Chambers of Commerce Soccer World Cup Where: Centre Sportif du Bout-du-Monde, Genève When: June 16th-17th Are you or one of your children a soccer player? You can now be part of the AIC team representing the USA to one of the most exciting soccer tournament of the year gathering the ex-pat community living in Geneva. 8 national teams, including Italy, England, France, Portugal and Spain are already in the competition. The tournament has a compact format (5 players per team) and includes group phase matches on Saturday and Eliminatory phase matches and the Finals on Sunday. Massage therapists will be present and fruits and beverages will be offered by the organization staff between the matches. Note: American citizenship is mandatory to integrate the team Are you interested? For subscription and further details …
Ex-President of the Swiss National Bank Provides Financial Insights Geneva, May 3, 2018: The American International Club (AIC) hosted a presentation by Jean-Pierre Roth, the ex-President of the Swiss National Bank and former Chairman of Banque Cantonale de Genève, at the Swissôtel Metropole on May 3rd. Dr. Roth analyzed the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. Due to risky investment bank behavior and benign neglect by financial authorities, the sub-prime crisis slammed global financial markets in 2007. Central banks responded by injecting massive amounts of liquidity to prop-up the global interbank system, and to keep financial markets functioning. While aggressive quantitative easing successfully rescued the markets from collapsing, Dr. Roth pointed out that these unconventional policies were never meant to become permanent. Central banks and federal governments have become complacent, and the collateral damage is building. He …
New US Ambassador to Switzerland, Ed McMullen speaks to the AIC Geneva, April 25, 2018: Just four months into his tenure as US Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Ed McMullen spoke to nearly 100 attendees at the 764th AIC luncheon at the Metropole Hotel. A businessman based in South Carolina and former political strategist for Donald Trump, Ambassador McMullen sold his advertising firm to take up his position in Bern on December 15 of last year. Ambassador McMullen is not a stranger to Switzerland. Under the American Swiss Foundation’s Young Leaders Conference, initiated by one of his predecessors Ambassador Faith Whittlesey, young Ed McMullen visited Switzerland in 1995 and met with Swiss businessmen, politicians and opinion leaders. He also came to Zermatt to ski as a boy and has continued to take his own family there on …
Former Geneva City Mayor Discusses Geneva’s Challenges
Patrick Aebischer Discusses Swiss Innovation and Venture Funding Geneva, March 6, 2018: The American International Club (AIC) hosted an inspiring presentation by Dr. Patrick Aebischer, President Emeritus EPFL.at the Swissôtel Metropole on March 6th. Dr. Aebischer is a leading figure in research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Switzerland. Dr. Aebischer stated that Switzerland’s innovation, technology readiness, and higher education & training have led to a #1 competitiveness ranking by the World Economic Forum. World-renown inventions emanating from Geneva include the world-wide web and restriction enzymes (which cut DNA into many pieces). Switzerland’s weakness thus far has been an inability to capture the commercial value of these inventions. He laid out an innovation ecosystem framework consisting of 1) top universities that produce disruptive, world-class research, 2) an innovation ecosystem, 3) anchor companies that are global leaders (e.g. Google in …
Geneva, February 28, 2018: The American International Club (AIC) hosted a presentation by Marco Lambertini, Director General of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) at the Swissôtel Metropole on February 28th. Headquartered in Gland, the WWF is a global federation of about 7,000 people located in 100 different countries. After the United Nations, the WWF is the most-followed organization in the world. The WWF promotes living in harmony with our environment. The WWF’s six areas of environmental conservation include Wildlife, Oceans, Forests, Freshwater, Climate & Energy, and Food. Mr. Lambertini pointed out that since the 1950’s there has been a “great acceleration” in the human consumption of water, land, fish, and food to unsustainable levels. He added that humans have been taking nature for granted, and ignoring the consequences. Global warming has accelerated, leading to melting polar …
On January 17, Patrick Gleason, Director of State Affairs for Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), spoke about the continuing and highly-disputed policy of taxing U.S. citizens living and working abroad and why this policy was omitted from the most recent tax reform laws approved in December 2017.
AIC Thanksgiving 2017 Event – A Night of Food, Fun, and Goodwill Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, along came the AIC Thanksgiving 2017 celebration at Geneva’s Hotel InterContinental. We have not had Thanksgiving at the Intercontinental for several years, and the hotel was eager for us to return. We certainly thank them for the excellent service provided in the planning and execution of this year’s event which featured great food, music, and some intense, friendly wagering for a good cause. This year’s “family-style” and buffet format was something new, but it proved a hit as each table (and each guest) had an opportunity to serve themselves and others at their own pace and preference. More than 140 guests – including a nice mix of regulars and new faces, children, and Corporate Partners - …
HUG Directeur Generale Bertrand Levrat Addresses Key Issues Challenging the Public Hospital System of Geneva Dr. Bertrand Levrat’s discussion, “Is It a HUG or a Huge Hospital?” provided some insights into understanding the public health network of Geneva and the surrounding region and the HUG’s center-piece location in the system. He also discussed the ground-breaking research currently underway at the HUG’s diverse Geneva facilities — recognized globally for its clinical research staff and medical centers. The Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG) was launched in 1995 as the first university-based (public) hospital in Switzerland. Currently, it consists of eight hospitals, three clinics, and 40 outpatient consultancies throughout the canton of Geneva. It employees a staff of more than 11,000, with 102 nationalities, and 182 professions, including health professionals and support staff, “from neurosurgeons to janitors.” Dr. Levrat (pictured right) began …
CERN International Relations Director Shares insights on the Revolutionary Research and Programs In October 2017, Charlotte Lindberg Warakaulle, the International Relations Director of CERN, made a dazzling presentation to AIC members and guests on the wondrous scientific research and technological breakthroughs being developed at CERN, the world’s foremost particle physics lab. More than 40 people attended the event at Geneva’s Warwick Hotel. Warakaulle opened her talk with a general introduction to CERN, before going into details on the cutting-edge research that has led to numerous findings, including the discovery, in July 2012, of the Higgs-boson particle (the so-called God particle) -- a fundamental constituent of the so-called standard model. She also spoke on CERN’S ongoing research into the origins of the universe in the Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago. Founded in Meyrin in 1954, CERN (the European Organization …