At the beginning of this month, over 150 business leaders and guests attended the second annual British-Swiss Business Awards in Geneva to celebrate the success of some of the British-Swiss business community’s most innovative companies in 2012.
Four organisations and individuals were recognised for their contributions to business success in Britain and Switzerland, including SkyWork Airlines who won the Company of the Year award. The Most Promising Business/ Entrepreneur category received numerous impressive submissions and was won by Made in Switzerland Ltd, producers of 1936 Biere who were commended for their innovative business model. Guy Stevens from The International Comedy Club won the Unsung Hero award and King’s Kurry AG triumphed in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Details of the 12 finalists can be viewed on the Business Awards website – www.britishswissbusinessawards.co.uk
The Judging Panel emphasised that the quality of entrants was uniformly high, showing a remarkable breadth and depth of entrepreneurial flair and commitment. The panel was comprised of Dr. Diana Barkley, MD, FRCP, FMH, Pharmaceutical Consultant and Business Founder; Julien Guex, Vice Director of the CVCI (Chamber of Commerce of the Canton of Vaud); Prof. Dr. iur. Andreas Kellerhals, Director of the Europa Institute at the University of Zurich; Professor Thomas Hoehn, Visiting Professor at Imperial College Business School London and Yvonne Geraldine Whittaker CBE.
About the British-Swiss Business Awards
The British-Swiss Business Awards were launched in 2011 with the aim of becoming the premier business awards within the British-Swiss business community. The mission of the annual Business Awards is to recognise the achievements of companies who have made an outstanding contribution towards bilateral trade and investment between the UK and Switzerland. The Business Awards are organised by the British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Lloyds TSB Private Banking. Partners include World Radio Switzerland, So Money Productions , British Airways, Laurent Perrier and Rolls Royce.
British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce
www.bscc.co.uk
Many people reach a point in their career when they feel that it is not progressing in the way they would like. This can be due to a multitude of reasons, ranging from boredom through to unfulfilled career aspirations. The career path you have chosen is simply not what you expected.
If you would like some help starting out on a new career path, or you simply want to see better growth within your chosen career, then take a look at what local organization, VIVA Coaching and Consulting, have to offer. Their talented team of careers advisers provides a range of coaching programs and workshops for graduates, professionals and business leaders, designed to help participants manage their careers with more confidence.
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The networking organization, OWIT Lake Geneva, is making it very attractive for prospective members to sign up or existing members to renew their membership during September, by offering 15% off its annual membership fee. This special offer is only available if you attend one of their networking events in September, of which there are just two remaining this month!
The first of these is a networking event, which takes place every month in Geneva at the Hotel de la Paix, between 18h30 and 21h00. The next “Geneva Networking Happy Hour” takes place this week on Thursday, 20 September, and provides a wonderful opportunity for members to get together in an informal setting, to meet new faces and exchange ideas. Click here for more information.
The second is a webinar event that is being held for the first time with OWIT International at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Geneva on Friday, 21 September at 17h45. Entitled “Global Governance – useful? A question from Geneva”, this event allows participants to watch the webinar on screen and join in the subsequent question and answer session, before enjoying a networking cocktail afterwards. Click here for more information.
The British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce (BSCC) is delighted to announce the launch of the second annual British-Swiss business awards programme, together with Lloyds TSB Private Banking. The British-Swiss Business Awards offer individuals and organisations the recognition they deserve for achievements in the workplace.
Managing Director of the BSCC, Carolyn Helbling says, “In 2012, a year marked by considerable economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever for the BSCC to support the British-Swiss Business Awards and those companies who are making sterling efforts to overcome the twin challenges of austerity and growth. We are delighted to launch the second year of the Business Awards and look forward to recognizing the finalists on the 1st November in Geneva.”
Russell Galley, Managing Director of Lloyds TSB Private Banking says, “Following last year’s success and viewing the long relationship we have with the BSCC, we are very proud to once again join forces to recognise and celebrate those British-Swiss businesses who have gone the extra mile and showcased exceptional performance.”
Fund Advisers publishes useful offshore investment guide
The Geneva-based wealth management company, Fund Advisers, has published the first in a series of offshore investment guides for clients.
With many customers now demanding clear, independent advice on this increasingly complex subject, Fund Advisers has chosen the EU Savings Directive as the theme for the first of its guides. With the aim of helping investors retain their privacy, protect their assets, and secure their ongoing financial development, the new 12-page guide provides detailed information on this recently amended directive and presents a number of ideas about how to invest efficiently “within the spirit” of it.
The European Savings Tax Directive (ESD) is one of three measures relating to tax, which together are known as the EU Tax Package. The ESD is an agreement between the Member States of the European Union (EU) to automatically exchange information with each other about customers who earn savings income in one EU Member State but reside in another (the automatic exchange of information option). The aim of the ESD is to ensure that citizens of one member state do not evade taxation by depositing funds outside the jurisdiction of residence and so distort the single market.
All Member States of the European Union are subject to the ESD. The EU hoped that non-member states, particularly those that are considered tax havens, would also sign up to the principles, if not the details, of the ESD.
