Three questions to Thomas Bohn, Executive Director

Thomas Bohn, Executive Director at GGBa, talks about the impact of the pandemic on Switzerland’s attractiveness for international companies, and shares his optimism about the future. How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your daily work and personal life? March 2020 will forever be associated with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. For me, it was also […]

Thomas Bohn, Executive Director at GGBa, talks about the impact of the pandemic on Switzerland’s attractiveness for international companies, and shares his optimism about the future.

• How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your daily work and personal life?

March 2020 will forever be associated with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. For me, it was also memorable in a good way, as I became a father to a wonderful little boy. Being able to spend so much time with my newborn son has definitely been my personal lockdown silver lining, and something I would have never dreamt of. I have a very busy travel schedule in normal times, but my only business trip this year was in January, when I visited one of our offices in China. Since then, the now-familiar cycle of restrictions and lockdowns has inhibited travel and social life. On a bright note, I think it is during times of crisis like this that we truly reinvent ourselves. GGBa has gone more digital and our team has successfully adapted to the new circumstances. Switzerland remains attractive to international companies, and we need to remain efficient in supporting them despite the pandemic.

• As Executive Director of GGBa, have you implemented any management or strategy changes to adapt to the extraordinary circumstances?

What we do is a “people’s business”: trust is essential and is built best through in-person meetings. Naturally, our team has had to adapt to the restrictions that have been introduced in their respective countries, with most interactions going virtual. Like the vast majority of businesses, we have had to accelerate our digitalization and have expanded our service portfolio in order to simplify the company set-up process and make it possible remotely. In terms of FDI attraction, 2020 has been a relatively good year: my impression is that the coronavirus crisis is strengthening Switzerland’s appeal as a stable and secure investment destination. Even in difficult times, I am lucky to have a great team and to be able to count on an excellent collaboration with our cantonal partners.

• What has been the impact of the pandemic and associated restrictions on Switzerland as a business and investment destination?

We have had a significant drop in site visits this year due to travel restrictions. However, thanks to a strong pipeline of projects, we have managed to match – and even exceed – last year in terms of newly incorporated companies. I remain confident for the future, even if the crisis is not behind us yet and the economy won’t recover for a while. I really enjoy meeting and welcoming passionate entrepreneurs to Switzerland, and I hope that it will be possible again very soon. And above all, I can’t wait to see my whole team, who are based all over the world and who I haven’t seen since August 2019.