Changes to the Board of Directors of Switzerland Global Enterprise

Ruth Metzler-Arnold has been Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) since 2011. “It is a great pleasure and enrichment for me to have presided over S-GE for more than 13 years,” says Metzler-Arnold. “I will continue to do my utmost until 2027, when our organization will celebrate its 100th anniversary. This makes 2027 a good moment for a changeover.”

Under Metzler-Arnold, S-GE has undergone major changes as an organization. From the abolition of the minimum euro exchange rate in 2015 to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, S-GE has repeatedly had to adapt to the new needs of Swiss companies and Switzerland as a business location during various crises. In recent years, S-GE has thus developed into a flexible and highly efficient organization. Under the operational leadership of CEO Simone Wyss Fedele, the organization has invested in customer availability and digital service offerings to ensure entrepreneurs can reach it around the clock, even in difficult situations. Today, S-GE is a global leader in both digital readiness and customer orientation. According to the International Trade Center, S-GE is in the top three percent of the world’s most effective trade promotion organizations. In addition, S-GE has consistently integrated the topic of sustainability into its core business of Swiss export and investment promotion.

“When I look at S-GE’s strengths today, I am proud of its successful transformation, of the very well-functioning work with associations, chambers of commerce, embassies, federal administration and politicians, and above all of the expertise and commitment of our employees in Switzerland and around the world,” says Metzler-Arnold.

Current CEO Simone Wyss Fedele is the ideal successor

The Board of Directors is proposing Simone Wyss Fedele as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors to the 2027 Annual General Meeting. Wyss Fedele has been CEO of S-GE since 2019. Since then, she has made a decisive impact on the organization’s evolution and shaped its modern corporate culture.

The Board of Directors firmly believes that Simone Wyss Fedele is the ideal candidate for the position of Chairwoman of the Board of Directors. Thanks to her leadership qualities and experience, her long-standing and broad background in international business, and her various roles with connections to business, politics and administration, Wyss Fedele is well positioned to ensure the organization’s continuity and drive forward its transformation.

Before joining S-GE, Wyss Fedele spent 15 years in global and regional management positions in the pharmaceutical and insurance industry. At the same time, she served as a member of the Board of Directors in the life sciences sector and as an adviser to the Swiss National Bank and the International Trade Center, among others.

To ensure an early and continuous handover of management, the Board of Directors will initiate the search for a successor to Simone Wyss Fedele as CEO at the beginning of 2025. Wyss Fedele is scheduled to step down from the position after seven years in fall 2026.