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Helen Budliger Artieda

Helen Budliger Artieda

On 7 February 2024, the American International Club Speakers luncheon featured a Q&A session with Ms. Helen Budliger Artieda, the director of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).


Mr. Roland Armbruster, CEO of Manor AG

Mr. Roland Armbruster, CEO of Manor AG

On 7 December 2023 the AIC hosted a speakers luncheon featuring Mr. Roland Armbruster, CEO of Manor AG. The Manor Group, Switzerland's largest department-store chain with headquarters in Basel and 7'900 employees.


Ambassador Scott Miller

Ambassador Scott Miller

The Club welcomed Ambassador Scott Miller, the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation and to the Principality of Liechtenstein, on August 31 at the Hôtel Métropole in Geneva.   Ambassador Miller arrived in Switzerland in January of this year. His mission has been directly impacted by the war in Ukraine, and he is therefore focused on working with the Swiss government to further financial sanctions against Russia.   One of his key priorities is to secure the interests of US citizens in Switzerland, including their health and safety. There are between 35,000 and 80,000 US citizens living in Switzerland and 1 million US tourists visiting Switzerland every year.       Another key priority is the expansion of trade and investment between the United States and Switzerland. He noted that the United States has recently surpassed Germany as …


Will International Order Survive the Ukrainian War?

Time: April 8, 12-1pm via Zoom     Moderator: Philippe Mottaz, Founder and Editorial Director of The Geneva Observer Panelists: Charles Adams, Jr, former US Ambassador to Finland Stéphane Bussard, International Geneva correspondent at Le Temps Olaf Wientzek, Director Multilateral Dialogue Geneva, KonradAdenauerFoundation Daniel Warner, Swiss-American political scientist and former Deputy to the Director, Graduate Institute Geneva    Link to event recording


André Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman of Roche Holding

  André Hoffmann Discusses Business Ethics   Geneva, February 24, 2022: The American International Club (AIC) hosted its 811th speaking event since its inception in 1951, led by André Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman of Roche Holding, a world-leading pharmaceutical company. In front of an overflowing number of attendees at the Hotel Metropole, Mr. Hoffmann provided a thought-provoking talk about the importance of business ethics. Mr. Hoffmann stated that our world today is driven by short-term profit at any cost. The capitalistic system of focusing only on selling competitively-priced products in high volume to consumers has led to collateral environmental damage. We have lost 65% of our forests since the 1950s, while the world population has tripled. The current global ecosystem is not resilient enough. Mr. Hoffmann believes that we need to better serve society through long-term impact assessment that can alleviate current …


Blaise Goetschin, CEO of BCGe

  THE SWISS FINANCIAL CENTER: GAINING OR LOSING INFLUENCE? Blaise Goetschin, CEO of BCGe February 1, 2022 For his third time to present to the club since 2013, Mr. Goetschin gave the audience an overview of where Switzerland stands today in terms of its influence in the financial world. He started by reassuring us that Switzerland is currently in a solid position, as it has a strong geopolitical base, a favorable economic environment, and a history of success as a financial center.  The S& P has maintained its AAA status in 2021, ranking it at the same level as Singapore and Germany, and higher than its neighbors France (AA) and Italy (BBB), as well as the UK (AA). Geneva itself it ranked AA-, and of the top banks in Geneva, USB is rated A+, Credit Suisse A-, and the BCGe …


The State of Geneva`s Finances - Nathalie Fontanet and Ivan Pictet

  THE STATE OF GENEVA'S FINANCES, January 20, 2022   Nathalie Fontanet, Director of Finances, Human Resources and International Geneva at the Geneva State Council, and Ivan Pictet, former Senior Partner of the bank Pictet & Cie and former President of Fondation pour Genève, joined the AIC to present a current picture of Geneva’s finances and the impact the international community has on them. Mrs. Fontanet began with an overview of the current financial situation in Geneva. She highlighted that although Geneva has the highest taxes of all cantons in Switzerland, 36% of the population doesn’t earn enough income to pay tax. In fact, a family with two children only starts to pay income tax when they earn CHF 80,500 annually, meaning that the tax situation in Geneva is favorable to families. In contrast, 3% of taxpayers pay 81.5% of wealth tax (which represents 13% of total annual taxes). To the surprise of many, the Covid pandemic …


AIC Ambassadors pampered on Inaugural Geneva-JFK flight December 14

  AIC Ambassadors pampered on Inaugural Geneva-JFK flight December 14 As a generous contribution to the AIC Thanksgiving Charity Dinner, SWISS International Airlines offered two return tickets on their inaugural flight back to NYC on December 14 to two lucky AIC members. Deanna Haller and Anne Gottwald tell us they had an amazing experience on board. The first surprise of the day was an upgrade to Business Class! Complimentary glasses of champagne were given to all passengers on board, as well as souvenir “I ❤️NYC” tote bags. “Swiss Air made us feel special upon our entry to the plane. The staff was very attentive throughout the flight,” said Deanna. After a fantastic meal of sashimi, steak and lemon mousse, the two were able to convert their seats into beds and were given plenty of extra pillows and covers. After a …


The Future of Geneva

  A Vision for the Future of Geneva Geneva, November 18, 2021: The American International Club (AIC) hosted its 808th speaking event since its inception in 1951 discussing the Future of Geneva. The event was led by Antonio Hodgers, Conseiller d'Etat overseeing land and development, David Montalba, FAIA, SIA, Founding Principal of Montalba Architects, and Mark Muller, Lawyer of the Geneva Bar specializing in real estate, and past President of the Conseil d’Etat. Both Antonio Hodgers and Mark Muller emphasized the need for dialogue and cooperation amongst various political party factions in order to progress on long-term planning. Mr. Hodgers responded to concerns about housing affordability stressing that the future of Geneva will be all-inclusive for rich and poor alike. All new residential real estate projects, whether in Cologny or Meyrin, will be one-third for lower income, one-third for middle …