Talks 2020

In her very touching and personal talk “How to avoid paper cuts in the tech industry” Barbara shared her story and knowledge about how to make constructive change and create a culture that makes people want to stay. Barbara gives her voice to this important issue and shows total commitment to effect change. Because even though everyone seems to acknowledge the unresolved gender imbalance in the tech industry, there are still many arguments over how to tackle it.

Bernhard Wolff, Creativity Speaker and Online Moderator impressively demonstrated how he turned the Corona crisis into an opportunity. Although his passion for performing on stage was massively attacked by Corona, he found a way to stay close. Enjoy his mind-blowing talk “Reduce Distance! How Corona reinvented corporate events.

Can we actually control our genes? Can we influence how our genetic information is read and interpreted by the body – How our genes are activated or deactivated? Evelyn Eisenhauer shared her passion for epigenetics in her exciting lecture “Every cell its software”. With many impressive examples she demonstrated how gene activity is constantly modulated by our lifestyle and that we can become managers of our own health.

Frank & Patrik Riklin from the ATELIER FÜR SONDERAUFGABEN (Atelier For Special Tasks) like to provoke with their projects and the rather unusual questions like “Will analogization follow digitalization?” According to futurologists, humanity must revolutionize itself if it does not want to abolish itself through the inexorable digitization excess. The more digital the world becomes, the greater the risk of zombization … Enjoy their mind-blowing talk “Re-humanization of the digital society”!.

With plenty of examples and a natural charm Kantarama Gahigiri inspired with her topic “Culture is software. On the need to imagine a common future.” The ability to create fiction is what characterizes us as a species. Stories have helped us organize and move towards a common goal across the ages and the continents. Now that we are about to face our biggest challenges yet on a global level, will we be able to imagine a way to survive them? Will we be able to understand that culture is our most precious software? Kantarama, Swiss and Rwandan filmmaker and a Fulbright Award recipient, provides the answers.

Are there areas where we should rather focus on pure humanity to outstrip the performance of processes? With wit and plenty of examples Flavio Stragiotti shares some of his experiences in his talk “Process versus humanity – what is more effective?” It’s broadly known that, in today’s world, processes are a key factor in driving automation and efficiencies. However, in some cases we experience processes that are totally failing.

Why it is important never to give up dreams and how a strong will, diligence and persistence can move mountains. This is the key message of Florence Schelling’s talk “Behind the mask”. She impressively portrays her path which, contrary to all conventions and prejudices, brought her not only to the Olympic Games but finally to the top of professional ice hockey – Namely as the first female general manager of SC Bern.

In his very touching and passionate talk “Preventing Blindness – Bringing Light to the World” Thomas Bosshard draws attention to the important topic of cataract. Cataract is the number one cause of blindness worldwide. Thomas vividly demonstrates that cataract surgery is a standard part of care in the developed world whereas access to proper care is denied to millions of people in developing countries. Circumstances that motivate Thomas and his team to strive for better, safer and more economic surgical solutions to help blind and visually impaired people around the globe.

With plenty of examples and a natural charm Claire Murigande inspired with her topic „Self-connectedness“ and shared the following key message with the enthusiastic online audience: „By focusing our attention on ourselves, questioning our thoughts, we are able to make a tremendous impact on our own lives and around us; but also empower younger generations to fulfill their potential.“

Wouldn’t you also be interested in knowing why Swiss economy loses about 14 billion Swiss francs in profits each year and why the answer is related to leadership quality and skills? Learn more about the subject of human leadership in the mind-blowing talk “Let’s do it – for a more humane workplace” of Stefan Klöckl, owner & meaning creator at the @Sinnfabrik. Stefan’s drive is his deep belief that we need to rethink the way we treat each other as a society. He wants a humane working environment in which we trust each other, appreciate one another and take responsibility for our actions.

Why is #bitcoin the “Guardian Angel” of transaction privacy? With wit and simplicity, Emi Lorincz made this exciting topic accessible in her talk “On the basis of bitcoin – preserving transaction privacy in the 21st century”. Dedicated to increasing the usage and adoption of cryptocurrencies, Emi is engaged in rolling-out the enterprise-grade solution of the security company Ledger while serving on the council of the Bancor Foundation and on the Board of the Crypto Valley Association.

In his very touching and personal talk “Listen to your heart” Schoscho Rufener shares his experience about the surprising and unexpected turns that life can take. From being and feeling inviolable on top of the world to all of a sudden finding himself under the glare of the lights in an emergency room. Schoscho is now on the path of mindfulness and he is passionate about sharing his insights to inspire entrepreneurs and people of interest.