2021 VI Podium, Speakers
October 15, 2021, 12:45 pm to 6:30 pm, University of San Gallen, Main Building, Room 01-012. Guisanstrasse, 9010 St.Gallen
Brief presentations of speakers and moderators
Daniel is an expert in internationalization and market expansion. As co-founder and manager of Ongresso, he and his team help companies and investors identify and develop market opportunities in Latin America. He also advises and supports European scaleups in their international expansion.
Previously, Daniel held different management positions in multinational companies and lived in seven countries on three continents.
He holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen and lives in Appenzell with his Colombian wife and two children.
Digital Champion Leader & Control System Line Manager at ABB
Responsible for ABB Ability Digitalization Projects in Peru, with specialization studies in Control and Automation Engineering. More than 20 years of work experience in engineering, development, promotion and sale of automation systems for the industrial market, using new technologies based on Distributed Control Systems, SCADA Systems and industrial communication networks.
Alberto Pedro D’Alotto
Ambassador of Argentina. Alberto D’Alotto has been Ambassador of Argentina to Switzerland since 2021. Previously, from 2018 to 2020 he was Ambassador to South Africa, and from 2012 to 2016 he was Ambassador to International Organizations in Geneva. He was Vice-Chancellor (2010/2011) and Chief of Staff to the Chancellor (2006/2010).
He joined the Foreign Service in 1984. He holds a Law degree from the Complutense University of Madrid, and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Political Science from the University of Paris-Sorbonne.
Pablo Denis
Training
- Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship in Chemistry (dual training), NOVARTIS Nyon, Switzerland + Technical Baccalaureate in Chemistry
- Federal Diploma in Industrial Information Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland (dual training)
- Bachelor of Software Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland (Dual Education)
- Diploma of Advanced Studies in Vocational Training, USNAM Argentina
- Master’s Degree in Education, Technology Emphasis, Universidad del Atlantico, Spain
Professional experience
- 7 years Water and environmental control laboratory, Switzerland (Tutor apprentices)
- 4 years ETML Technical School – Apprentice Tutor
- 4 years CTO Company Tarkus.ch (Software Services) Switzerland, France
- Expert in dual training exams (IT profession)
- 4 years SWISSTOPO, Swiss Federal Topography, Ministry of Defense, Bern, Switzerland
Teaching
- Diploma in Dual Vocational Training (SFIVET) and Adult Trainer, Lausanne.
- 8 years Teacher in Dual Education, Lausanne & Morges, Switzerland
- 4 years Teacher at UCUDAL, UTU, IMES, IBEC, UDE, Uruguay; Catholic University of La Plata, Argentina
- Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Uruguay (former secretary and former vice president), SWISSTEC
- Consultant and expert in Technology & Geomatics since 2013, Uruguay, Argentina.
- Smart Cities Projects, IoT, Environmental Sensors, Computer Security
- Implementation of dual training projects in electromobility, logistics and ICT (Uruguay)
- Design of dual training plans in Paraguay
- Workshops at Swiss Chambers of Commerce in Argentina, Peru, Paraguay & Panama
Evandro Didonet
DOB: 1958
Career diplomat since 1980
Since 2018: Ambassador of Brazil to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein
2016-2018 – Permanent Representative to the WTO and Other Economic Organizations in Geneva (WIPO, ITU, UNCTAD, South Center)
2012-2016 – Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna (United Nations Office in Vienna, UNIDO, IACA)
Jaime E. Duarte
Jaime is co-founder and CEO of MyoSwiss AG, a company at the forefront of developing technology for people with mobility issues. The MyoSwiss team is the creator of the Myosuit, a wearable robotic device that assists users with activities of daily living such as walking, sitting, or climbing stairs.
Prior to founding MyoSwiss, Jaime was a postdoc at the Sensory and Motor Systems Laboratory at the Zurich Polytechnic (ETH Zurich) where he researched the use of robotic technologies for rehabilitation and motor learning. Jaime earned his PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.
Vanina Farber
He is an economist and political scientist specializing in social innovation, entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, with also almost twenty years of teaching, researching and consultancy experience, working with academic institutions, multinational corporations and international organizations. She is the holder of the eleaChair for Social Innovation.
In her research, Vanina is interested in studying and fostering the application of innovative, practical, sustainable and inclusive market oriented approaches that aspire to change the world by eliminating the root causes of social ills. Her research focuses on social entrepreneurship, impact investing and sustainable finance.
Vanina is also interested in education and pedagogy. She has studied how case based/experiential learning affect the intention of graduating students to become social and responsible entrepreneurs. Some of the results can be found in the article “In Alain Gibb’s footsteps: Evaluating alternative approaches to sustainable enterprise education,” published in the International Journal of Management Education in 2016. She currently opened a third line of research focusing on the personality treatments of social entrepreneurs. Do social entrepreneurs think differently? Are there different personality traits, risk profiles or social anchors that differentiate social from purely commercial entrepreneurs? What makes, if anything, a social entrepreneur different?
In November 2020, Farboerco-authored with Peter Wufllithe book “The eleaWay: a Learning Journey towards Sustainable impact,” Routhlege. The book summarizes insights from elea’s 15-year pioneering journey, from creating an investment organization, choosing purposeful themes, and sourcing opportunities, to partnering with entrepreneurs for impact creation. This includes suggestions on how to lead impact enterprises in such areas as developing strategies, plans, and models; building effective teams and organizations; managing resources; and handling crises. Using real-life examples, this is valuable reading for entrepreneurs, investors, executives, philanthropists, policymakers, and anyone curious about entrepreneurship and even capitalism.
Prior to coming to IMD, Vanina was Professor and Chair of Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Inclusion at Universidad del Pacífico, Peru, where she was also the Dean of the Graduate School of Business from 2014 to 2016. From 2005 to 2017 she was also an Adjunct Professor for IE Business School, Spain, where she taught Economic Environment and Country Analysis in blended programs and designed and co-directed the training course for professors “Leadership in Blended Education”.
Vanina has worked as a researcher and consultant for different international organizations and national institutions in Switzerland, Spain and Peru.
Vanina holds a Bachelor in Political Science from the University of Buenos Aires and an MA in Economics and PhD in business administration (economics) from the University of Memphis in the USA.
Laurent Freixe
Executive Vice President & CEO Zone Americas, Nestlé SA
Date / Place of birth: 1962 in Paris, France Nationality: French
Experience
- 2014 Executive Vice President and CEO Zone Americas Nestlé SA
USD 35 bn in sales. 90000 employees. 142 factories. 96 Distribution Centers - 2008 Executive Vice President, Nestlé SA Head of Zone Europe
- 2007 Market Head Nestlé Iberian Region, with responsibility for Spain and Portugal
2003 Market Head Nestlé Hungary - 1999 Head Nutrition Division, Nestlé France
- 1998 Marketing Manager Confectionery Division, Nestlé France
- 1994 Marketing Manager Nutrition and Dairy, Nestlé France
- 1986 Joined Nestlé France as a sales representative
Education
- Program for Executive Development, IMD, Switzerland
Ecole de Hautes Etudes Commerciales du Nord (EDHEC), Lille, France, specializing in marketing
Languages
- French, English, Spanish, German
Global board memberships
- Member of the Supervisory Board, Cereal Partners Worldwide, Switzerland
- Member of the Supervisory Board of Froneri SA., Luxembourg
- Chairman of the GAN (Global Apprenticeship Network), Switzerland
Warrior Francis
Francisco is Vice President of Legal & Public Affairs at Nestlé Venezuela SA, President of the Knowledge Alliance of the Venezuelan-Swiss Institute «Henri Pittier», and member of the Venezuelan-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CVSCI).
Teaching experience at the Post-Graduate level at the Arturo Michelena University, Metropolitan University, Institute of Advanced Studies in Procedural Law in the courses of Procedural Labor Law, General Theory of Resources, General Theory of Social Security, Theory of Argumentation and Conditions and Work Environment.
Instructor in Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Advanced Negotiation and Strategic Planning.
Urs Gujan
Bühler Group. Graduate in Law and Business Administration from HSG. During his long business career he has worked as Regional Financial Director (Americas), as HR Director in South America, Head of Finance and Administration in the USA, Argentina, India and Brazil and has also been a business consultant for strategic investment projects and business development, managing all aspects of financial control and management, financial reporting according to IFRS, regional integration processes, transfer and restructuring of branches, among others.
Christian Hauser
is a Professor of Business Economics and International Management at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons (FHGR) and visiting scholar at the Digital Society Initiative (DSI) of the University of Zurich, both Switzerland. I have studied Latin American Studies at the Universities of Cologne/Germany, Lisbon/Portugal and Fortaleza/Brazil. He is co-founder and member of the advisory board of the junior enterprise Connosco, Cologne, and co-founder of the Cologne Latin America Symposium (CLAS) and the European Latin America Forum (ELAF). In 2006, he earned his doctorate in economics at the University of Cologne. During his doctoral study, he worked at the Center for the Portuguese Speaking World at the University of Cologne. In 2006, he joined the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn as a postdoctoral research associate. Since July 2007, he has been working at the FHGR on topics including international entrepreneurship, SME and private sector development, corporate responsibility and business integrity. Dr Hauser is a member of the topical platform Ethics of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW). He is a member of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Working Group on Anti-Corruption and head of the first PRME Business Integrity Action Center in Europe. PRME is the academic branch of the United Nations Global Compact (GC).
Cecilia Jaber Breceda
Ambassador of Mexico. A career diplomat since 1981, she has been Ambassador (since 2005) to Ireland, Jamaica, the Bahamas and currently Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Since the beginning of her career, she has worked in bilateral representations such as France and Canada, as well as multilateral representations in Italy. At the SRE, she has worked in the areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Asia, Africa and the Middle East; in international organizations and multilateral affairs and has held the General Directorates for Europe and for Educational and Cultural Cooperation. She has taught at the Universidad Iberoamericana and at the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City.
Martina Celine de Kaenel
Since 2019, Martina Céline de Kaenel has been Deputy Head of Mission at the Swiss Embassy in Uruguay and Paraguay. In this role, she is responsible for political and economic analysis in the host countries, seed projects and promoting Switzerland’s image. In 2021, she developed and co-moderated the series of talks “circular transitions” with the aim of bringing together actors from Switzerland, Uruguay and Paraguay in discussions on the transition to a circular economy.
Before coming to Montevideo, she worked in Switzerland, Sudan and East Timor. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies with a specialization in human rights and humanitarian law.
Hervé Lohr
Hervé is Deputy Head of Bilateral Economic Relations and Head of the Americas at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). He is responsible for trade and investment relations between Switzerland and the countries of the Americas. Prior to his current position, he was Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the OECD, Paris (2016-2019). Before that (2009-2015), Hervé worked in the Division of International Economic Law at SECO, serving as its Head from 2021 to 2015. In this capacity, he led negotiations on competition, trade safeguard measures, legal and institutional aspects, such as dispute resolution.
Prior to working for SECO, Hervé served as Head of European Affairs for the Canton of Zurich (2005-2008), advising and representing the cantonal government in negotiations on air traffic at Zurich Airport between Switzerland and Germany. Hervé was also Head of the International Agreements and Cooperation Division of the State Secretariat for Migration (2000-2005), in which he developed and conducted migration dialogues with countries of origin and transit of migrants. At the beginning of his career (1995-2000), he was a political advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières and conducted several missions and field visits in Uganda, Ethiopia, Georgia, the Philippines, Colombia, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Hervé obtained his law degree from the University of Neuchâtel and an LL.M. in International Economic Law from the University of Zurich. In addition to his native French, he speaks English, German and Spanish.
Philippe G. Nell
is University Lecturer on trade, investment and integration policy as well as negotiating techniques, and Honorary Ambassador of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland. Until October 2019, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Bilateral Economic Affairs and Head of the Americas Unit at the Swiss Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. He held the diplomatic title of Minister. Mr. Nell holds a Ph. D from the Graduate School of International Studies of the University of Denver and Masters from the Universities of Fribourg, Carleton (Ottawa) and Denver. He is Privat Docent at the University of Friborg where he dispenses courses. He has published numerous articles on trade and integration policy as well as a book on Swiss-EU negotiations for the European Economic Area. He has published numerous articles on trade and integration policy. In September 2020, I have released a book «Strategy with China: Swiss Cooperation or US Confrontation. The Swiss Successful Path with a Free Trade Agreement» available at the Foundation Jean Monnet for Europe in Lausanne.
Alexandra Pazzinini
Alexa began her career in sales and claims for a mutual insurance company in Toulouse, France in 1997. She moved to the United States in 2000 and held different roles in the legal profession. She worked in public law with a United Nations-affiliated NGO, a trusts and estates law firm, and later at a Wall Street law firm, Cozen O’Connor, before joining Swiss Re in 2005.
At Swiss Re, Alexa led various roles in the Legal division, leading the Latin America legal department in 2007, where she supported Swiss Re on all matters related to transactions, corporate, compliance and regulatory matters. In 2018, Alexa was appointed Global Head of P&C Contracts and was tasked with delivering world-class commercial advisory services and managing contractual risks. She led a team of approximately 40 lawyers and professionals. She is now Head of the Group-level Contracts Department, where she leads the contractual transformation of the Swiss Re group and drives the digitalisation of contracts.
Alexa holds a postgraduate degree in Business Law from the University of Social Sciences in Toulouse, France, a Master’s degree in International and European Law from the University d’Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and an LL.M. in International Business and Commercial Law from Fordham Law School in New York, USA. She is a barrister in New York and a French legal adviser. Born in Nicaragua, Alexa has lived in Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Cambodia, Haiti, France and the United States. She is fluent in Spanish, French, English and Portuguese and conversational in German. Alexa is based in Zurich and is married and the mother of three young children.
Yvette Sanchez
Yvette Sánchez is the Director of the Swiss Latin American Centre (CLS-HSG) of the Leading House for the Latin American Region and Chair of Hispanic Studies at the University of St. Gallen. With the aim of bridging the gap between social and cultural studies, she currently manages various projects related to the Latin American region, such as the Swiss Graduate School of Latin American Studies (SSLAS) or the HSG research network called Transcultural Workspaces.
Jose R. Sanchez-Fung
Dr. Sánchez-Fung is a Dominican economist with over 25 years of experience in academia and public service. He is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Dominican Republic to the Swiss Confederation (Bern).
Previously, he served for over two decades as a professor of economics at the University of Nottingham (Ningbo, China), Kingston University in London (tenure), and the University of Kent (Canterbury, England). He also served as Director of the Department of Monetary Programming and Economic Studies of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Honorary Advisor to the Senate, Visiting Researcher at the Central Bank of Finland in Helsinki, and Associate Scholar at the People’s (Central) Bank of China’s Nottingham-Ningbo research center.
Dr. Sánchez-Fung is the author of multiple articles in academic journals, and co-author (with Subrata Ghatak) of the textbook ‘Monetary Economics in Developing Countries’ published by the English publisher Palgrave Macmillan. He earned PhD and MA degrees in economics from the University of Kent, England, and a BA in economics from PUCMM in Santo Domingo. Sánchez-Fung is married and has three children.
Philippe Schneuwly
Philippe Schneuwly is the Managing Director of Swisscontact, a foundation that has been implementing economic development projects in more than 40 countries worldwide since 1959. During his 20-year professional career he has worked in different Latin American countries including Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Costa Rica. He has several years of experience as a researcher on topics of competitiveness, innovation, international trade and SME development. In addition, he has designed, coordinated, supervised and evaluated numerous vocational training and rural development projects. Philippe Schneuwly holds a degree in economics from the University of Zurich and a PhD from the University of St. Gallen.
Fabien Spychiger
Fabien is a seasoned cybersecurity professional and founding member and CEO of Dreamlab Technologies in Latin America. He has over 10 years of experience helping international clients design, implement and manage their cybersecurity strategy. He is also a founding member of the first bug bounty company in Latin America.
Fabien has extensive international experience leading security audit, pentesting and advisory services for clients across a wide range of industries including banking, finance, telecommunications, retail, mining and transportation.
His main areas of expertise include: Cybersecurity Governance, Pentesting, Cyber Threat Analysis,
Industrial Control System – SCADA, Compliance Analysis, Standards (OSSTMM, PCI, NIST, ISO).
Erika Velazquez
From 2019 to present, she is Deputy Vice President, Global Head of Digital Ecosystem at ABB Electrification in Zurich, Switzerland. She has more than ten years of experience in alliance and innovation management, as well as business development, product management and strategic marketing across various industry sectors including renewables, energy storage, electrification and microgrids.
Erika holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy from Imperial College London, and a degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. She has completed executive training at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as at IMD in Lausanne.
Luis Velez Serrano
Luis Vélez Serrano was a graduate assistant in French Linguistics at the University of Fribourg. Luis holds an MA in Philosophy and Letters from the Universities of Fribourg and Neuchâtel (UNIFR and UNINE), and a Diploma in Information Sciences (FHGR). He was director of the “Interdisciplinary Collection” of Editions Universitaires de Fribourg. He organized 11 interdisciplinary colloquia on cultural themes and 9 colloquia on “Human Rights”.
PuntoLatino organizes the annual Podium series on various topics of interest and current events with the participation of people from academia, diplomacy, government and institutions from the public and private sectors. He founded and has directed PuntoLatino since 2000, a digital platform that aims to be a meeting point for Latin American and Spanish activity in Switzerland.
Carlos Alonso Villalobos Jimenez
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Costa Rica, a Master’s degree in Sustainable Forest and Land Management with a specialization in Forests, Economy and Society from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and a PhD in Social Sciences, with a specialization in International Politics and Deforestation, from the University of Potsdam, also in Germany. He has been a professor at the School of Political Sciences of the University of Costa Rica and in various graduate programs at this University. He currently serves as Costa Rica’s Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation.
He has also been a consultant for UNEP in the framework of GEO Central America 2005 and GEO-LAC 2010, for UNDP in the Human Development Reports 2005 and 2013, and for IUCN in the management of the PERFOR 2015 indicator system. He has also collaborated as a consultant with the IDB and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation on issues of governance, public policy and citizen security. At CATIE he has participated as a researcher in the GreeTS International Project.
Emanuel Andreas Wuthrich
He graduated from the University of Fribourg with a Master’s degree in «Social and VET pedagogy» in 2008. Previously, he had graduated in Social Work from the Bern University of Applied Sciences and had worked during his studies and subsequently with socially disadvantaged young people. In 2009 he started working at the Swiss Federal University of Vocational Education and Training (SFUVET) in the Research and Development unit. For several years he was responsible for the support and development of health professions in Swiss VET and advised on the development of curricula and implementation methods and tools. He became a professor of VET pedagogy at the University of Fribourg on behalf of SFUVET. In 2013 he started working internationally as a senior advisor in the International Relations Unit of SFUVET, where he now advises on the development of labour market-oriented curricula, situation-based teaching and instruction and, at a systemic level, on the development of efficient VET systems. She is currently working on the topics of «Mentality» and «Transversal Competencies» and is participating in mandates in Singapore, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Peru and Cuba.
Davide Zampini
Dr. Davide Zampini is the Director of Global R&D for CEMEX based in Switzerland. He leads a multidisciplinary group of senior scientists and specialists pioneering new technologies and solutions for the global building materials market. CAREER:
2015 Currently Director of Global R&D
2009 -2015 Director of Product Development & Construction Trends CEMEX VP. Technology Central
2003-2009 Director of Product Development, CEMEX VP Technology Central
1997-2003 R&D Project Manager, Research Group Head at MBT/Degussa (Construction Chemicals)
EDUCATION
BS in Civil Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. 1992.
PhD in Civil Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. 1996. He is an Italian national, born in Jos, Nigeria.
PhD students
Sarah Bühler
is a PhD candidate at the University of St.Gallen. Her research focuses on the state of dual education in Colombia. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Barcelona and a Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. After completing her studies, she completed internships at the Swiss embassies in Uruguay and Australia, at the Latin American Integration Association in Montevideo and at the Americas Division of SECO. She worked for several years in the private sector, in Spain and Switzerland, and since 2007 as Research Assistant at the Chair of Spanish Language and Literature as well as Program Manager of the Leading House for Latin America of the Swiss-Latin American Center at the University of St.Gallen. In October, she will take up the position of European Advisor for Research at SwissCore. She is the mother of a child and is married to a Colombian researcher.
Sabrina Tabares
I am a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Neuchâtel and a recipient of the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Students (ESKAS) 2018-2021 in the development of the doctoral thesis entitled: «Corporate Social Innovation in Hybrid Organizations: The Case of B Corps in Colombia». I conduct research and education at the intersection of Social Innovation, Hybrid Organizations, Sustainable Business Models, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Systemic Change to understand how hybrid organizations and social innovation can provide solutions to the great challenges of our era. My research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Cleaner Production or the Social Enterprise Journal. I teach courses on social innovation, sustainable business models and internationalization at master and university level.
Leticia Vargas
She is a PhD candidate in Organizations and Culture at the University of St. Gallen, holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Fundação João Pinheiro in Brazil, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Pontíficia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, also in Brazil. Letícia worked for five years for the economic development agencies of the government of Minas Gerais, attracting foreign direct investments to the state, promoting business partnerships with other countries, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems, and public and intergovernmental relations. Currently, her research interests focus on sustainable finance, social entrepreneurship, and impact investing.