Event Report

24 May 2018, Zurich: Over 80 Heads of Legal and Senior Global Counsel from Zurich’s leading companies met at Baur au Lac, Zurich at The 4th GC Summit Switzerland, with our partner, Prager Dreifuss Ltd.

Our speaker, Pierre Gentin, visiting Professor, Wharton and Partner, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP offered a window into what Pierre has seen over the years teaching inter-disciplinary ethics topics to business and law students in the United States and abroad. He outlined various types of frequently encountered ethical and situational business dilemmas (relating to conflicts of interests and values in professional life) and discussed the significance of developing and refining a personal values framework independent of reacting in the moment.

Pierre Gentin said “The biblical book of Jonah is a remarkable ancient text providing inspiration and practical guidance for long-term success in corporate life. The prophet Jonah’s personal transformation can be effectively emulated by lawyers and business professionals alike. From defining goals with precision, cultivating a cabinet of advisors, setting aside time for introspection and creativity, executing with excellence and persevering over time — dynamic leadership rooted in self-awareness calls to us from the Book of Jonah.”

Attendees also heard from a panel of leading Swiss GCs including Maria Leistner, General Counsel, Global Wealth Management, UBS; Miral Hamani-Samaan is director of M&A, corporate transactions and international governance at Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Nicolas Grunder, Chief Counsel Digital & Data Privacy, ABB; talked about the key issues and challenges facing them in in the current climate.

Verena Morscher, Partner, Prager Dreifuss, who opened the event said ‘The GC summit was a great success. It was very thought provoking to hear the dilemmas and challenges our attendees are facing and to be part of this valuable and relevant discussion’.

We look forward to continuing our Leadership Themed series on 13 September with our guest keynote, Bjarne P Tellmann, General Counsel and SVP of Pearson, and author ‘Building an Outstanding Legal Team: Battle-Tested Strategies from a General Counsel’.

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