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.
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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.
I have been very fortunate to know the Ralda family for more than 25 years. They welcomed me like family when I moved to Geneva in 1992. Since then some locations and contexts have changed but the Ralda family remain kind, considerate and united. It is my privilege to bring you their exciting new project, Ralda and Friends.
Enjoy!
The Ralda family has its roots in Godall, a typical Mediterranean village, where 80% of people in Catalonia with the Ralda surname are from. In keeping with a tradition that has Greek and Phoenician roots and which was introduced by the Romans in their country, they are passionate about our artisanal vocation and, of course, their product: the unique flavour produced by their olive trees. That’s why they invite you to share their passion by adopting an olive tree.
Ralda and Friends was set up with the aim of promoting not just the olive oil culture, but also the values associated with artisanal production principles: quality, traceability, respect for tradition, sustainability and support for small-scale producers. They also want to preserve the valuable heritage of rural areas like Godall, where their olive trees are located, a small village in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia (Spain). So alongside olive oil, they also sell other typical products from the Terres de L’Ebre region, at affordable prices. They want to build a close relationship with customers and friends, and to offer them the chance to adopt one of their olive trees.
The International Link team consists of Elodie Gysler-Buchheim, Head of International Link and Laurine Chiarini, International Link Officer.
I have had the great pleasure of working with Laurine and Elodie on several occasions at International Link and their dedication and commitment is second to none. Their mission is an initiative created by the CVCI, (Chambre Vaudoise du Commerce et de l'Industrie), which aims to represent and support international entities of the canton of Vaud. International Link promote excellence generated and shared by companies, organizations and universities, thus helping to create a common strategy and convey a positive image for both local and global entities. Moreover, facilitating integration into the local economy and providing a platform for sharing experiences is a key part to their best practices.
Amongst all this, the International Link activities are intended for the following groups:
• Management of international entities
• Representatives and staff of international entities
• International employees
• Spouses of international employees
I was lucky enough to sit down with them and discuss their fabulous work, including the upcoming event, the Vaud International Business Award.
I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did!
By Nicole Booth, Forth Capital
The Finance Bill 2016 was presented to the Council of Ministers on 30th September 2015. The Bill does not contain any major changes to tax legislation, apart from a reduction in income tax for low income households. The main focus is on making electronic filing compulsory in order to prepare for the introduction of withholding tax from 2018.
The main changes affecting private clients are:
By Mark Routen, Forth Capital
As the government first announced in the 2013 Autumn Statement and subsequently enacted in the Finance Act 2015, capital gains tax (CGT) applies to non-residents disposing of UK residential property. The tax is levied on gains arising on disposals after 5th April 2015 and only applies to gains made since that date. Before then, CGT did not apply to non-residents, other than those carrying on a trade in the UK, certain temporary non-residents or companies subject to the ‘annual tax on enveloped dwellings’ (ATED) charge.
The extension of the CGT charge goes some way to putting the UK system in line with other jurisdictions that charge tax on the basis of where the property is located rather than where the owner is resident.
By Sarah Santacroce at Simplicity
Yes, LinkedIn might be the Chamber of Commerce of the social platforms, but nevertheless LinkedIn is about building relationships. That’s why your profile picture matters, maybe more so than on other platforms. Read this post on how to get it right.
I’m sure you don’t go to the local networking event with a paper bag over your head. Well, if you don’t have a picture on your LinkedIn profile, that’s the impression you make. People want to see who they are accepting in their network. On LinkedIn more than on any other network. Look at the visual impact of your picture on the infrared shot below: