/Young Leaders Conference

Young Leaders Conference

About the Conference

The American Swiss Foundation’s Young Leaders Conference was initiated in 1990 to create person-to-person exchange and foster mutual understanding among the next generation of leaders in Switzerland and the United States.

Held in Switzerland each year, the conference brings together approximately 50 Americans and Swiss aged 28-40 for a week of intensive discussion and exchange on a broad range of current issues of importance to U.S.-Swiss relations; meetings with high-level diplomatic, government, business, media, and cultural leaders; and excursions to Switzerland’s beautiful mountains and historic landmarks.

The Young Leaders Conference is made possible through the generosity of corporate and individual sponsors and SWISS International Air Lines, which provides travel sponsorship for U.S. participants.

Over the past thirty years, more than 1,300 alumni have participated in the Young Leaders Conference. To view previous classes, click here.

Upcoming Conference

The 2021 Young Leaders Conference will take place in central Switzerland, with primary sponsorship by Roche and SWISS International Air Lines.

High_Res_Buonas_Image — Training and Conference Center, Roche Forum Buonas.

Testimonials

"One of the questions that I tend to ask repeatedly at meetings in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on which I serve is one that I wrote down in my notes from the Young Leader Conference. It had to do with what your opponent could do. In my notes, I wrote: 'Don't ask about someone's intent, ask about their potential.' So I ask, 'Can they or can't they?' instead of 'Will they or won't they?'"

Senator John BarrassoYL 1990

"The thing that I take away [from my Young Leaders Conference experience] was the camaraderie and the exchange of ideas. It truly opened my eyes to the power of combining stable robust capitalism and stable robust political systems."

Kevin ConroyYL 2010

"[During the 2009 Young Leaders Conference], I remember going and meeting with the Swiss central bank and talking about stimulus and how we're able to do that… A lot of it is about fiscal responsibility."

Rep. Bill HuizengaYL 2009

"[Having] great, long chats with the Swiss and American Young Leaders was something that I thought was really special."

Anna SoellnerYL 2007

"Fifteen years ago, I had the privilege of being part of a group of young leaders from the US and Switzerland for an intense, eye-opening exchange of ideas. Thank you American Swiss Foundation and Patricia Schramm for an opportunity that granted me life-long relationships and a global education."

Diana MarreroYL 2005

"I would not be where I am today without the American Swiss Foundation and Ambassador Faith Whittlesey. She taught each of us so much about life, career, as well as the importance of person to person diplomacy."

Hon. Kimberly ReedYL 2001

"Inviting individuals from diverse communities who hold varying policy ideas are exactly the kinds of discussions we should welcome (you make lifetime friends in the process). Thank you American Swiss Foundation, I benefited tremendously from your efforts to foster dialogue & understanding."

Daniel GarzaYL 2015

"Phenomenal experience and humbled to have been part of the Young Leaders Conference. Extra bonus: Explored the Swiss's robust apprenticeship ecosystem to complement our work in the U.S. on workforce and economic mobility. Thank you American Swiss Foundation!"

Manny LamarreYL 2018

Notable Alumni

The American Swiss Foundation (ASF) fosters economic, cultural, political, and personal ties between the two countries through citizen-to-citizen direct diplomacy. ASF’s flagship Young Leaders Conference focuses on promising young people from both countries who will shape public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic in the years to come. ASF’s goal is to inspire these Young Leaders to continue the centuries-long Swiss-American friendship through active engagement with one another.

The alumni included in the curated lists below are influential government officials, entrepreneurs and business executives, media professionals, academics, and public policy experts dedicated to promoting deeper friendship and understanding between the two “sister republics.”

American Alumni

Jerome Adams, MD, former Surgeon General of the United States (YL 2015)
Cristóbal Alex, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, The White House (YL 2015)
Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health (YL 2016)
Kent Anker, ASF Board Member and former President of the Young Leaders Alumni Council (YL 1994)
Donald Baer, Chairman of PBS Board (YL 1991)
Michael Barone, Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Senior Political Analyst at the Washington Examiner (YL 1993)
The Honorable John Barrasso, U.S. Senator (R-WY) (YL 1990)
Josh Barro, Senior Editor at Business Insider (YL 2012)
Guy Benson, Political Editor at Townhall.com, and Fox News Contributor (YL 2018)
Joel T.Brennan, Secretary of the Department of Administration, State of Wisconsin (YL 2011)
Gale Brewer, 27th Manhattan Borough President (YL 1994)
David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times (YL 1992)
The Honorable Sharon Weston Broome, Mayor-President of Baton Rouge, LA (YL 1995)
The Honorable Byron W. Brown, Mayor of Buffalo, NY (YL 2002)
Terri Burns, Partner at Google Ventures (YL 2018)
The Honorable Joaquin Castro, U.S. Representative (D-TX) (YL 2010)
The Honorable Andrea Catsimatidis, Executive at Red Apple Group (YL 2019)
Kevin Conroy, CEO and President of Exact Sciences (YL 2010)
Anisa Kamadoli Costa, ASF Board Member, and Chairman and President of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation (YL 2003)
The Honorable Charlie Crist, U.S. Representative (D-FL) (YL 1991)
Michael Crowley, White House Correspondent for The New York Times (YL 2006)
Jamie Dailey, Grand Ole Opry member, Grammy nominee and Emmy nominee (YL 2005)
Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, The White House (YL 2002)
Nancy-Ann DeParle, Co-Founder and Partner at Consonance Capital Partners (YL 1991)
Tim Dickinson, Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone (YL 2007)
John Farrar, Director of Education at Google (YL 2012)
Charlie Gerow, ASF Board Member and CEO of Quantum Communications (YL 1998)
Robert George, member of Bloomberg Opinion Editorial Board (YL 2001)
The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords, Founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions (YL 2004)
Robert Giuffra, ASF Chairman, and Partner and Vice Chair at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP (YL 1996)
Michelle Gonzalez, Managing Partner and Director at Google Area 120 (YL 2009)
Carol Graham, Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow at the Brooking Institution (YL 1992)
Joe Hagan, Contributing Editor at New York (YL 2004)
Laura Brod Hameed, Executive Director of the Columbus Children’s Foundation (YL 2008)
John Hammond, Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor of Indiana Eric J. Holcomb (YL 2014)
Michelle Hanlon, Howard W. Johnson Professor at the MIT School of Management (YL 2010)
James Hauslein, ASF Board Member and Managing Director of Hauslein & Company, Inc. (YL 2001)
Chris Hayes, host of “All In with Chris Hayes” on MSNBC, and Editor-at-Large of The Nation (YL 2008)
Kashmir Hill, Technology Reporter at The New York Times (YL 2019)
Steven Hoch, ASF Chairman Emeritus and Partner at Brown Advisory (YL 1990)
The Honorable Bill Huizenga, U.S. Representative (R-MI) (YL 2009)
Clark Hunt, Chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs (YL 1995)
Joseph K. Hurd III, ASF Board Member and Managing Partner at The Katama Group LLC (YL 2008)
Brigadier General Andrew Hutchinson (USA, ret.), ASF Board Member (YL 2001)
Neil Irwin, Senior Economic Correspondent at The New York Times (YL 2008)
Nicholas Johnston, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Axios (YL 2009)
Patrick Radden Keefe, author, and Staff Writer at The New Yorker (YL 2006)
Jesse Kimball, ASF Board Member, and Founding Partner and Managing Member at Windswept Royalties LLC (YL 2014)
The Honorable Kris Kobach, former Kansas Secretary of State (YL 2006)
Ajay Kori, Co-Founder of Novilla Pharmaceuticals, Allay Lamp, and UrbanStems (YL 2016)
Randall Lane, Editor of Forbes (YL 1996)
The Honorable Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State (YL 2011)
Kent Lassman, President and CEO of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (YL 2017)
The Honorable Patrick L. McCrory, former Governor of North Carolina (YL 1996)
Matthew McKnight, CCO at Ginkgo Bioworks (YL 2014)
The Honorable Edward T. McMullen, Jr., ASF Vice Chairman and former Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (YL 1995)
The Honorable Alex X. Mooney, U.S. Representative (R-WV) (YL 2006)
The Honorable Svante Myrick, Mayor of Ithaca, NY (YL 2014)
The Honorable Donald Norcross,U.S. Representative (D-NJ) (YL 2006)
Daniel Oliver, ASF Board Member and President of the Committee for Monetary Research & Education (YL 2014)
Richard Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota (YL 1997)
John Podhoretz, Editor of Commentary and columnist for the New York Post (YL 1998)
Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor at National Review, and columnist for Bloomberg Opinion (YL 1999)
The Honorable Art Pope, President of Variety Wholesalers (YL 1990)
David Rainbolt, Executive Chairman of BancFirst (YL 1991)
Manu Raju, Senior Political Correspondent for CNN (YL 2013)
The Honorable Dana Redd, CEO of the Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors (YL 2010)
The Honorable Kimberly Reed, ASF Board Member, and former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (YL 2001)
Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics and International Business at the Stern School of Business at New York University (YL 1998)
Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media (YL 2001)
April Ryan, White House Correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (YL 2004)
Patricia Schramm, ASF Board Member, Young Leaders Alumni Foundation Board Member, and President of the American Swiss Foundation (YL 1999)
The Honorable Caroline Simmons, Connecticut State Representative (D-144th District) (YL 2017)
Michael Smerconish, radio host on SiriusXM, and TV host on CNN (YL 1990)
Anna Soellner, Director of Communications at Reddit (YL 2007)
Steven Spinelli, Jr.,President of Babson College (YL 1999)
Chris Sprowls, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (R) (YL 2019)
Anthony Svanascini, ASF Board Member and CEO of Americaneagle.com (YL 2010)
James Taranto, Editorial Features Editor and Editorial Board Member, The Wall Street Journal (YL 2000)
Maxeme Tuchman, CEO & Co-Founder of Caribu (YL 2018)
John Tuttle, COO of the New York Stock Exchange (YL 2011)
Derek Wallbank, Senior Editor at Bloomberg News (YL 2014)
Raymond Welder, President and CEO of WelderXP, Ltd. (YL 2010)
Matthew Yglesias, Co-Founder of Vox, and writer and Editor at SlowBoring.com (YL 2008)

Swiss Alumni

His Excellency Balz Abplanalp, Ambassador to Oman (YL 2004)
Her Excellency Rita Adam, Ambassador to Italy, Malta, and San Marino (YL 2009)
The Honorable Thomas Aeschi, Member of the National Council (YL 2014)
Raymond Baer, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Julius Bär Gruppe AG (YL 1993)
His Excellency Félix Baumann, Head of the Multilateral Division at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations and to the other international organizations in Geneva (YL 2006)
Matthias Benz, Economics Correspondent at the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (YL 2007)
Manuela Bernasconi, Young Leaders Alumni Foundation Board Member, and Senior Legal Counsel at Nespresso (YL 2011)
Markus Binkert, CFO of Swiss International Air Lines (YL 2006)
Henry Bodmer, Managing Partner at Abegg & Co. AG (YL 2018)
Andreas Bohrer, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at Lonza AG (YL 2009)
Dr. Silvio Bonaccio, Head of ETH Transfer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (YL 2003)
Stéphane Bonamy, Head of Regional Affairs at the International Committee of the Red Cross (YL 2008)
Gaétan Bordier, Limited Partner at Bordier & Cie (YL 1995)
Dr. Dagmar Maria Kamber Borens, CEO of KBL Switzerland (YL 2010)
The Honorable Pascale Bruderer, social entrepreneur and former member of the Swiss Senate (YL 2008)
Stefan Brupbacher, Director of Swissmem (YL 2006)
Thomas Bucher, CFO and Member of the Executive Board at Alpiq Group (YL 2001)
His Excellency Urs Bucher, Head of the Mission of Switzerland to the EU (YL 1995)
His Excellency Nicolas Brühl, Ambassador to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, and Namibia (YL 1998)
Dr. René Buholzer, Young Leaders Alumni Foundation Board Member and CEO of Interpharma (YL 2003)
Thierry Cagianut, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Attorney with Baldi & Caratsch (YL 2010)
Dr. Alain Cahen, Young Leaders Alumni Foundation Board Member and CEO of Labor Team W AG (YL 1999)
Bertrand Demole, Partner at Pictet & Cie (YL 2004)
Rolf Dörig, Chairman of Swiss Life (YL 1990)
Christoph Eisenring, Economics Journalist at Neue Zürcher Zeitung (YL 2003)
Beat Fellmann, CFO of Valora Group (YL 2004)
Robert Flatt, Professor for Building Materials, and Head of Physical Chemistry of Building Materials at ETH Zurich (YL 2005)
Alex Flückiger, CFO of Pax Life Insurance Company (YL 2007)
Rebecca Guntern, Head of Europe at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (YL 2009)
His Excellency Patric Franzen, Ambassador to Georgia (YL 2003)
His Excellency Christian Frutiger, Assistant Director General and Head of Global Cooperation at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (YL 2005)
Luciano Gabriel, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Chairman of PSP Swiss Property (YL 1992)
Lukas Gähwiler, Chairman of UBS Switzerland (YL 2001)
Bruno Giussani, Global Director for TED (YL 2003)
Peter Guggenbach, Executive Vice President of RUAG Space (YL 2000)
Dr. Marco Hasler, CFO of Schindler China at Schindler Elevator Corporation (YL 2011)
H.E. Ralf Heckner, Ambassador to India (YL 2001)
Judith Wittwer Herter, Editor-in-Chief of Süddeutsche Zeitung (YL 2005)
Jacqueline Hess, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Member of the Management Board and Head of Vontobel Swiss Wealth Advisors (YL 2007)
Patrick Hess, CEO of Schindler Elevator Corporation (YL 2014)
Patrick Heymann, CCO of Edelweiss Air (YL 2014)
Dr. Gieri Hinnen, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Head of Labor Relations & HR Steering at Swiss International Air Lines (YL 2019)
Martin Hirzel, President of Swissmem (YL 2006)
Arthur Honegger, Host of “10 vor 10” news magazine on SRF television (YL 2010)
Dr. Marco Hutter, Professor for Robotics at ETH Zurich (YL 2018)
René Kissling, Secretary to the Board Committees at F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd. (YL 2006)
His Excellency Olaf Kjelsen, Ambassador to Greece (YL 2002)
Philippe Knüsel, CFO and Head of Management Services, and Member of the Group Executive Board at Delica AG (YL 2009)
Dominique Astrid Lévy, Founder of Lévy Gorvy Gallery (YL 1996)
Gabriela Lippe-Holst, ASF Board Member and Young Leaders Alumni Foundation President Emerita, and Co-Founder and Chair of Acqupart Holding AG (YL 2005)
Alexis Lombard, Young Leaders Alumni Foundation Board Member, and Member of the Management Board at Banque Landolt & Cie (YL 2011)
The Honorable Christa Markwalder, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Member of the National Council of Switzerland (YL 2006)
Manuel Meier, Country Manager for Switzerland at AXA XL Insurance (YL 2012)
Martin Messner, Managing Partner at Messner Performance Partners (YL 1992)
His Excellency Hanspeter Mock, Ambassador to Argentina (YL 1999)
Dr. Daniel Möckli, Advisor to the Foreign Minister Cabinet at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (YL 2009)
His Excellency Pietro Mona, Ambassador for Development, Displacement and Migration within the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (YL 2007)
Dr. Ralph Müller, Professor of Biomechanics at ETH Zurich (YL 2004)
Christian Mumenthaler, Group CEO of Swiss Re (YL 2003)
Christof Münger, Editor of the Foreign News Section at Tages-Anzeiger (YL 2004)
Niklaus Nuspliger, Political Correspondent for European Affairs and NATO at Neue Zürcher Zeitung (YL 2013)
Thomas Peyer, CFO of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) (YL 2007)
Marc Pictet, Partner at Pictet & Cie Group SCA (YL 2005)
Dr. Patrick Raaflaub, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Group Chief Risk Officer at Swiss Re (YL 2000)
Dr. Felix Reiff, CEO of Bayer Consumer Care AG (YL 2003)
Urs Rohner, former Chairman of Credit Suisse Group (YL 1990)
Dr. Manuel Rybach, Swiss Advisory Council Executive Committee Member, and Global Head of Public Affairs and Policy at Credit Suisse Group AG (YL 2008)
Eric Sarasin, Chairman of the Board at The Singularity Group (YL 1992)
Reto Savoia, CEO of Deloitte AG (YL 2009)
His Excellency André Schaller, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (YL 1997)
Bettina Schaller, Young Leaders Alumni Foundation President, ASF Board Member, Swiss Advisory Council Executive Committee Member, and Group Public Affairs Director at The Adecco Group (YL 2011)
Christoph Schärer, Executive Vice Chairman of Wealth Management at Rothschild Bank AG (YL 1994)
Florian Schwab, Economics Editor at Weltwoche (YL 2014)
Angel Serna, ASF Board Member and Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Zurich Insurance Company (YL 2006)
Andreas Staubli, Swiss Advisory Council Member and CEO of PwC Switzerland (YL 2006)
Balthasar Staehelin, Deputy Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (YL 1999)
Roman Stein, CFO of Swiss Life AG (YL 2008)
Michael Stucky, Young Leaders Alumni Foundation Vice President and Founding Managing Partner at Teggwings (YL 2003)
Dr. Roman Studer, Swiss Advisory Council Secretary and Head of Governmental Affairs for Switzerland at UBS AG (YL 2018)
Markus Studhalter, CFO of Global Cocoa at Barry Callebaut AG (YL 2004)
Michael Syz, Executive Vice President of Banque Pictet & Cie SA (YL 2009)
Karine Szegedi, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Member of the Management Board and Partner at Deloitte (YL 2012)
Suzanne Thoma, CEO of BKW FMB Energy, Ltd. (YL 2000)
Camille Vial, Chairman of the Executive Committee at Mirabaud (YL 2010)
Birgit Voigt, Editor of NZZ am Sonntag (YL 1993)
Daniel Weber, COO and Member of the Executive Committee at Rothschild & Co. Bank AG (YL 2010)
His Excellency Arno Wicki, Ambassador to Chile (YL 2000)
André Wyss, CEO of Implenia AG (YL 2002)
Alexandre Zeller, Managing Partner at Lombard Odier SA (YL 1996)
Alain Zucker, Managing Editor of NZZ am Sonntag (YL 2009)
Alois Zwinggi, Managing Director and Head of the Centre for Cybersecurity at the World Economic Forum (YL 1995)

Alumni Organization

The Young Leaders Alumni Foundation is an independent non-profit organization that works to support the American Swiss Foundation in its outreach in Switzerland. YLAF hosts and supports educational and cultural events in both countries to give alumni an opportunity to stay up-to-date and learn more about the important Swiss-American relationship.

Alumni of the Conference now number over 1,300 leaders in both countries. Their strong personal relationships based on shared experiences in the Conference contribute to the continued excellent relations between the United States and Switzerland.

President

Bettina Schaller | Young Leader 2011 | The Adecco Group

Vice President

Michael Stucky | YL 2003 | Teggwings

President Emerita

Gabriela Lippe-Holst | YL 2005 | Acqupart Holding AG

Members of the Board

Dr. Manuela Bernasconi | YL 2011 | Nestlé Nespresso SA
Dr. René Buholzer | YL 2003 | Interpharma
Dr. Alain Cahen | YL 1999 | Labor Team W AG
Alexis Lombard | YL 2011 | Banque Landolt & Cie
Patricia Schramm | YL 1999 | American Swiss Foundation