Monthly Archives: December 2015

May 11 Buy Yourself a Company, Zurich

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Join us for an evening conference in Zurich with a presentation and panel discussion on entrepreneurial acquisitions.

Buy Yourself a Company, May 11, 2016, Zurich
There are other paths to becoming an entrepreneur besides creating a start-up. Entrepreneurial acquisitions are an attractive path that many INSEAD alumni have already taken or are investigating. But how do you do it? Where do you start? What are the risks and benefits? We will benefit from the experience and insights of two keynote speakers, sharing their different perspectives, and an interesting mix of panelists.

Keynote Speakers

Mark-Anthony Holloway, INSEAD MBA 98J

Owner and CEO of Swissfeed AG

In 2008 Mark-Anthony Holloway acquired the Swiss industrial company Swissfeed AG after a 12-month search for an MBI target. Previously, he led, turned around and sold a veterinary company. He holds a Doctorate in veterinary medicine.

Tobias Raeber, Bocconi MSc10

Co-Owner and Managing Director of Herchenbach Industrie-Zeltebau GmbH

In early 2015 Tobias acquired Herchenbach with his Search Fund, a concept for conducting an entrepreneurial acquisition. The concept, devised at Harvard and Stanford, is now taught to students at INSEAD, LBS, IESE and other business schools.

Panelists

Patrick Forte, Kellogg MBA

Head of KMU Advisory Switzerland & Regional Head Corporate Clients Central, UBS

With UBS since 1998, Patrick has served corporate banking clients in the US and Switzerland, now responsible for Swiss SMEs and corporate clients in the Swiss central region. Patrick holds an Engineering MSc. from ETH Zurich.

Jules Grüninger INSEAD MBA 95D
Founding Partner, Quarton International AG Zurich

Jules co-founded Blue Corporate Finance AG in 2001 and recently merged it with Quarton International. Before that he was CEO and co-owner of Beldona AG, which he successfully sold to an investor. He holds an Electrical Engineering MSc. from ETH Zurich.

Roger Kollbrunner, INSEAD MBA 97J

Co-Owner and Partner of Novus Partners AG

Roger acquired with partners several smaller industrial companies in Switzerland via their industrial holding Artum AG. Previously, he acquired Aebi & Co AG together with Peter Spuhler and was CEO for several years. He holds an MSc. from ETH in Zurich.

Key Facts

 

When: Wednesday May 11, 2016 at 18:30
Where: Impact Hub Viadukt, Viaduktstrasse 93, 8005 Zurich
Tickets: Swiss NAA members CHF 60 / Non-NAA members and guests CHF 90

Registration:
On XING https://www.xing-events.com/INSEADBYC

Program
18:30 Welcome Drinks and Registration
19:00 Mark-Anthony Holloway & Tobias Raeber – Presentations
19:50 Panel Discussion and Q&A – Moderated by Matthias Frieden
20:30 Apéro Riche

 

INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland, Zürich Chapter
Matthias Frieden, MBA 05J, Treasurer & Event Organizer
[email protected]

Salon Conversations 2015 Event Report

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Salon Conversations 2015 Event Report

salongroupThe INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland hosted the second annual “Salon Conversations 2015” event at the historic Zunfthaus zur Saffran in October.  Salon Conversations are intimate events that introduce alums to colleagues with a range of expertise, from emerging markets to traditional Swiss industries over a gourmet dinner.

The Salon events are a chance to meet alumni from leading businesses and entrepreneurs who do interesting things like trading antique violins or running niche-market auction houses or creating a new running shoe brand. Guests are seated six or seven to a table, each with a “table host” ready to share on a topic close to their heart. – with no PowerPoint slides, no microphones and no fixed agenda.

 

Salon Conversations 2015

David Allemann, AMP 06Oct, Co-Founder, ON Running AG

The only guest at this year’s Salon Conversations to wear running shoes, was David Allemann (pictured here). He is one of co-founders of the hot new Swiss sports brand ON.  Many INSEADers know the story of Phil Knight who did his MBA at Stanford in the 1960s. A middle distance runner, Knight wondered whether a well-engineered US sports shoe could compete with Adidas and Puma, which led him to found Nike.  “David Allemann is an INSEAD graduate whose company aims to put a Swiss sport shoe brand on the global map,” said Chandra Leo when he introduced David Allemann. His topic for the night was “How to take your idea and run with it”.

giuliofides

Giulio de Lucia, MBA 00J, Co-Founder/CEO Fides Business Partner

Giulio de Lucia is the co-founder and CEO of Fides, a private equity firm specialized in small and medium-sized businesses. Before founding Fides, he gained experience at ABB, BCG, KPMG and OC Oerlikon. At Fides, he is dealing with a range of different portfolio companies, including Antiquorum, the world’s leading auction house for expensive watches, some of which have sold for over CHF 6 million a piece. Giulio de Lucia’s topic for the night, which was “The art of turnaround investments”.

Andreas Amrein, MBA 98, President, Accutest International

Andreas Amrein, MBA 98, President, Accutest International

For the past 15 years Andreas Amrein (picture above) has been doing business in Asia. Living in Singapore, Indonesia and China, he developed business for Novartis and Abbott. He has a degree in physics from ETH Zurich but spent his career in in the healthcare industry after a short stint at UBS. “Today, Andrea Amrein is the president and only non-Indian on the leadership team of Accutest, a contract research organization headquartered in Mumbai,” said Chandra Leo. His Salon topic was “Doing (healthcare) business in Asia”.

 

JannHatz

This was my second Salon. Sitting at a table with people you have not before who have interesting business experiences is inspiring. Conversations develop in unexpected ways. – Jann Hatz, MBA 96D (pictured  on the left) was attending INSEAD Salon Conversations for the second time.

 

 

Dr Constantin Vayenas, IEP01Feb, Head of EM Research, UBS Wealth Management

Dr Constantin Vayenas, IEP01Feb, Head of EM Research, UBS Wealth Management

Costa Vayenas started focusing on emerging markets (EM) back in the 1990s and has headed EM research at UBS Investment Bank in London and New York, and more recently at UBS Wealth Management in Zurich. In this role, he provided research coverage and investment recommendations across all key emerging markets and asset classes. His topic was “Emerging markets – What’s next?”

urwidmer

Urs Widmer, MBA 98D, Head Business & Market Development, SIX Swiss Exchange

Urs Widmer’s  topic was “National stock exchanges in a global world”. He draws on a broad experience across the financial sector, starting at McKinsey and then working for UBS and Axa Winterthur before joining the top management of Europe’s leading independent stock exchange. Since he joind the Six Swiss Exchange in 2012, he is respsonsible for business & market development at time when traditional processes are being challenged and promising new technologies are being introduced.

May 11 INSEAD REFRESH Networking Lunch GE

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Fine food and refreshing relationships are on the menu at all of our INSEAD Alumni Geneva Chapter lunchtime networking events

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INSEAD Refresh // Lunchtime Event, Geneva, May 11, 2016

Online networking is efficient and we all use it, but it doesn’t have the same spontaneity and energy as face to face networking has. So refresh your INSEAD spirit by joining us at Auberge La Mère Royaume at noon. INSEAD Refresh lunches are at the same venue every second Wednesday of every second month.

Key Facts

When: Wednesday May 11, 2016, 12:00

Where: Auberge La Mère Royaume

Price: CHF 50 Swiss IAA paid-up members / CHF 70 for Alumni who are not yet paid-up members. Payable in cash upon arrival.

 

Registration

Please sign up by sending an email to [email protected] with your full name and coordinates. Kindly let us know in advance if you have to cancel your reservation.

INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland Philippe Mauron, MBA’95J, Geneva Committee Member

Yves Haldeman, MBA’94D, Geneva Committee Member

Andrea Bastreghi, CIM’95Jul , Geneva Committee Member

[email protected]

Apr 28 INSEAD Professor Ludo Van Der Heyden for INBOARD & IDP Alumni

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Managing Dualities: Corporate Governance vs Business Governance

INSEAD Professor Ludo Von Heyden, April 28, 2016, Zürich
How do corporations and boards balance the dualities of corporate governance and business goals, such as corporate governance versus execution, growth versus profit and long term versus the shorter term views? INSEAD’s Ludo Van Der Heyden will provide insightful answers and cases in a keynote speech with Q&A, followed by a networking dinner. Offered exclusively for IN-BOARAD alumni and graduates of INSEAD’s International Directors Programme, this learning event is an excellent opportunity to share experiences with other board members.The presentation and Q&A is followed by dinner. Join us!

Speaker

Ludo Van der Heyden

Chaired Professor of Corporate Governance

Academic Director, INSEAD Corporate Governance Initiative; Co-Director IDP

Ludo Van der Heyden leads the INSEAD Corporate Governance Initiative and oversees the research direction, governance programmes and progress.  From 2000-2009, Professor Van der Heyden directed INSEAD’s Advanced Management Programme.  He was the first holder of the Wendel Chair in the Large Family Firm at INSEAD, which initiated INSEAD’s activities in family business and ultimately led to the creation of the Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise at INSEAD.

He was co-Dean of INSEAD from 1990-1995 and Director of the INSEAD Zentrum Leipzig.  He holds an Engineering Degree in Applied Mathematics from the Université Catholique de Louvain and a Ph.D. in Administrative Sciences from Yale University. Ludo Van der Heyden is a member of the Supervisory Board of NesBic Buyout Fund and of the Advisory Board of Bencis Capital Partners. He is the Chairman of Celpax, and a Director of Calexium, both start-up companies.

Key Facts

When: Thursday April 28, 2016 18:00 – 21:00

Where: Zunfthaus zur Waag Münsterhof 8, 8001 Zürich

Registration: amiando.com/INBOARD.html

Programme

18:00 Welcome Drinks & Registration

18:30 Presentation and Q&A

19:30 Networking Dinner

INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland

Richard Bissonnet, MBA 81, President Swiss NAA

Bernhard Escher, MBA 10J, Head IN-BOARD Switzerland

[email protected]

Apr 21 State of the Private Equity Industry (IPEC Event)

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You are invited to an evening conference hosted by the INSEAD Private Equity Club (IPEC) in Zurich, featuring keynote speaker and panel discussion with top private equity practitioners.

Registration is on Xing www.amiando.com/IPEC2016

State of the Private Equity Industry, April 21, 2016, Zurich

Over the last five years, the Private Equity industry has enjoyed a steady stream of exits, record valuations, and substantial increases in LP commitments.  Current events and macroeconomic are introducing increasing uncertainty for investors and GPs. What are the strategies to storm-proof investments when uncertainty hits an industry that has too much capital chasing too few deals? Get the insights in a keynote address and industry outlook by INSEAD alumnus Rolf-Magnus Weddigen who heads up Bain & Company’s regional private equity practice. His talk will be complemented by a panel discussion with leading PE practitioners. Networking and a fine apéro riche will follow.

Join us for an insightful and enjoyable evening!
Keynote Speaker

Rolf-Magnus Weddigen, MBA 92D, Partner Bain &Co., Munich

Based in Munich, Rolf-Magnus Weddigen is a partner at Bain & Company, leading Bain’s German and Swiss Private Equity practice. He is a Mergers & Acquisitions expert, and has worked for Bain in Munich, Stockholm and Boston. Prior to joining Bain in 1989, he worked for companies in the information technology and bio-technology industries in England and Denmark. Rolf-Magnus has an Industrial Engineering degree from Technical University of Karlsruhe (KIT) and an INSEAD MBA.
Panelists

André Aubert, MBA 00J, Partner

LGT Capital Partners AG

André Aubert is the co-head of the Private Equity Secondary practice at LGT Capital Partners, which has been investing in the secondary market since 1998. Prior to joining LGT Capital Partners in 2005, André was a Principal at Index Ventures, a pan-European venture capital firm, which he joined in 1999 after working as a consultant for McKinsey & Company in Zurich and Geneva, advising the telecommunications and banking sectors. He holds an MSc in Telecom Engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Duke University and an MBA from INSEAD

Christian Sinding, Deputy Managing Partner, EQT Partners

Christian Sinding joined EQT Partners in 1998. He serves on the EQT Executive Committee and is Chairman of the Equity Partners Investment Committee since 2011. Christian has worked in the Stockholm, Munich and Copenhagen offices of EQT Partners and opened the Oslo office in 2007. He has been involved in a number of investments including Plantasjen, Symrise, Gambro, Vaasan&Vaasan, Findus, ISS, XXL, and InFiber. Prior to EQT, Christian worked for AEA Investors Inc., a leading U.S.-based private equity firm and at Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co. investment bankers in the US. Christian holds a Bachelor of Science (in Commerce) degree from the University of Virginia, which he received with Distinction in 1994.

Key Facts

When: Thursday April 21, 2016 18:30 to 21:00

Where: Haus zum Rüden, Limmatquai 42, 8001 Zurich

Program

18:30 Registration & Welcome Drink

19:00 Highlights of Bain & Company’s 2016 Global PE Report – Rolf Weddigen

19:30 Private Equity Panel + Q&A – Moderated by Martin Spirig

20:30 Apéro Riche

INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland Martin Spirig, MBA 06J, IPEC President

Alexander Wyss, MBA 01D, Zurich Chapter President