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 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 …
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 …
Geopolitics of the Sea: Claudio Bozzo, COO of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, speaks to the AIC Geneva, 17 June 2021 For our first in-person luncheon of the year, the AIC welcomed Claudio Bozzo, the COO of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company to speak to the Club about his views on the geopolitics of the sea. Not surprisingly, Claudio was born and raised by the sea in Genoa, an important Italian port city whose maritime prominence dates back centuries. However, it was in New York that he joined MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, in 1994. He began as a clerk and rose quickly through the ranks to become President and CEO of MSC USA, just 11 years later, in 2005. Claudio was then appointed to the newly created global position of Chief Operating Officer at MSC’s global headquarters here in Geneva in 2014. …
Sophie Dubuis spoke to the AIC on 25 May 2021. TOURISM IN GENEVA AND SWITZERLAND With international restrictions on the movement of people during the pandemic, the local tourism has been hit especially hard. Join us for an intimate conversation with Sophie Dubuis, President of Geneva Tourisme, on the current state and future of tourism in Geneva and Switzerland.C If you missed the event, you can catch up anytime by clicking below. CLICK HERE TO WATCH
Lorenzo Stoll of SWISS Shares His Crystal Ball of Air Travel Geneva, February 23, 2021: The American International Club (AIC) hosted a virtual speaking event featuring Lorenzo Stoll, the regional director of SWISS airlines. This was the first event under the new AIC President, Paige Holt, who welcomed the many AIC members attending the video conference call. AIC Vice President, Chris Benardis then introduced Lorenzo Stoll. Mr. Stoll was open and transparent about the current state of affairs amidst the COVID pandemic. The airline industry has suffered dramatically over the past year. Lufthansa has racked up losses of €24M per day, albeit offset by €9B in government subsidies. SWISS is losing €1M daily. Passenger traffic is down substantially. In Geneva, Mr. Stoll estimated daily traffic has fallen 94% from 2019 peak levels of 350k to only 20k currently. The cadre …
Europe in 2021 The American International Club (AIC), in conjunction with the Association of International Chambers of Commerce (AICC), organized a webinar on December 14, 2020 that was attended by over 400 participants. The webinar presented six leaders from different fields who spoke about the future of their sectors within the European economy. The program included: ECONOMY - JACQUES ATTALI Writer & President Positive Planet Foundation ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY - PHILIPPE RYSER CEO Ceptis SA FOOD - AMANDA BOOKER COO The Fork HEALTH - DR RANIERI GUERRA Assistant Director-General WHO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES - PROF. PIERRE DILLENBOURG Professor at EPFL TRAVEL - SEBASTIAN MIKOSZ Senior Vice-President, Member and External Relations IATA
AIC Zoom Videoconference 10 December 2020 Venture Capital: Technology Investing in Switzerland and Abroad Featuring Pär Lange, Investment Partner of Swisscom Ventures and Michèle Ollier, Partner & Co-founder of Medicxi Michèle Ollier Dr. Michèle Ollier is the Partner and Co-founder of Medicxi, a life science investment firm. Prior to forming Medicxi in 2016, Michèle was a Partner at Index Ventures for ten years. She has led investments in, and continues to serve on the boards of, several leading biotech companies. Prior to joining Index, Michèle was Investment Director at Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners in Paris for three years. Before that, she spent more than fifteen years in several development and marketing positions at Sanofi International, BMS, RPR/ Gencell/ Aventis International and Serono International. She currently serves on the board of directors of Ipsen Pharmaceuticals. She also sits on the …
Tatiana Valovaya Shares UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Geneva, October 21, 2020: The American International Club (AIC) hosted its 800th speaking event since its inception in 1951, featuring Mrs. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva. Mrs. Valovaya discussed the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone,everywhere. The SDG consists of 17 goals were adopted by all UN Member States as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Mrs. Valovaya discussed SDG issues within the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that the very rapid transmission of COVID-19 in today’s globally interconnected world. She observed that the COVID-related economic shutdown and confinement in the spring led to an immediate improvement of our environment. But unfortunately, this positive environmental impact was short-lived. Thirdly, …
US History Quiz LAST CHANCE TO WIN a Manor voucher worth 100 CHF! Answer all nine questions correctly and you will go into the drawing. Reply by July 4th to admin@amclub.ch What Revolutionary War hero was the descendant of a Swiss Huguenot family? (Hint: His father's name when reaching the US was "Rivoire".) The statue of what Geneva-born person stands in front of the US Department of the Treasury? (Hint: This person is credited with coming up with the idea of the Federal Reserve system.) Name a famous American table wine that has a Swiss connection. What is the connection? (Hint: This is a "golden" opportunity to show how smart you are.) (For the kids working on their math skills), When we celebrate the Fourth of July this year, how old does that make the United States? (Hint: Some claim that …