Entrepreneur Silvan Wildhaber elected new President 

Silvan Wildhaber (48) was unanimously elected by the Board of Directors as the new President of economiesuisse. With this appointment, economiesuisse is bringing on board ‘a leader who combines responsible entrepreneurship with equally responsible engagement with society,’ says incumbent President Christoph Mäder.

Broad support across all sectors

‘The unanimous vote has been very heartening for me. I see it as recognition of my work to date for Swiss entrepreneurship,’ said Mr Wildhaber after the election. And he elaborated on his approach to economic policy: ‘I am committed to working with members to stand up for the interests of companies of all sizes, and encouraging the Swiss public to relate to their concerns.’ Some 100 industry associations, 20 cantonal chambers of commerce, and individual companies come together under the umbrella of economiesuisse. The organisation represents around 100,000 companies from all sectors, employing around 2 million people.

‘Expanding trade relations’

Silvan Wildhaber has been a member of the Board of Directors of the business federation since 2014 and has been helping to steer economiesuisse for more than ten years. As an businessman with more than 20 years at the helm of family-owned company Filtex AG, he knows how important reliable and competitive local conditions are for companies and their employees. Mr Wildhaber is committed to making Switzerland an open and interconnected place to work. As a representative of the export industry, he understands the importance of reliable global trade relations. ‘Switzerland is navigating turbulent geopolitical waters at present,’ he says. ‘More than ever, we have to look after Switzerland as a location for business and further diversify our trade relations.’

Nicolas Durand elected Vice President for French-speaking Switzerland

The Board of Directors also unanimously elected Nicolas Durand (44) as its new Vice President. This means that the Executive Committee once again has a Vice President from French-speaking Switzerland. Nicolas Durand is Director of Fondation Campus Biotech in Geneva and founder of Lausanne-based company Abionic. He has been a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of economiesuisse since 2022, representing the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Switzerland (SIHK) and the Chambres latines du commerce et d’industrie (CLCI). ‘I am delighted to play an active role in the Executive Committee of economiesuisse and to represent companies from French-speaking Switzerland,’ says Mr Durand.