GC Summit Switzerland 2025

The GC Summit Switzerland 2025, to be held in Zurich, promises to be a significant event for professionals and thought leaders across industries. This premier gathering will offer a dynamic platform to explore some of the most pressing issues in today’s business landscape. With the rapid evolution of technology, one of the key themes will be the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace. Discussions will delve into how AI is reshaping roles, enhancing productivity, and driving innovation, while also addressing the ethical considerations and challenges that come with its integration. Alongside this, a critical focus will be on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, particularly within the realm of governance. Experts will share insights on how organisations can foster robust governance structures, ensure accountability, and meet the growing demands for transparency and ethical leadership in an increasingly complex world. The summit will provide ample opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration, all set against the vibrant backdrop of Zurich. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how AI and governance are shaping the future of business and society, armed with the latest strategies to navigate these transformative areas.

Agenda

1.30pm – 2.00pm Registration & Lunch

2.00pm – 2.05pm Opening remarks

2.05pm – 2.55pm Ready for ESG 2.0? How GCs of Swiss Companies prepare their Boards for the next wave

This panel will delve into the evolving role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors in shaping Swiss corporate governance. As ESG issues increasingly drive business strategy, regulatory compliance, and investment decisions, companies face both unique challenges and promising opportunities in adapting to these new expectations. With expertise in corporate law and compliance, panelists will guide a discussion on how Swiss organisations can strengthen their governance structures to align with emerging ESG standards while maintaining competitiveness and meeting stakeholder demands.

Central to this conversation is Switzerland’s shifting regulatory environment, where recent legislation seeks to enhance transparency and accountability. Panelists will discuss how Swiss ESG regulations intersect with international frameworks and what these overlapping standards mean for businesses, investors, and boards. Additionally, the panel will address the strategic risks associated with ESG commitments, offering insights on effective compliance strategies and ways to manage liability in cases of regulatory or shareholder disputes.

The discussion also seeks to explore how ESG oversight can effectively be integrated into a company’s existing governance framework. Through insights from peers and experts, the discussion aims to inspire attendees to benchmark their company’s ESG governance against best practices from other market participants.

• Tobias Meili, partner, Wenger Plattner
• Roman Mazzotta, head CP legal & IP, president Syngenta CH
• Thomas Schönholzer

2.55pm – 3.45pm AI at the workplace

This panel discussion will explore how artificial intelligence is transforming business operations and the evolving regulatory landscape in Switzerland and the EU. AI applications in the workplace have expanded from simple operational automation to sophisticated decision-making systems. Common use cases include AI-driven recruitment tools, workforce analytics, and predictive maintenance in manufacturing. Additionally, AI can optimize HR processes, such as performance evaluations and employee retention strategies, while enhancing customer support and streamlining supply chains.
For organisations, these applications can lead to productivity gains and improved decision accuracy, but they also introduce complexities related to transparency, data handling, and potential biases in AI-driven decisions. Switzerland’s AI guidelines, influenced by the EU’s AI Act, are expected to classify AI systems by risk level, imposing stricter controls on high-risk applications, such as employee monitoring and recruitment.
Moreover, HR and data protection laws mandate careful handling of employee data and fair AI-driven decision-making, requiring compliance with standards like the GDPR. This discussion will address how companies can responsibly integrate AI while adapting to the legal demands that shape its ethical use.

• Irène Suter-Sieber, partner, Walderwyss
• David Vasella, partner, Walderwyss

3.45pm – 4.05pm Fireside Chat

4.05pm – 4.15pm Coffee Break

4.15pm – 5.05pm M&A by financial sponsors vs strategic players

• Daniel Raun, partner, Advestra
• Andreas Hinsen, partner, Advestra
• Alain, head of strategy and M&A, Cembra

5.05pm – 5.55pm Panel 4

5.55pm – 6.00pm Closing remarks

6.00pm – 7.00pm Drinks and canapes

Speakers

Tobias Meili, partner, Wenger Plattner

Tobias Meili is a Partner in the practice groups Governance & Compliance,
Life Sciences & Health Law, and Corporate & M&A. He advises clients,
particularly in the life sciences sector, on commercial and corporate law,
especially on corporate governance (including corporate responsibility
issues), restructuring, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and contract and
technology law. His area of activity also includes internal investigations as
an examiner or investigator appointed by FINMA or companies.
Due to his many years of experience in a leading position in the legal
department of a formerly SMI-listed multinational corporation and an
international consulting and technology company, Tobias Meili is familiar
with the structures, processes, and challenges of large companies. In his
legal practice, he combines an authentic, pragmatic, and solution-oriented
advisory approach with solid legal expertise and negotiation skills.

Roman Mazzotta, head CP legal & IP, president Syngenta CH

Roman Mazzotta is based in Basel/Switzerland and currently serves as the Head of Legal & Intellectual Property at Syngenta Crop Protection, overseeing lawyers, patent attorneys and trademark professionals based in all major jurisdictions in which Syngenta Crop Protection has business activities. In addition to his role as Head of Syngenta Crop Protection Legal & IP, he is also the Country President for Syngenta in Switzerland. In this role he represents Syngenta on the Board of Directors of scienceindustries, the Swiss trade association for chemicals, pharmaceuticals and life sciences; on the Board of Directors of economiesuisse, the Federation of Swiss business and the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Basel. Roman Mazzotta studied law at the University of Zurich and is admitted to the bar of the Canton of Aargau. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from GSBA Zurich (today the China Europe International Business School).

Thomas Schönholzer

Dr. Franz Saladin, CSR compliance manager

Irène Suter-Sieber, partner, Walderwyss

Irène Suter-Sieber is a partner specialising in employment law, a Certified Specialist SBA Employment Law, and served as a member of the Executive Board (Hiring Partner) at WalderWyss from 2021 to 2024. She has extensive experience representing clients in employment law-related civil proceedings and advises Swiss and international companies on all aspects of employment law. Her expertise includes drafting employment contracts, personnel regulations, and employee participation programs, as well as executive compensation, enforcement of restrictive covenants, terminations, restructurings (such as transfers of undertakings and mass dismissals), international employee transfers, personnel leasing, and employment-related internal investigations. She also handles matters related to social security and data protection. After completing her law studies at the University of Zurich (lic. iur. 2006) and piano studies at the Zurich School of Music (Musician MH, 2006), she was admitted to the bar in 2009 and earned her doctorate at the University of Zurich in 2012 (summa cum laude, awarded the Prof. Walther Hug Prize and Issekutz Prize). Before joining WalderWyss, she worked at a leading Swiss law firm in Zurich for eight years. Irène Suter-Sieber speaks German, English, and French, is registered with the Zurich Bar Registry, and is admitted to practice at all Swiss courts.

David Vasella, partner, Walderwyss

David Vasella is a partner on the Information Technology, Intellectual Property, and Competition team. He advises and represents Swiss and international companies across industries and at all growth stages on data and technology law. His expertise includes data use, negotiating data-related contracts, data security issues, cloud projects, IT contracts, setting up platform models, and ensuring data protection compliance with GDPR and Swiss law. He supports implementation projects and data protection audits and regularly gives talks and writes publications in his areas of expertise, including contributions to datenrecht.ch, a Swiss platform on data law. After graduating from the University of Fribourg in 2002 with a law degree, he was admitted to the Zurich bar in 2004 and earned his doctorate from the University of Zurich in 2011, graduating with the highest distinction and receiving the Prof. Walther Hug Prize and the Issekutz Prize. David Vasella is co-editor of digma (a journal on data law and information security), swissblawg (the largest legal blog in Switzerland), and datenrecht.ch. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional and Manager (CIPP/E, CIPM) and a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP). He is recognized in international rankings as a leading expert in data and technology law, with accolades from Chambers (“He is absolutely stellar when it comes to data protection”), Who’s Who Legal (“revered as the ‘go-to person for data protection’, with a wealth of experience in compliance matters”), and Legal500 (“committed and pragmatic” and an “outstanding lawyer with excellent analytical skills, a wealth of legal expertise, and high client focus. David is responsive, pragmatic, and fully committed to serving his clients. Besides, he is a very likable chap”).

Daniel Raun, partner, Advestra

Daniel Raun’s prac­tice focuses on M&A and oth­er cor­por­ate trans­ac­tions. He reg­u­larly advises cor­por­ate cli­ents, private equity and ven­ture cap­it­al firms as well as fam­ily offices and entre­pren­eurs on domest­ic and cross-bor­der acquis­i­tions, joint ven­tures and carve-out transactions.

Daniel also has extens­ive exper­i­ence in cor­por­ate and secur­it­ies laws and cor­por­ate gov­ernance mat­ters. He reg­u­larly advises cli­ents on mat­ters of exec­ut­ive com­pens­a­tion, man­age­ment par­ti­cip­a­tion, equity and oth­er com­pens­a­tion schemes, with a par­tic­u­lar focus on pub­licly traded companies.

Andreas Hinsen, partner, Advestra

Andreas Hin­sen’s prac­tice focuses on domest­ic and cross-bor­der M&A trans­ac­tions, cor­por­ate gov­ernance, restruc­tur­ings as well as gen­er­al cor­por­ate and stock exchange laws.

Andreas has broad exper­i­ence in private equity and ven­ture cap­it­al trans­ac­tions and has advised on a wide range of cor­por­ate trans­ac­tions, includ­ing joint ven­tures, intern­al restruc­tur­ings, share­hold­er agree­ments, growth cap­it­al invest­ments and pub­lic-to-private deals. He also fre­quently advises on gen­er­al cor­por­ate law mat­ters and real estate transactions.

In association with...

Advestra is a corporate law firm located in Zurich, Switzerland. The firm advises clients on a broad range of M&A transactions, such as acquisition and divestment transactions, public takeovers, mergers, demergers, joint ventures, and financing rounds.

Apart from Corporate|M&A, Advestra advises clients on capital market transactions, financing transactions, matters relating to financial services regulatory as well as tax. For practice areas not covered by Advestra, the firm relies on an extensive network of specialised firms.

A dynamic presence in the market – Walder Wyss is one of the most successful Swiss commercial law firms. We specialize in corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, intellectual property and competition law, dispute resolution and tax law. With more than 260 legal experts and six locations, we provide our clients with a seamless one-stop-shop, personalised and high quality services in all language regions of Switzerland.

For over 30 years, Wenger Plattner has been advising and representing clients throughout Switzerland. Operating as a ‘one-stop-shop’, we offer comprehensive expertise and support in legal and tax matters across all areas of business law, along with proficient notarial services. We identify practical, workable solutions and help clients implement these to achieve the best possible commercial outcomes by delivering the highest standards of quality.

Registration

GC Summit Switzerland 2025

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