At the general assembly of digitalswitzerland it once more became clear that AI is a new and very dynamic next step in digitalisation. And the opportunities and risks involved and in particular the combination of AI with HI (Human Intelligence) make the dialogues among the members of this national initiative more important than ever.
To strategically drive this change forward, the participants of the General Assembly on 29 May elected Andreas Meyer as President. Following his time at ABB and DB, he drove forward the digitalisation of SBB in particular as CEO until 2020. As a founding member of “digitalzurich 2025” back in 2015, he worked towards expanding the initiative to encompass the whole of Switzerland. He also coordinated the Federal Council’s Digital Transformation Advisory Board for around three years. He succeeds Sascha Zahnd. As the first president after the merger of digitalswitzerland and ICTswitzerland, Zahnd led the organisation through the change with strategic impulses.
A change was also announced today with regard to the operational management. Franziska Barmettler will take up her position as the new CEO on 1 November 2024. As an economist, has been working at the interface between business, sustainability and politics for 15 years. She has shaped developments in the field of innovation and sustainability at the swisscleantech trade association, Migros and currently at IKEA. In addition to experience in association management and an understanding of future issues and change processes in the economy, she also has practical legislative experience as a politician. She succeeds Stefan Metzger. He has completed the operational integration of digitalswitzerland and ICTswitzerland, shaping the organisation over the past two years and preparing it for the future. He will remain CEO until 31 October 2024.
The exchange between business, science, government organisations and politics is at the heart of digitalswitzerland’s work. The aim is to utilise the opportunities offered by digital technologies by providing impulses and concrete contributions. In addition, the associated risks must be managed and people’s trust in the technologies must be promoted in order to transform Switzerland into a leading digital nation.
