Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Work/Business section.
To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:
- Claire Doole - Claire Doole Communications
Claire is a former BBC correspondent and international spokeswoman who is passionate about helping people communicate with confidence. Since 2006, she has successfully trained hundreds of professionals in the art of presenting and public speaking, talking to the media, managing communications in a crisis, and writing for the web. In addition, she has coached C-level executives and public figures to give powerful TEDx and TED style talks in Europe and the Middle East. A Swiss and UK national, Claire trains and coaches in French and English.
- Elizabeth Ballin - Life Coach
As a long time member of the international community in Geneva, Elizabeth Ballin has been coaching adults and students from all parts of the world. She has coached business professionals, musicians/artists, couples, families and adolescents. She is a fully accredited Life Coach by the International Coaching Federation. Elizabeth Ballin, Life Coach
- Patrick Hoza - US Tax & Financial Services
Since 1990, Patrick has many years of experience with US individual expatriate taxation under his belt, including High Net Worth Individuals, streamline/voluntary disclosure filings and tax consulting, as well as working with large multinationals like Novartis, BP, Hewlett Packard and General Electric. He has extensive knowledge in serving both US expatriates and resident and non-resident aliens with their US tax-related issues. Patrick Hoza is a Tax Director at US Tax & Financial Services, with extensive experience in all aspects of Individual US tax and Expatriation, including Hight Net Worth Individuals and large multinationals.
Patrick started his career in 1990 in California, with Westpro Ltd., as a Senior Tax Consultant, then spent the middle part of his career working at KPMG and Ernst & Young. During his time with Ernst & Young, he worked and lived in Russia, France and finally Switzerland. He has gained a valuable working knowledge of the respective income tax regulations in all of these countries.
Patrick holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Colorado, is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and is a Certified Acceptance Agent.
-
Melitta Campbell - Business Coach
Business Coach and Mentor with nearly 3 decades of business experience and a passion for helping women confidently build a business they love. She is also the founder of the Swiss Entrepreneurs Club and president of the Swiss Riviera Toastmasters Club in Montreux. Originally from Wales, she now lives in Montreux in a chalet she has renovated with her husband overlooking the Swiss Alps. - Sunita Sehmi - Walk The Talk
Founder of Walk The Talk, Sunita has been training, developing and now coaching Business Communication skills in both companies and educational establishments for over twenty years. She has a passion for helping people to maximise their potential and created Walk The Talk with the sole aim to drive each and every client to perform their best.
- Robert Harris- Forth Capital
With over 25 years experience working for some of the major financial institutions in the City of London, Robert is a founding partner of Forth Capital, the leading expat financial advisory company in Switzerland. Regulary quoted in newspaper articles and magazines, he is well placed to advise expats on a variety of financial issues that may arise during their time living in Switzerland.
- Debbie Croft - Croft Coaching
As the founder of Croft Coaching, Debbie has a passion for helping people overcome challenges, embrace change and live life to the full; with an ethos of “work hard, play hard”.
- Sarah Santacroce - Simplicity
A certified social media, internet marketing, and virtual event specialist, Sarah enjoys every aspect of small business marketing. Through her own business, Simplicity, it is her mission to help other small businesses and solopreneurs increase their visibility and use social media tools as part of their marketing strategy.
- Diana Ritchie - SSC Sàrl
A Director at Swiss Career Connections, Diana will provide you with some useful tips for job hunting.
©René Martin
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Pioneering, passionate and incredibly close to perfection – for more than 50 years, TONI&GUY has been renowned as the innovator within the hair industry, having grown from a single salon in Clapham, London, to a multi-national company. With more than 475 salons across 48 countries, CEO, OBE and co-founder Toni Mascolo and his brother Guy started TONI&GUY back in 1963. Furthermore, TONI&GUY is Official Sponsor to London Fashion Week.
Olga Tetard, Managing Director, and the Salon Manager, Sheffield (born Richard Long), manage the TONI&GUY Geneva branch. I sat down with them both at their trendy hair salon.
I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did!
Sunita Sehmi: Tell us a bit about yourselves.
Richard: I’ve worked within the T&G family for 20 years now; I started in Manchester then returned to my hometown of Sheffield. I’ve also worked in Marbella, London and previous to Geneva, I worked in Jersey. I first met Olga when I arrived in Geneva, she was a client and we hit it off immediately! We have remained firm friends ever since. I have been in Geneva for ten years now; I came here to set up Toni & Guy in Switzerland and it feels like home, I love it here.
Olga: I was born in Geneva. I worked for multinationals and accounting and audit firms in the finance department for over 20 years. When I had my daughter I decided to take a break. At this time, Richard was running the former salon in Rive Gauche (Geneva) with his partner. Unfortunately, they had to close this shop and at this time Richard asked me to come to help him with the financials. After the closing, I thought there was an opportunity to continue running the brand in Geneva and with the great support of the head office in London, we created a new entity and opened this new salon in Rue des Alpes, owned by new shareholders and new management. I’m completely dedicated to make this salon work through good management and business development, plus undertaking the financial and admin responsibilities. Together with Richard and his Stylists Team, his 20 years experience within T&G, the creative work, education and the quality of services provided to the clients, we compliment each other.
©René Martin
Sunita: What drew you to hairdressing?
Richard: You have to use your brain, and problem solve and it’s all about making people feel good about themselves. I think making people happy is a big part of it for me. People want to feel that they are in capable hands, this is the key to success and that is why I never want to stop learning. That’s why at Toni & Guy we are passionate about education and self-development for all our staff. In order for individuals to grow and improve their skill sets we believe education should be a continuous journey. We actively look to grow, develop and innovate.
Olga: Yes it’s all about the client. We focus on them and spend a lot of time in the consultation phase. We want to give consistently good service, so that is why we also require all our staff to attend regular training programs to keep up to date with the trends. For more than 50 years, Toni and Guy’s success and philosophy has been rooted firmly in education, sharing our unique experience, to create innovative and globally renowned hairdressing training.
©René Martin
Sunita: Tell us a little bit about your clientele.
Richard: It really varies; it ranges from professionals to busy mums – people are from all over Geneva. Between us we speak seven languages. Whoever they are and wherever they are from our mission is to give our best service to the client. My mission as a leader is to cultivate the best, most profitable hairdressing company on the planet where people love to work and clients love to be.
Olga: Yes, our core values include being customer-focused and team players! We believe in quality; and we are passionate and self-motivated!
Sunita: Any advice to people trying to fit into Swiss life?
Olga: Learn French!
Sunita: What’s the next challenge for us? What's next for you?
Richard: Keep doing great work; keep our customers happy - that makes me happy. Our success is built on education, motivation and fashion – people are the cornerstones of our business. In addition to continuing to provide great hair care services at TONI&GUY Geneva we have a great professional beautician, Geeta. She is a highly qualified beautician with over 20 years of experience from leading beauty institutes in Paris, London and New Delhi & Zurich. Geeta provides a large variety of beauty services from head to toe, with very high standards. Over the years at TONI&GUY Geeta has built a loyal clientele following through her expertise, dedication and exceptional quality service. She always goes the extra mile to make sure her clients leave our salon looking and feeling their best. Geeta is also a qualified practitioner of the Swiss luxury beauty brand Bellefontaine products and techniques. The crowned Queen of eyebrows threading in Geneva, feel free to contact her on the number below.
©René Martin
Contact Richard or Geeta at Toni & Guy
Toni & Guy Geneva
Rue Des Alpes 9
1201 Genève
022 738 85 86
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://toniandguy.com/salon/geneva
Stop Press!
Please note there is a special offer by Toni & Guy Geneva: anyone who likes this interview on Toni & Guy Geneva's Facebook page will receive a 15% discount for one visit. Like them on https://www.facebook.com/toniandguygeneva/.
Job vacancy
Toni & Guy is currently looking for a stylist, who can speak English and French, (spoken), for their busy TONI&GUY salon in Geneva.
Responsibilities will include: Full consultation with clients, building new clientele, referring clients for colour, recommending products throughout the ranges and increasing client product knowledge and product sales. Experience within a busy salon is essential. A candidate who has achieved the TONI&GUY varderers certificate is preferred but not essential. As a TONI&GUY Stylist, you will play a key part in representing and promoting the TONI&GUY brand and Superband status at all times. In return we offer the opportunity to be a part of a global brand that believes in the perfect salon where people love to work and clients love to be! If this is you apply NOW!
Please send your application to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sunita's Bio
Sunita is an Executive Coach, Trainer and Consultant. She is of Indian origin and was born in London before moving to Geneva in 1992. She has a Psychology background (specialising in Occupational Psychology) and a Post Graduate in the Development and Training of Adults. She also completed a Masters in Ressources Humaines, Coaching et Gestion des Carrières at the University of Geneva.
During her 25 years experience Sunita's drive has always been to help people to do their best and hence led her to create Walk The Talk.
In her free time Sunita is a Mentor for the Branson Center of Entrepreneurship and a proud member of the School in The Cloud Team.
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
The GCSP-CCL* Leadership Alliance is run by Co Directors Peter Cunningham and Dr Patrick Sweet. It was formed in response to a growing demand to bring leadership development into the Peace and Security space and advance the effectiveness of leaders in public, private, transnational, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society.
The Leadership Alliance combines expertise in leadership development for large, multi-level organizations with in-depth knowledge of peace and security issues and policy. Through courses, dialogue, special events, applied policy analysis and thought leadership, the Leadership Alliance identifies advances and scales leadership best practices, at each level of impact: individual, team, organizational and societal. They are reaching a global audience, many of whom are active in some of the most challenging environments, working on some of the world’s most complex issues.
I was lucky enough to interview them and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
By Alan Turner, Forth Capital
There are two major changes to UK taxes that will happen in April that are going to significantly affect UK property owners who live abroad.
The first of these is going to see an increase in the stamp duty that is paid by expatriates acquiring a second UK residential property, and the second change is an increase that will affect expats who own UK properties within companies.
I took the time to discuss these with our Head of Tax, Mark Routen, to try and understand what this really means and what can be done to mitigate. This is what I learned:
By Mark Routen, Forth Capital
On the 16th March the Chancellor will deliver the 2016 budget. This will be against a backdrop of uncertainty caused by the EU referendum to be held on the 23rd June and also in a difficult worldwide financial market place, where performance has not been as expected and growth is not reaching the expected levels.
There is still the deficit to be repaid and while the UK economy is doing well the financial markets are suffering and the pound is down.
Against this backdrop the Chancellor has to create a 2016 budget that will help repay the deficit without damaging the shoots of recovery and without alienating a section of the electorate that the remain campaign are relying on to keep the UK in Europe, a campaign of which he and the prime minister are key members of.
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Philippe Chevrier has become synonymous with great restaurants, good food and excellence! He was an apprentice at the restaurant « Le Chat Botté » in the Hôtel Beau Rivage in Geneva. Once his studies were completed, he worked for two years as a commis chef (at « L'Oasis » restaurant in La Napoule and at « Le Gentilhomme » in the Hôtel Richemond) before undertaking two one-year training periods in bakery and confectionery. In 1984, he spent the year as a chef with Frédy Girardet in Crissier before joining « Le Patio » restaurant where he was sous-chef de cuisine from 1985 to 1986. He was later employed as chef de cuisine at Domaine de Châteauvieux in Satigny, of which he became proprietor in 1989. Philippe obtained his first Michelin star in 1991, and his second in 1994. He was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 1996 and thereafter opened the Café de Peney, also in Satigny. More accalades followed and in 2002, he was scored 19/20 in Gault Millau and voted Chef of the Year.
He is the owner of the Vallon in Conches, in the outskirts of Geneva, and opened the Epicerie de Châteauvieux in Satigny. His recent opening of a New York style bistro, “Chez Phillip”, has become one of Geneva’s cool restaurants and of course the food is fabulous! I was lucky enough to interview him about his latest venture, which is open 7 days a week and this place is never empty! The formula of an authentic grill house has clicked with customers and Philippe’s business model has proved to work time and time again.
