EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2024: finalists are confirmed – Lucerne and Vaud very well represented

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• 15 business personalities have been nominated alongside their 12 companies by an independent and distinguished panel of judges for this year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award.
• This year the finalists come from the cantons of Bern, Geneva, Graubünden, Lucerne, Thurgau, Vaud, Zug and Zurich, with the Lucerne and Vaud having three each.
• The awards are divided into four categories and will be presented at a gala event at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre (KKL) on Friday, October 4, 2024.

Zurich, 27 August 2024 – The finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^TM 2024 (the 27th edition) have been confirmed. The 15 business personalities and their 12 companies nominated for this year’s prestigious awards were announced today. In total, 63 business personalities applied for the program in 2024 – more than ever before. Now, an independent jury has decided which ones to send though to the finals in the various categories of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards on October 4, 2024.

Frédéric Tissot, Head of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Switzerland, commented: “We are very proud to have been promoting outstanding entrepreneurship in Switzerland for more than a quarter of a century. For months, we have been collaborating with the independent and distinguished jury to select the finalists. We are impressed by the commitment and innovative spirit shown by the entrepreneurs. The top cantons this year are Lucerne and Vaud: three companies from each have made the finals.”

The winners will be selected in four categories: “Industry, High-Tech & Life Sciences”, “Services & Commerce”, “Family Business” and “Emerging Entrepreneur”. Find out more about the personalities vying for the most coveted award for entrepreneurship in Switzerland below. The winners will be crowned at a celebratory gala at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre (KKL) on Friday, October 4, 2024.

“Industry, High-Tech & Life Sciences” category

Thomas Failer, Data Migration International AG (Thurgau)

Some of the world’s most innovative companies put their trust in a partner from Switzerland when it comes to simplifying and accelerating digital transformation: under the leadership of founder Thomas Failer, Data Migration International AG is developing AI-based solutions for migrating, managing, archiving and mining data – the most important asset of its customers.

The jury says: “Thomas Failer is an exciting personality who has a distinct flair for identifying problems and developing solutions – with great success.”

Silvia Scherer, APTISSEN SA (Geneva)

Eradicating muscle and joint pain: that is the vision of APTISSEN SA. The injectable gel SynolisTM was launched by APTISSEN under the leadership of co-founder Silvia Scherer, who has a PhD in natural sciences. This is an innovative product that rapidly helps to restore mobility and provide long-lasting pain relief.

The jury says: “Silvia Scherer is a star entrepreneur who has shown enormous innovative spirit to successfully position her company in a short space of time.

Adrian Steiner, Thermoplan AG (Lucerne)

What began in 1974 as a manufacturer of whipped cream machines and milk frothers has gone on to become a leading global supplier of coffee machines. The career of CEO Adrian Steiner developed just as rapidly. He started work for Thermoplan in 1998 as its 21st employee, matured into an entrepreneur in the company and now heads it, with the number of employees currently standing at 500.

The jury says: “Adrian Steiner has managed to successfully drive forward the diversification of his very well-known company and position it more broadly.”

“Services & Commerce” category

Ivan Brustlein, Swibeco SA (Vaud)

The purchasing power of a company’s staff will increase noticeably if they are able to benefit from numerous advantages, offers and discounts – and with no sign of any downsides: this was the basic idea behind the platform Swibeco, which was founded by Ivan Brustlein and now looks after over 8,000 B2B clients. He now has 60 employees working under him.

The jury says: “Ivan Brustlein and his company have developed a fine-tuned business model, enabling them to stand out in an established market.”

Andrea Galli, Pini Group SA (Graubünden)

Pini Group has multidisciplinary teams on all five continents developing smart, cost-effective and sustainable solutions for complex technical projects of any size – from railway tunnels to road bridges and airport terminals, and from power stations to hospitals and data centers. Group CEO Andrea Galli succinctly sums up what the company wants to do: “Make it happen.”

The jury says: “The decentralized positioning of his company has allowed Andrea Galli to bring Swiss quality to the international stage in an innovative fashion.”

Marc Vollenweider, Evalueserve Holdings AG (Zug)

As a partner in a management consultancy firm, Marc Vollenweider noticed that although valuable analysis conducted by research centers reaches the consulting teams, it does not directly reach clients. He wants to change this – as co-founder of the global data analytics provider Evalueserve, where 4,500 domain analysts constantly supply their clients with valuable insights thanks to AI-based mind machines.

The jury says: “In his highly dynamic way, Marc Vollenweider has successfully expanded his company from India across the world.”

“Family Business” category

Dania Kambly, Nils Kambly, Kambly SA (Bern)

Oscar Kambly and his wife took over the village bakery in Trubschachen in 1910, laying the foundation for a family business that even today is run by a husband and wife team – great-granddaughter Dania and her husband Nils Kambly. Even though the best-selling manufacturer of bakery products in Switzerland generates almost half of its sales abroad, the factory is still located in Trubschachen.

The jury says: “Dania and Nils Kambly head a beloved Swiss brand that everyone knows. The Kambly name is synonymous with quality, tradition and credibility.”

Makoto Nakao, GC International AG (Lucerne)

One of the reasons for the success of this leading manufacturer of dental products is its unique Japanese-European corporate culture. Founded in Tokyo in 1921 by three young Japanese chemists, GC Corporation is now run from its headquarters in Switzerland – by Makoto Nakao, the grandson of one of the founders. 

The jury says: “Makoto Nakao impressed us with his openness. His successful company combines Japanese culture with Swiss values.”

Esther Studer, Peter Galliker, Rolf Galliker, Galliker Transport AG (Lucerne)

Esther Studer, Peter Galliker and Rolf Galliker are the third generation of their family to head Galliker Transport AG, which was set up in 1918 and has grown from a small haulage company into a logistics company operating throughout Europe – with 3,500 employees at 19 sites in six countries. This is partly because the three siblings are keeping up the tradition of thinking in terms of generations, not quarters.

The jury says: “The Gallikers are a family of entrepreneurs par excellence, whose personal commitment and passionate innovative spirit are helping them hold their own in a difficult market.”

“Emerging Entrepreneur” category

Amélie Béduer, Volumina Medical SA (Vaud)

A novel injectable biomaterial is available to plastic surgeons to restore the soft tissue of patients without major interventions: AdiPearl™, developed by Volumina Medical SA – a medtech start-up that emerged from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and is run by co-founder Amélie Béduer.

The jury says: “Amélie Béduer heads her company with highly-innovative ideas, outstanding business acumen and pronounced foresight.”

Péter Fankhauser, ANYbotics AG (Zurich)

Four-legged robots with AI-driven agility take recurring, dirty and dangerous tasks off the hands of workers in the oil, gas and chemical industry, improving not just their productivity, but also their quality of life: that is the mission of ANYbotics, a spin-off of ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab run by co-founder Péter Fankhauser. 

The jury says: “Péter Fankhauser supplies cutting edge technology from Switzerland and his pioneering offering is helping him to hold his own against global competition.”

Alexis Steinmann, Tombooks SA (Vaud)

Over a million soloists have a professional orchestra accompany them when practicing – thanks to the Tomplay app’s interactive scores. The idea came from business student Alexis Steinmann, who founded a promising start-up and now has 40 employees working under him.

The jury says: “Alexis Steinmann’s ingenious app successfully gives all music lovers the opportunity to benefit from his intoxicating passion for music.”

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – a global network for business personalities

The awards ceremony is the highlight of a year-long program for all the entrepreneurs in the running. However, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is much more than just the “Oscars for entrepreneurs”: it is a tight-knit and established network for business personalities that enables and fosters contact and exchanges between all those across the world who have ever been contenders. The global network stretches over 60 countries and now comprises more than 50,000 entrepreneurs.

The jury of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Switzerland

The ten jury members review and select the finalists autonomously and independently of EY Switzerland, before deciding on the winners of the competition. The jury is made up of the following personalities from the Swiss business scene:

• Dr. Adrienne Corboud Fumagalli, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Unyversal Technologies and Member of the Board of Directors of Swiss Life
• Marco Gadola, Chairman of the Board of Directors, DKSH, Medartis and WS Audiology
• Thomas Hanan, Founder & CEO, Webrepublic, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017
• Michael Mueller, Group CEO, Valora and Head Europe FEMSA Proximity & Health
• Dr. Jan Lichtenberg, CEO, InSphero, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015
• Didier Maus, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Maus Frères
• Jean-Marc Probst, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Probst Group Holding
• Franziska Tschudi Sauber, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors Weidmann Holding, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022
• Dr. Pascale Vonmont, CEO, Gebert Rüf Stiftung
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Zellweger, Director of the Center for Family Business, University of St.Gallen

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