees? Especially in the last two years of the global pandemic, these points were extremely in focus and topics like remote working, flexible working and also the physical, mental, financial and social well-being of employees had a whole new significance." The challenge, of course, is also to make the necessary progress here while dealing with inflationary pressures, adapting to new crises and dealing with different views on the future of work, Pieronczyk added.
1. refocusing on relevance
Staying relevant requires adapting to the changing values of customers, employees and investors. This requires a realignment of priorities and a new work model that is adaptable, seamlessly engages people, and redefines the talent experience. Companies that put their core values into action - through corporate goals, work standards and investment strategies - will build better relationships with their stakeholders and be better able to deliver business results. And they will allow employees across the organization to make value-based decisions every day.
"Companies that fail to listen and constantly adapt to their employees and other stakeholders will lose the ability to raise capital, attract and retain talent, and stay relevant," said Ilya Bonic, Head of Strategy and Career President at Mercer. Authentic and credible companies, on the other hand, would be clear about what they stand for. In addition, he said, they make it a priority to set good labor standards that reflect the values of their stakeholders in a changing world. "They listen relentlessly to what drives consumer and employee behavior, and their strategy focuses on building cultures and practices that are adaptable by design," Bonic said.
2. partnership work
The study shows that people no longer want to work for a company, but with a company. Nearly all executives (96 percent) say we are in an employee-centric labor market, and 70 percent of recruiters predict higher-than-average turnover this year - especially with regard to younger workers and those in the digital space. Partnering means re-evaluating the relationship between employees and employers. Reliable companies are recognizing the value of "partnership" rather than "leadership" and are doing so by evolving their return-to-work strategies into sustainable models for the future of work. Kate Bravery, author of the report and Global Leader of Advisory Solutions & Insights at Mercer, adds, "The future of work will only be successful if everyone feels they are getting a fair deal and benefit from an equal relationship between employer and individual, regardless of employment status or the type of work he or she does. Today, it's not just knowledge workers who are demanding flexible options that work with their lives, but all workers - from shop floor laborers to truck drivers."
"Authentic, credible companies are welcoming new work models (talent in flexible roles that are no longer fixed, agile ways of working, optimizing the interaction of people and automation) and different ways of engaging talent in work (gig, variable/seasonal, shared, part-time, full-time). But so far, fewer than one in five companies are reviewing the terms and benefits of gig working," says Ravin Jesuthasan, Global Leader for Transformation Services at Mercer. "It will be critical to ensure that all relationships across the talent ecosystem are fully supported to be active parts of the corporate culture when it comes to adopting a new work system and achieving the goal of sustainable agility."
3. improve the overall well-being
The pandemic exposed and widened the health and wealth gaps between different populations, underscoring that accessibility and affordability of care are not enough. Shifting the focus from reducing health care costs to optimizing investments to keep people healthy and engaged is key to "people sustainability."
"Employees are more stressed than ever - and the study's findings show that companies could be doing more to offer a holistic and inclusive wellbeing strategy that meets the needs of a multi-generational and diverse workforce," said Lutz Krepper, Commercial Head at Mercer Switzerland. "Our experience with many Swiss
Companies show that although the topic of wellbeing is often on the agenda, many organizations do not know how they can make the right progress here and also offer their employees the right benefits and support. What's important here are benchmarks to properly rank themselves within the market, digital focus groups to understand what employees really want, and also digital tools and platforms to reach everyone with benefits and wellbeing offerings, whether in the office or remotely."
4. build employability
The pandemic has accelerated the corporate retraining race, but in many cases, related initiatives have been disconnected from the company's strategy for the future. A strategy that addresses both current and future talent needs can ensure employees are and remain employable. Skills-based models allow companies to deploy talent more flexibly and draw on broader and more diverse talent pools - already a priority for one in three companies.
"As skills become the currency of work, there is an urgent need to rethink how work is done and how skills are made visible. Authentic and credible companies not only know the potential of their employees in their talent ecosystem, but are using AI and technology to figure out which careers to
could have tomorrow," Ravin Jesuthasan explains.
5. use of the collective energy
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of new technologies, business models and modern ways of working. Experiencing this magnitude of change in a compressed period of time, in addition to the fatigue caused by these events, has taken its toll. The percentage of employees who report feeling energized has dropped significantly - from 74 percent in 2019 to 63 percent this year, the lowest in the seven-year history of this study. At the same time, employees are more optimistic about the future: When asked what the future of work will look like, 51 percent of respondents said they expect it to be more balanced, with more time for family, hobbies, health and learning.
Nearly all companies (97 percent) are planning an enterprise-wide transformation this year, but employee fatigue is cited by all three stakeholder groups as the biggest barrier to implementation. Employees also cite organizational complexity as a critical barrier. It will be critical in the course of restructuring,
rethink the employee experience with energy in mind, as 65 percent of executives believe that automating HR processes has caused them to lose valuable contact between HR and the business. What is needed, therefore, is to promote digital adoption and improve communication, as Kate Bravery explains. In addition, she says, there is a need to redesign HR based on desired target interactions with the new personas who occupy jobs and workspaces.
Source: Mercer
Head of sales Alfred Widmer is leaving Allianz Suisse. The succession process will be started immediately, according to a statement from the insurance group. Alfred Widmer took over the role as head of sales only at the beginning of October 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. He succeeded Severin Moser at that time. Previously, Widmer was CEO of legal protection insurer Axa-Arag.
Despite the difficult starting conditions, Alfred Widmer quickly succeeded in building up a functioning network in the sales organization, Allianz Suisse reports. Under his leadership, the course was successfully set for the transformation of the sales organization and measures were launched to strengthen the sales force and customer relationships and to support the expansion of customers across channels. In addition, Alfred Widmer continued to drive forward the broker business, the direct channel and the automotive cooperation business.
Alfred Widmer is leaving Allianz Suisse at his own request to pursue a new professional challenge. "We regret his decision and thank Alfred Widmer for his great commitment. We wish him all the best and much success for his future career and private life. As Head of Sales, he has laid the foundation for a continued successful future," emphasizes Ruedi Kubat, CEO of Allianz Suisse.
Source: Allianz Suisse
