AMERICAN SWISS FOUNDATION HOSTS 2026 LEADERSHIP SUMMIT IN RÜSCHLIKON, SWITZERLAND

"U.S.–Swiss Leadership in Technological Advancements”

RÜSCHLIKON, ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND, June 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On June 16–17, 2026, the American Swiss Foundation convened its annual Leadership Summit at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue, bringing together distinguished leaders from Switzerland and the United States to strengthen transatlantic ties and engage in high-level dialogue on pressing bilateral economic, political, and cultural issues.

The Summit opened with pre-recorded keynote remarks by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation introduced by Ambassador Ralf Heckner Swiss Ambassador to the United States. U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent also delivered pre-recorded keynote remarks, which were introduced by Markus U. Diethelm, Co-Chair of American Swiss Foundation. This followed a welcome and dedication of the Summit by Steven G. Hoch, Chair Emeritus, American Swiss Foundation, Young Leader 1990, Stratton Laureate 2014, Faith Whittlesey Leadership Award Recipient 2025.

The opening discussion, The Future of U.S. Politics, Innovation, and Economic Competitiveness, featured former U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, Mayer Brown, and 26th United States Secretary of Labor and former U.S. Senator Rob Portman, United States Senator from the State of Ohio (2011-2023) in a bipartisan conversation moderated by Young Leader Erin Moran, Young Leader 2025.

A subsequent session, Driving Competitive Edge: Technology, Talent and Transformation, featured Maxwell Lawson, Head of Digital Profess Innovation and AI in Drug Development, Novartis, Daniele Magazzeni, Group Chief AI Officer, UBS, and Feliz Schönherr, Country General Manager, AWS Switzerland. The discussion was introduced by Chike Aguh, Head of Innovation & Strategy, Kapor Center, Former Chief Innovation Officer, US Department of Labor, Member, Stratton Prize Committee, Young Leader 2022 and moderated by Eunice Zehnder-Lai, Chair, ASF Leadership Council.

The second day of the Summit opened with welcome remarks from Markus U. Diethelm, Co-Chair, American Swiss Foundation and special video remarks from Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling.

The morning began with Life Sciences, Biotechnology, and the Future of Health, featuring Dr. Srishti Gupta, Member of the Executive Committee, American Swiss Foundation; Patrick Amstutz, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Management Board, Member of the Board of Directors, Molecular Partners; Melanie Rolli, Non-Executive Board Member, Santhera Pharmaceuticals moderated by Simone Graven, Associate Director, External Affairs & Strategic Partnerships, Novartis Global Health, Young Leader 2025.

Powering the AI Era: Meeting the Demand for Compute, featured Faris Sbahi, CEO Normal Computing, Alex Turbull, CFO Opticore, David Livingston, CSO Galvanize Climate Solutions discussed the rapidly growing demand for computing power and the infrastructure, energy, and technological innovations necessary to support future AI development. The conversation was introduced by Cameron Wendt, Head of Communications, Normal Computing, Member, Board of Directors and Programs Committee, American Swiss Foundation, Young Leader 2019 and moderated by Craig Churchill, Normal Computing, CBO; former COO of Google X.

Participants heard from Dr. Marc Ph. Stoecklin, Principal Research Scientist and the Head of Security Research at IBM Research Europe in Zurich during Quantum-Safe Cryptography and the Quantum Frontier, introduced by Katharina Göppinger, Country General Manager & Chairwoman, IBM Switzerland. The session examined the implications of quantum technologies.

Political developments were further examined during The 2026 Midterms and the Future of American Politics, featuring Robert Cahaly, Founder, Senior Strategist, and Chief Pollster of the Trafalgar Group, who provided insights into the evolving political landscape introduced by Joseph Howell, Young Leader 2019.

Powering the Future: Meeting the Demands of the Next Economy featured Hilary Hamm, Next-Generation Owner and Former Director of Federal Affairs & Sustainability, Continental Resources, Young Leader 2025; Jesse Kimball, Managing Partner, 1859 Advisors, Member, Board of Directors, American Swiss Foundation, Young Leader 2014; David Livingston, CSO, Galvanize Climate Solutions; and Jimmy Keime, Head Engineering and Nuclear, Swiss Re, Young Leader 2025.

The relationship between scientific discovery and economic competitiveness was further highlighted in Space Exploration, Economic Competitiveness, and Terrestrial Impacts, featuring Prof. Dr. Sascha Patrick Quanz, Full Professor in the Department of Physics at ETH Zurich; Donna Roberts, Chief Scientist and Senior Partner for American DeepTech; Anna Brady-Estevez, Founding Partner of American DeepTech, Young Leader 2022; moderated by Aisha Bowe, Former NASA Aerospace Engineer, Blue Origin Astronaut, Entrepreneur, Young Leader 2017.

Dr. Eva-Maria Hempe, Executive Director Public Sector EMEA of NVIDIA delivered a presentation on “AI Sovereignty: The Five Layer Stack.”

“The Future of the American Workforce” was introduced by New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, Innovation Fellow 2025 and moderated by former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Suzi LeVine, Stratton Laureate 2018. The panel featured Director Anna Hui, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Missouri; Secretary Portia Wu, Department of Labor, Maryland; Executive Director Joe Barela, Department of Labor & Employment, Colorado; Bettina Schaller, SVP Head Group Public Affairs, The Adecco Group, Member, Board of Directors and Leadership Council, American Swiss Foundation, Young Leader 2011; and Noel Ginsburg, Founder and Executive Chairman, CareerWise USA. The discussion centered on apprenticeships, modernizing workforce systems, and preparing workers for the jobs of the future.

The Summit formally concluded with “U.S.–Swiss Investment and Economic Leadership,” moderated by John Tuttle, Former Vice Chairman, NYSE, Treasurer and Chair, Finance and Audit Committee, Member, Board of Directors, American Swiss Foundation, Young Leader 2011 and featuring Helene Budliger Artieda, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Ron Abegglen, Director Public Affairs, Advisor to the CEO, Swiss International Air Lines, Young Leader 2017, and Martin Ritter, CEO, Stadler NA, Young Leader 2023. The conversation highlighted the evolving economic relationship between Switzerland and the United States and explored opportunities for continued collaboration in trade, investment, innovation, and long-term competitiveness.

The Summit concluded with a special cultural program by Opernhaus Zürich. Matthias Schultz, General Manager, Opernhaus Zürich AG was introduced by Georgine Roesle, Consultant at Egon Zehnder, Young Leader 2021. The performers were Evan Gray, Bass-Baritone, Thalia Cook-Hansen, Soprano, Ava Linvog, Répétiteur, Opernhaus Zürich AG.

The Summit brought together approximately 320 participants from across Switzerland and the United States, including business executives, government officials, entrepreneurs, academics, and members of the American Swiss Foundation community. Attendees included fourteen members of the ASF Board of Directors, sixteen members of the ASF Leadership Council, five ASF Innovation Fellows, and more than seventy-five ASF Young Leaders representing nearly three decades of the Foundation’s flagship leadership program. The gathering reflected ASF’s continued commitment to fostering transatlantic dialogue, collaboration, and leadership across generations.

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About the American Swiss Foundation

Founded in 1945 in response to World War II, the Foundation’s mission is to connect and engage Swiss and American leaders. Towards the end of the 20th century, two former U.S. Ambassadors to Switzerland, Shelby Cullom Davis and Faith Whittlesey, ushered in a new era for the small organization. They ultimately transformed the Foundation from an organization that was primarily social to one that focused on nurturing and investing in the next generation of leaders in both countries.

In 1975, Ambassador Davis assumed an active leadership role with the Foundation. He served as chairman and president until 1989, and as honorary chairman until his passing in 1994. In 1989, Ambassador Whittlesey became chairman and president of the Foundation and launched the organization’s flagship program, the Young Leaders Conference.

Today, Alumni of the past 35 conferences now number more than 1,800 leaders who shape the futures of the two countries, including members of U.S. Congress and Swiss parliamentarians, entrepreneurs and business executives, media professionals, and public policy experts.

Vanessa Beary, Executive Director
American Swiss Foundation
info@americanswiss.org
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