Bad Ragaz Board of Directors Conference

Outlook

The 29th Bad Ragaz Board of Directors Days will take place on November 28/29, 2025 and the 30th Bad Ragaz Board of Directors Days on November 27/28, 2026

Knight Gianella founded the Bad Ragaz Board of Directors Days in 1997 in collaboration with the ZfU (www.zfu.ch) as an exclusive and strategic platform for boards of directors and CEOs of large Swiss companies. The focus is on the exchange of experience and discussion within the peer group. The framework for this is provided by live cases presented by sparring partners and moderated breakout sessions on the latest topics of strategic corporate management as well as developments in corporate governance and the resulting challenges in board work.

Participation is by personal invitation only.

For information, please contact Sandro V. Gianella.

Looking Back

28th Bad Ragaz Board of Directors Days on November 29/30, 2024 under the motto: “Trust is the hardest currency”

Fully booked! 80 board members and CEOs accepted our personal invitation. After a brief introduction to the conference theme by Sandro V. Gianella and a warm welcome from Dr. Klaus Tschütscher, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, the conference kicked off with a keynote speech by Jean-Marc Huët, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lonza and Heineken, and a lively discussion in the plenary session moderated by Roger de Weck. As an introduction to the topic block “Leadership from the top”, the results of the Knight Gianella BoD survey 2024/25 in collaboration with the University of St. Gallen were presented exclusively in advance by Prof. Dr. Georg Guttmann. The four breakout sessions focused on the highly topical subjects of “China as an opportunity?”, “How to create trust?”, “Impact of artificial intelligence and dealing with cyber threats”, “What is success? A key question for the Board of Directors!” together with top-class sparring partners, the focus was on sharing experiences in the peer group.

Chaired by Roger de Weck, the traditional fireside chat with Hannes Schmid, Swiss artist and philanthropist, founder of the Swiss aid organization Smiling Gecko in Cambodia, was a very moving highlight on Friday evening. After the Leaders Breakfast, Paul Zumbühl, Chairman of the Boards of Directors of Interroll, Mikron and Schlatter, kicked off Saturday morning with his contribution on the question “Are the usual competencies and skills required in the Board of Directors and in top management sufficient?”, followed by a lively discussion led by Roger de Weck.

“Transformation needs leadership and trust” - the CEOs of ‘DKSH’, ‘Burckhardt Compression’ and ‘Kühne+Nagel’ shared and reflected on their current experiences in the plenary session before Nebelspalter publisher Dr. Markus Somm concluded the inspiring contributions, discussions and personal insights with his final bouquet – as usual, all under the ‘Chatham House Rules’.

Of central importance for all participants was the space for reflection and the personal exchange of experiences and ideas, as well as the opportunity to network at the highest level in the peer group.