Speakers

Isobe is an architect and managing director of Tokyo-based interior-design firm Wonderwall. He is responsible for the firm’s operations and business development, and has managed numerous projects for Wonderwall, including: Intersect by Lexus Tokyo, Westfield Sydney Center and Japan House London.

Missika is in charge of urban-planning, architecture and economic development in Paris. He was head of the Information and Dissemination Service under prime minister Michel Rocard and director of BVA, before setting up a consulting firm. He is also a media sociologist and holds a PhD in management and a degree in philosophy.

Jones has practiced as an architect for more than 20 years. He is a senior partner at Foster and Partners, where he is joint leader of a team of 120 architects working on a broad range of projects, from a modest-scale Maggie’s cancer care centre in Manchester to major projects for Apple and Bloomberg.

Daniel Kalt has been CIO for Switzerland at UBS Wealth Management since 2012. In 2011 Daniel was appointed chief economist Switzerland. Before that, he was head of Swiss economic research since 2003 and head of global economic research at UBS Wealth Management since 2006.

Leivesley runs catastrophic-risk consultancy Newrisk and is a founding member of The Exercise Group 7 LLP, which focuses on life preservation and critical infrastructure. She trained with the British Home Office as a scientific adviser for the mitigation of nuclear, cyber and chemical attacks on cities.

Pilloud has worked for the newly created Public Transport Sector Development Group since the start of 2018. In 2011, she became the first woman to be a member of SBB’s management board. Pilloud has also been on the board of directors at Switzerland Tourism since 2011.

Simon de Pury is a leading figure in the art market. Simon and his wife Michaela founded de Pury de Pury in 2013. They specialise in building collections and also curate exhibitions. In 2015, together with Arnaud Massenet, they founded de-Pury.com, an online platform for contemporary-art auctions. In 2016 Simon published his memoir, The Auctioneer.

Neumann writes about radicalisation, terrorism and the merging of terrorist and criminal milieus. He has written numerous books and peer-reviewed articles about different aspects of terrorism and radicalisation, and edited Routledge’s four-volume Major Works Collection: Radicalization. Shorter pieces have appeared in The New York Times, New Scientist, London Review of Books and The Wall Street Journal.

This photographer is the founder and face of Ageist, a media company whose remit is to reinvent how life is lived, experienced and understood by those over 50. He is an expert on the new life phase that is emerging among this financially empowered yet underserved demographic.

Felfel, founded by Emanuel and now co-run by Emanuel and his wife Daniela, is a Zürich-based food-technology company that has revolutionised how people eat at work. The firm has developed a technology that makes it affordable for all companies, no matter how small, to provide a healthy, all-day food offering.

William Skidelsky has been literary editor of the Observer as well as deputy editor of Prospect magazine. He writes about his passions – mainly tennis, food and books – for a range of publications. In 2015 he published the critically acclaimed Federer and Me, a story of his obsession with the Swiss champion.

Swedish-born Åkerström studied architecture in Zürich before founding Soeder, a lifestyle and design shop, with Johan Olzon in 2013. It’s an airy space that sells sustainably produced basics and homeware. The products that they don’t make themselves are well sourced from craftsmen who are among the best in their respective fields.

Wolmar is an award-winning writer and broadcaster, and the author of a series of books on railway history, including Stagecoach, The Subterranean Railway and Engines of War. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and railway events, and regularly appears on TV and radio.

Katja Weber started her career as a financial consultant but since 2009 has been the driving force behind an array of events such as Zürich’s Frau Gerolds Garten, which provides a retail space for young designers and has quickly become a summer destination, and Zürich’s largest Christmas market.

On was founded in Zürich in 2010 with the intention of reinventing the running shoe and inspires a loyal following in more than 50 countries. With a background at McKinsey & Company and as CMO of Vitra, Allemann is an entrepreneur who considers himself to be at the intersection of business and creativity.

Albers is a writer, consultant and entrepreneur living in Berlin. He is co-founder and managing partner at Rethink as well as co-founder of Neuwork. His books include Meconomy, Rethinking Luxury and Digital Fatigue, and he hosts workshops based on their topics.

The Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo is a contemporary-art collection that its founder began in 1995; today there is also an exhibition venue in Turin. Sandretto Re Rebaudengo herself plays a leading role on the international contemporary-art scene as a board member for venues that include Moma, the Tate Gallery and Philadelphia’s Museum of Art.

Tom Hodgkinson is editor of The Idler magazine and author of six books including How to be Idle, How to be Free and Business for Bohemians. From 2011 to 2016 he and his partner ran a bookshop, café and arts centre. They now run The Idler Academy of Philosophy, Husbandry and Merriment, which offers online courses and live events.

Wagner is the CEO and co-founder of Viu, a Swiss eyewear start-up that’s making waves in the market with a premium direct-to-consumer concept. Prior to Viu, he worked for five years as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company. He holds a MA in business administration from the University of St Gallen.

After training at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Marquardt spent several years working for top architects in Berlin and Paris. Since he launched Mach with Jan Fischer in 2000, their team has worked on more than 350 projects around the world.

Stacey Boyd founded Olivela, a luxury retailer with “doing good” built into every transaction, in 2017. The idea came to her after a trip to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. More than 200 luxury brands are now a part of Olivela, with sales helping to support girls’ education worldwide.

Ritter founded his own law firm in 2001. Specialising in art and entertainment law, he advises companies in the creative industries as well as private collections and public institutions. Ritter is also a board member of several companies and an author. He recently co-founded the Kunstforum Zürich.

Bernet is editor in chief of NZZ am Sonntag. He has previously been head of the newsroom, head of the Zürich section and deputy editor in chief at Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and editor in chief at Zürichsee-Zeitung.

Zürich-based online magazine Republik was founded in 2017 with a world-record breaking crowdfunding campaign, and launched in January 2018. As co-founder and head of community relations, Hoechner is focusing on crafting meaningful relationships with members and pursuing new forms of community engagement in journalism.

Architects Camponovo and Baumgartner formed Camponovo Baumgartner Architekten in Zürich in 2014. The office has gone on to win several national and international awards.

Moritz was looking for a small espresso machine to fit into his kitchen but he couldn’t find anything well designed, fast and easy to use. That’s why he founded ZURIGA. Three years on, ZURIGA has emerged from a promising crowdfunding project to an innovative coffee-machine brand. All machines are designed, engineered and manufactured in Switzerland.

After graduating from ETH Zürich, Krähenbühl held positions at architecture offices in Zürich and Basel before establishing his own practice in Davos. His focus lies on the social impact that each project has for its surroundings and society.

Maceira de Rosen chairs The Naga Brands Group, an investment holding company focused on luxury brands. She spent the bulk of her career at US investment bank JP Morgan in London as a top ranked equity analyst covering high-end retail before joining luxury lifestyle brand Amanda Wakeley, where she became CEO.

In 2005, Hoffmann and his partners Kai Hollmann, Ardi Goldman and Stephan Gerhard founded the 25hours Hotel Company to expand the already successful 25hours concept in Hamburg. Hoffmann is responsible for developing and expanding the 25hours hotel group and its brand. He also develops tailored hotel products for nomads, daydreamers and night owls.

Leuenberger graduated from EHL hotel school in Lausanne before joining Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Paris, New York and Carlsbad (California). In 2008 he joined Badrutt’s Palace Hotel as director of food & beverage. After three years he moved to Asia where he became general manager at Shangri-La Hotel & Resort in Hong Kong. He returned to the Palace in 2016.

Thomas Schacht and Ruth Kramer are the creators of Brücke 49: a new hospitality idea that’s based on the thought that the best things in life are not things but the people you meet. This means that at Brücke 49 you may come as a guest but will most likely leave as a friend.