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/Young Leaders/Young Leaders Conference

Young Leaders Conference

About the Conference

The American Swiss Foundation’s Young Leaders Conference was initiated in 1990 to create person-to-person exchange and foster mutual understanding among the next generation of leaders in Switzerland and the United States.

Held in Switzerland each year, the conference brings together approximately 50 Americans and Swiss aged 28-40 for a week of intensive discussion and exchange on a broad range of current issues of importance to U.S.-Swiss relations; meetings with high-level diplomatic, government, business, media, and cultural leaders; and excursions to Switzerland’s beautiful mountains and historic landmarks. Participants are selected based on nominations by trusted advisors of the American Swiss Foundation. Because this is the Foundation’s defining program, the selection process is extremely competitive.

The Young Leaders Conference is made possible through the generosity of corporate and individual sponsors and Swiss International Air Lines, which provides travel sponsorship for U.S. participants.

Over the past thirty years, more than 1,500 alumni have participated in the Young Leaders Conference. To view previous classes, click here.

Upcoming Conference

The 2025 Young Leaders Conference will take place in November, with international travel to U.S. participants sponsored by Swiss International Air Lines.

Testimonials

“Beyond the mutually-beneficial partnerships derived and enhanced by ASF, there is an inherently human component. The American Swiss Foundation is not only building cultural bridges between nations with a common history, but among like-minded individuals. I cannot overstate the role ASF has had in my life as a catalyst for incredible friendships with Americans and Swiss people alike. Some of the bonds I built in Buonas will last a lifetime. And ASF still serves as a convener to keep those friendships alive.”

Gregory Field Price (YL 2021) Senior Counsel, Cameron LLP

“The Young Leaders Conference was started 30 years ago by Ambassador Faith Whittlesey. The idea behind it was a great one, to bring together 25 young Americans and 25 young Swiss to Switzerland for a week and see what happens. It’s sort of a mini-Davos . . . The United States has no better friend than Switzerland. What our foundation tries to do is to really strengthen those ties.”

Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. (YL 1996) Chair, American Swiss Foundation
Co-Chair, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

“Cooperation in a fragmented world is what brought us here this week. If there is one organization that has proven over the last years that it builds bridges, brings people together, and fosters cooperation, it is the American Swiss Foundation. If there are Ambassadors who embody all of that, it’s the Young Leaders of the American Swiss Foundation.”

Bettina Schaller (YL 2011)
SVP Head Group Public Affairs, The Adecco Group

“It is my honor and obligation to contribute to the better understanding between our two sister republics through my personal engagement with the YLAF Board. In our challenging world, it is so important to build personal bridges beyond the official bilateral channels to improve our mutual understanding.”

Dr. René Buholzer (YL 2003)
CEO and Delegate of the Board, Interpharma

“When I think back to my young leaders conference in 2021, I experience a deep sense of gratitude, thanks to the many insightful discussions with inspiring leaders. Still today, I sense the heartbeat of our class, be it via online communication or in-person gatherings. In my capacity as a board member of the YLAF, I would like to contribute to further strengthening our precious network among all of our 1400+ alumni through new initiatives.”

Dr. Flurina Pletscher (YL 2021)
Personalized Healthcare Partner, Roche

“I have great memories of the Foundation and they are all related to the people who were sharing this experience with me. A varied group of American and Swiss professionals exchanging ideas and opinions on different topics, whilst having the opportunity to visit my own country. And of course there is also the “after-Foundation” that is equally interesting and relevant and that persists in building a network that is extremely precious from a personal and professional perspective.”

Dr. Manuela Bernasconi (YL 2011) General Counsel Zone Latin America, Nespresso

“Phenomenal experience and humbled to have been part of the Young Leaders Conference. An extra bonus was exploring the Swiss's robust apprenticeship ecosystem to compliment our work in the U.S. on labor and economic mobility. Thank you, American Swiss Foundation!”

Manny Lamarre (YL 2018) Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Labor

“Humans crave connectivity. It was a breath of fresh air to be with a thoughtful, diverse group of people who think differently than you. Nothing beats the power of having a discussion and not worrying that it's being recorded, so that you can share and get to know people on a deeper lever and understand them as human beings.”

Pierce Bush (YL 2021) CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star

“The thing that I take away from my Young Leaders Conference experience was the camaraderie and the exchange of ideas. It truly opened my eyes to the power of combining stable robust capitalism and stable robust political systems.”

Kevin Conroy (YL 2010) Chairman and CEO, Exact Sciences

“Having great, long chats with the Swiss and American Young Leaders was something that I thought was really special.”

Anna Soellner (YL 2007) Director of Communications, Reddit

Notable Alumni

The American Swiss Foundation (ASF) fosters economic, cultural, political, and personal ties between the two countries through citizen-to-citizen direct diplomacy. ASF’s flagship Young Leaders Conference focuses on promising young people from both countries who will shape public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic in the years to come. ASF’s goal is to inspire these Young Leaders to continue the centuries-long Swiss-American friendship through active engagement with one another.

The alumni included in the curated lists below are influential government officials, entrepreneurs and business executives, media professionals, academics, and public policy experts dedicated to promoting deeper friendship and understanding between the two “sister republics.”

American Alumni

Jerome Adams, MD, Purdue Health Equity Director, 20th U.S. Surgeon General of the United States (YL 2015)
Chike Aguh, Senior Advisor, Project on Workforce at Harvard University, former Chief Innovation Officer at U.S. Department of Labor, Biden-Harris Administration (YL 2022)
Cristobal Alex, Partner, Tusk Strategies (YL 2015)
Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, former Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health (YL 2016)
Kent Anker, Chief Legal Officer at the Episcopal Church, former ASF Board Member and former President of the Young Leaders Alumni Council (YL 1994)
Donald Baer, Senior Partner with Brunswick Group, Founder and CEO of of Palisades Strategic Advisors. Former chairman of PBS Board (YL 1991)
Michael Barone, Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Senior Political Analyst at the Washington Examiner (YL 1993)
The Honorable John Barrasso, U.S. Senator (R-WY) (YL 1990)
Josh Barro, author of the Very Serious Newsletter, and host of the Very Serious podcast (YL 2012)
Guy Benson, Political Editor at Townhall.com, and Fox News Contributor (YL 2018)
Aisha Bowe, Founder & CEO, STEMBoard, and former NASA Aerospace Engineer (YL 2017)
Joel T. Brennan, President, Greater Milwaukee Committee (YL 2011)
Gale Brewer, New York Council Member for the Upper West Side (YL 1994)
David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times (YL 1992)
The Honorable Sharon Weston Broome, Mayor-President of Baton Rouge, LA (YL 1995)
The Honorable Byron W. Brown, Mayor of Buffalo, NY (YL 2002)
Terri C. Burns, Co-Chair, Fortune's Brainstorm Tech Conference (YL 2018)
Pierce Bush, CEO Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star (YL 2021)
The Honorable Joaquin Castro, U.S. Representative (D-TX) (YL 2010)
Andrea Catsimatidis, Manhattan Republican Party Chair, Manhattan Republican Party (YL 2019)
The Honorable Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, Mayor of the City of Scranton, PA (YL 2021)
Kevin Conroy, Chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences (YL 2010)
Anisa Kamadoli Costa, Chief Sustainability Officer and President & Trustee, Rivian Foundation (YL 2003)
The Honorable Charlie Crist, former Governor of Florida (YL 1991)
Michael Crowley, Diplomatic Correspondent for The New York Times (YL 2006)
Jamie Dailey, Grand Ole Opry member, Grammy nominee and Emmy nominee (YL 2005)
Brian Deese, Institute Innovation Fellow, MIT, former Director of the National Economic Council, The White House (YL 2002)
Nancy-Ann DeParle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Consonance Capital Partners, former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama (YL 1991)
Tim Dickinson, Senior Writer at Rolling Stone (YL 2007)
John Farrar, Managing Director, Retail, Google (YL 2012)
The Honorable Bill Ferguson, President of the Senate, State Senator (46th Leg. Dist.) at The Maryland General Assembly (YL 2021)
Khalil Fuller, Founder & CEO, Giftcard Bank, Founder GSBuilds, Co-Founder & President at Boundless Venture Co (YL 2021)
Charlie Gerow, former ASF Board Member, CEO of Quantum Communications (YL 1998)
Robert George, former member of Bloomberg Opinion Editorial Board (YL 2001)
The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords, Co-Founder of Giffords, and former member of the United States House of Representatives representing Arizona's 8th congressional district (YL 2004)
Robert Giuffra, ASF Chair, Co-Chair and Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP (YL 1996)
Michelle Gonzalez, CVP and Global Head of M12 at Microsoft's Venture Fund (YL 2009)
Carol Graham, Professor, University of Maryland School of Public Policy, Senior Scientist, The Gallup Organization (YL 1992)
Joe Hagan, Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair (YL 2004)
Laura Brod Hameed, Executive Director, CureDuchenne (YL 2008)
John Hammond, Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor of Indiana Eric J. Holcomb (YL 2014)
Michelle Hanlon, Howard W. Johnson Professor and Professor of Accounting at the MIT School of Management (YL 2010)
James Hauslein, ASF Board Member and Managing Director of Hauslein & Company, Inc. (YL 2001)
Chris Hayes, host of “All In with Chris Hayes” on MSNBC, and Editor-at-Large of The Nation (YL 2008)
Kashmir Hill, Technology Reporter at The New York Times (YL 2019)
Steven Hoch, ASF Chair Emeritus and Partner at Brown Advisory (YL 1990)
The Honorable Bill Huizenga, U.S. Representative (R-MI) (YL 2009)
Clark Hunt, Chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs (YL 1995)
Joseph K. Hurd III, former ASF Board Member and Operating Partner, SOSV (YL 2008)
Brigadier General Andrew Hutchinson (USA, ret.), former ASF Board Member (YL 2001)
Neil Irwin, Chief Economic Correspondent at Axios (YL 2008)
Nicholas Johnston, Publisher, Axios (YL 2009)
Lauren Jones, MA Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development (YL 2017)
Shanthi Kalathil, Principal, MDO Advisors, Former National Security Council, The White House (YL 2003)
Patrick Radden Keefe, author, and Staff Writer at The New Yorker (YL 2006)
Jesse Kimball, ASF Board Member, and Founding Partner and Managing Member at Windswept Royalties LLC (YL 2014)
The Honorable Kris Kobach, Kansas Attorney General (YL 2006)
Ajay Kori, Co-Founder of Novilla Pharmaceuticals, Allay Lamp, and UrbanStems (YL 2016)
Jane Labanowski, Research Program Management at Google DeepMind (YL 2021)
Randall Lane, Chief Content Officer at Forbes (YL 1996)
The Honorable Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State (YL 2011)
Kent Lassman, President and CEO of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (YL 2017)
The Honorable Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, City of Kansas City (YL 2023)
The Honorable Meghan Lukens, State Representative, Colorado House of Representatives (YL 2023)
The Honorable Patrick L. McCrory, former Governor of North Carolina (YL 1996)
Matthew McKnight, General Manager, Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks (YL 2014)
The Honorable Edward T. McMullen, Jr., ASF Vice Chair and former Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (YL 1995)
The Honorable Alex Mooney, U.S. Representative (R-WV) (YL 2006)
Deroy Murdock, American Journalist, Political Commentator, and Fox News Contributing Editor (YL 1996)
The Honorable Svante Myrick, Former Mayor of Ithaca, NY and President & CEO of People for the American Way (YL 2014)
Ron Nehring (YL 2003), Chairman, California Republican Party (2007-2011)
The Honorable Donald Norcross,U.S. Representative (D-NJ) (YL 2006)
Daniel Oliver, former ASF Board Member and Founder and Managing Member of Myrmikan Capital, LLC (YL 2014)
Richard Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota (YL 1997)
Sara Peletz, Advisor to the CEO, Palantir Technologies
John Podhoretz, Editor of Commentary and columnist for the New York Post (YL 1998)
Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor at National Review, and columnist for Bloomberg Opinion (YL 1999)
The Honorable Art Pope, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Variety Wholesalers (YL 1990)
Gregory Field Price, ASF Board Member, Senior Counsel, Cameron LLP (YL 2021)
David Rainbolt, Chairman of BancFirst (YL 1991)
Manu Raju, Anchor, Inside Politics Sunday, Chief Congressional Correspondent, CNN (YL 2013)
The Honorable Dana Redd, President and CEO, Camden Community Partnership (YL 2010)
The Honorable Kimberly Reed, ASF Board Member, and former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (YL 2001)
Nouriel Roubini, Chief Economist at Atlas Capital Team L.P. (YL 1998)
Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media (YL 2001)
April Ryan, White House Correspondent for the Grio (YL 2004)
Joe Semsar, Head of East Coast Capital Markets at the New York Stock Exchange (YL 2022)
The Honorable Caroline Simmons, Connecticut State Representative (D-144th District) (YL 2017)
Michael Smerconish, radio host on SiriusXM, and TV host on CNN (YL 1990)
Anna Soellner, Vice President of Communications at Reddit (YL 2007)
Jamal Sowell, former Secretary of Commerce, State of Florida (YL 2022)
Stephen Spinelli, Jr., President of Babson College (YL 1999)
Chris Sprowls, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (R) (YL 2019)
Anthony Svanascini, ASF Board Member, CEO, Americaneagle.com (YL 2010)
James Taranto, Editorial Features Editor and Editorial Board Member, The Wall Street Journal (YL 2000)
Josie Tomkow, State Representative, Florida House of Representatives (YL 2022)
Maxeme Tuchman, CEO & Co-Founder of Caribu (YL 2018)
John Tuttle, ASF Board Member, President, Acrisure (YL 2011)
Derek Wallbank, Managing Editor, Bloomberg News (YL 2014)
Cameron Wendt, ASF Board Member, Global Communications Lead, Palantir Technologies (YL 2019)
Matthew Yglesias, Co-Founder of Vox, and writer and Editor at SlowBoring.com (YL 2008)

Swiss Alumni

His Excellency Balz Abplanalp, Consul General of Switzerland in San Francisco (YL 2004)
Her Excellency Rita Adam, Ambassador Extrordinary and Plenipotentiary and Head of the Swiss Mission to the European Union (YL 2009)
The Honorable Thomas Aeschi, Member of the National Council (YL 2014)
Florian Aigrain, CEO, Acutronic Group (YL 2021)
Philipp Albers-Schönberg, Investment Director, Helvetica Capital (YL 2023)
Raymond Bär, Chairman of the Board of Alpine-Select Ltd. (YL 1993)
His Excellency Félix Baumann, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva (YL 2006)
Matthias Benz, Economics Correspondent at the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (YL 2007)
Manuela Bernasconi, General Counsel Zone Latin America, Nestlé (YL 2011)
Markus Binkert, CFO of Swiss International Air Lines (YL 2006)
Henry Bodmer, Managing Partner at Abegg & Co. AG (YL 2018)
Andreas Bohrer, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at Lonza AG (YL 2009)
Dr. Silvio Bonaccio, Head of ETH Transfer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (YL 2003)
Stéphane Bonamy, Head of Regional Delegation in Yaoundé at the International Committee of the Red Cross (YL 2008)
Gaetan Bordier, Limited Partner at Bordier & Cie (YL 1995)
Dr. Dagmar Maria Kamber Borens, Senior Vice President and Country Head Switzerland for State Street Bank International (YL 2010)
The Honorable Pascale Bruderer, social entrepreneur and former member of the Swiss Senate (YL 2008)
Stefan Brupbacher, Director of Swissmem (YL 2006)
Thomas Bucher, Group CFO at Archroma (YL 2001)
His Excellency Urs Bucher, Ambassador Extrordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State of Israel (YL 1995)
His Excellency Nicolas Brühl, Ambassador Extrordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Philippines, Palau, Marshall Islands and Micronesia (YL 1998)
Dr. Renè Buholzer, CEO of Interpharma (YL 2003)
Thierry Cagianut, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Partner at Baldi & Caratsch (YL 2010)
Dr. Alain Cahen, Swiss Advisory Council Member and CEO of Labor Team W AG (YL 1999)
Bertrand Demole, Managing Partner, Pictet Group (YL 2004)
Rolf Dörig, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss Life (YL 1990)
Christoph Eisenring, Economics Journalist at Neue Zürcher Zeitung (YL 2003)
Beat Fellmann, Group CFO of Valora Group (YL 2004)
Robert Flatt, Professor for Building Materials, and Head of Physical Chemistry of Building Materials at ETH Zurich (YL 2005)
Alex Flückiger, CFO of Pax Life Insurance Company (YL 2007)
Rebecca Guntern, Head of Europe at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (YL 2009)
His Excellency Patric Franzen, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission to the Russian Federation in Moscow (YL 2003)
His Excellency Christian Frutiger, Ambassador, Head of Thematic Cooperation at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (YL 2005)
Luciano Gabriel, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Chairman of PSP Swiss Property (YL 1992)
Lukas Gähwiler, Vice Chairman of UBS Switzerland (YL 2001)
Bruno Giussani, Global Curator for TED (YL 2003)
Peter Guggenbach, Chief Growth Officer at SWISSto12 SA (YL 2000)
Judith Häberli, Co-founder and COO Urban Connect (YL 2022)
Dr. Marco Hasler, Head of Global Control at Schindler Elevator Group (YL 2011)
H.E. Ralf Heckner, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to India and Bhutan (YL 2001)
Judith Wittwer Herter, Editor-in-Chief of Süddeutsche Zeitung (YL 2005)
Jacqueline Hess, Swiss Advisory Council Member and former CEO at Vontobel Swiss Wealth Advisors (YL 2007)
Patrick Hess, CEO of Schindler Elevator Corporation (YL 2014)
Patrick Heymann, CCO of Edelweiss Air (YL 2014)
Dr. Gieri Hinnen, Head of Cargo Global Sales at Swiss International Air Lines (YL 2019)
Martin Hirzel, President of Swissmem (YL 2006)
Arthur Honegger, Host of “10 vor 10” news magazine on SRF television (YL 2010)
Dr. Marco Hutter, Professor for Robotics at ETH Zurich (YL 2018)
His Excellency Olaf Kjelsen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Canada (YL 2002)
Philippe Knüsel, CFO and Head of Management Services, and Member of the Group Executive Board at Chocolat Delica AG (YL 2009)
Johannes Läderach, CEO, Läderach (Schweiz) AG (YL 2021)
Dominique Astrid Lévy, Founder of Lévy Gorvy Gallery (YL 1996)
Gabriela Lippe-Holst, ASF Board Member and Co-Founder and Chair of Acqupart Holding AG (YL 2005)
Alexis Lombard, Managing Director of ODDO BHF (YL 2011)
The Honorable Christa Markwalder, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Member of the National Council of Switzerland (YL 2006)
Manuel Meier, Chief Transition Officer for Switzerland at AXA XL Insurance (YL 2012)
Martin Messner, Managing Partner at Messner Performance Partners (YL 1992)
His Excellency Hanspeter Mock, Ambassador Extrordinary and Plenipotentiary to Spain and Andorra (YL 1999)
Dr. Daniel Möckli, Head of Policy Planning at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (YL 2009)
Deepak Mohan, Commercial Director, Ryerson Networks AG (YL 2022)
His Excellency Pietro Mona, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the African Union, IGAD, UNECA and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Djibouti (YL 2007)
Dr. Ralph Müller, Professor of Biomechanics at ETH Zurich (YL 2004)
Christian Mumenthaler, Group CEO of Swiss Re (YL 2003)
Christof Münger, Head of the International Department at Tages-Anzeiger (YL 2004)
Niklaus Nuspliger, Political Correspondent at Neue Zürcher Zeitung (YL 2013)
Thomas Peyer, CFO of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) (YL 2007)
Marc Pictet, Managing Partner at Pictet & Cie Group SCA (YL 2005)
Alexander Pieper, Member of the Board and Co-Owner, Artemis Holding AG (YL 2023)
Dr. Flurina Pletscher, Personalized Healthcare Partner at Roche Pharma (Schweiz) AG (YL 2021)
Dr. Patrick Raaflaub, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Group Chief Risk Officer at Swiss Re (YL 2000)
Dr. Felix Reiff, Board Member and Advisor, McKinsey & Company (YL 2003)
Urs Rohner, Independent Non-Executive Director of GSK (YL 1990)
Dr. Manuel Rybach, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, EFG International (YL 2008)
Eric Sarasin, Entrepreneur in Residence at White Sailing Company (YL 1992)
Reto Savoia, CEO of Deloitte Switzerland (YL 2009)
His Excellency André Schaller, Lecturer, Universität St.Gallen, former Ambassador Extrordinary and Plenipotentiary to Saudi Arabia (YL 1997)
Bettina Schaller, ASF Board Member, Swiss Advisory Council Executive Committee Member, and SVP Group Public Affairs Director at The Adecco Group (YL 2011)
Christoph Schärer, Independent Director, Decart Ventures Limited (YL 1994)
Her Excellency Gabriele Schreier, Ambassador Extrordinary and Plenipotentiary to Slovenia
Florian Schwab, Publishing Director at Die Weltwoche (YL 2014)
Angel Serna, ASF Board Member and Senior Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Zurich Insurance Company (YL 2006)
Andreas Staubli, Swiss Advisory Council Member and CEO of PwC Switzerland (YL 2006)
Balthasar Staehelin, Special Envoy for Foresight and Techplomacy at the International Committee of the Red Cross (YL 1999)
Roman Stein, CFO of Swiss Life AG (YL 2008)
Michael Stucky, Chief Investment Officer, Serpentine Ventures (YL 2003)
Dr. Roman Studer, CEO, Swiss Banking (YL 2018)
Markus Studhalter, Chief Audit Officer at Barry Callebaut AG (YL 2004)
Michael Syz, Managing Director Banque Pictet Wealth Management (YL 2009)
Karine Szegedi, Swiss Advisory Council Member and Partner at Deloitte (YL 2012)
Dr. Suzanne Thoma, Executive Chair, Sulzer (YL 2000)
Camille Vial, Managing Partner at Mirabaud SCA (YL 2010)
Birgit Voigt, former Editor of NZZ am Sonntag (YL 1993)
Daniel Weber, COO and Member of the Executive Committee at Rothschild & Co. Bank AG (YL 2010)
Martin Weber, Head of Agency Transformation & Communication Zurich Insurance Company (YL 2022)
His Excellency Arno Wicki, Assistant Director General, Ambassador, Head of Asia - Latin American and Caribbean Division (YL 2000)
Stefan Wolfensberger, Managing Partner, Wolfensberger & Partner AG (YL 1994)
André Wyss, CEO of Implenia AG (YL 2002)
Alexandre Zeller, Managing Partner at Lombard Odier SA (YL 1996)
Alain Zucker, Managing Editor of NZZ am Sonntag (YL 2009)
Alois Zwinggi, Managing Director, Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum (YL 1995)