Keynote speakers
José Manuel Durão Barroso’s career in politics began in 1980 when he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He was first elected to the Portuguese parliament in 1985 and was re-elected six times thereafter. In 1999, he was elected President of the PSD and re-elected three times. During the same period, he served as Vice President of the European People's Party. As State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, he played a key role as mediator of the peace accords for Angola in Bicesse (Estoril, Portugal) in 1991, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs he launched the talks with the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations, that ultimately led to the independence of East Timor.
Under his leadership, the PSD won the general election in 2002, and he was appointed Prime Minister of Portugal in April of that year. He remained in office until July 2004 when he was nominated by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament to the post of President of the European Commission. In June 2009, the European Council unanimously nominated him for a second term as President of the European Commission, and he was re-elected by an absolute majority in the European Parliament in September 2009.
He is the recipient of numerous State Decorations, academic distinctions, and has been awarded more than 30 honorary degrees. He was named “Global Leader for Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum in 1993, and in 2006, he was declared "European of the Year" by the newspaper European Voice. He is an 'Honorary Citizen' of Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, Athens, Nicosia, Valpaços, Lamego and Cantanhede. Barroso was born in Lisbon. After graduating in law from the University of Lisbon, he moved to Geneva,
where he completed a Diploma in European Studies at the European University Institute, University of Geneva, and a Master's degree in Political Science from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Geneva, earning honors in both. He embarked on an academic career, working successively as a teaching assistant at the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon, in the Department of Political Science, University of Geneva, and as a visiting professor at the Department of Government and School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.). In 1979, he was one of the founders of AUROP, the Portuguese University Association for European Studies and he later became the first editor of the Revista de Ciência Política. In 1995, he became Head of the International Relations Department of Lusíada University, Lisbon. He has also participated in several international missions, including, among others, head of the IDEA delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996) and advisor to the United Nations in projects for Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 2015, Barroso was appointed the Frederick H. Schultz Class of 1951 visiting professor of International Economic Policy and a policy fellow of the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (LISD) at Princeton University. He also served as nonexecutive chairman of Goldman Sachs International.
Christoph Brand has been Chief Executive Off icer (CEO) of the Axpo Group since May 2020 and holds a degree in economics from the University of Bern. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD. From 2012 to 2020, he held various positions at the TX Group (formerly Tamedia), most recently as CEO of TX Markets, which includes the companies Ricardo, Tutti, Jobs and Home - gate. Previously, he was CEO of the software company Adcubum, CEO of the telecoms company Sunrise, CEO of Bluewin and held leading positions at Swisscom, most recently as Chief Strategy Officer and member of the Group Executive Board.
Benjamin Cavalli is Managing Director and Head of Strategic Clients & Global Connectivity, UBS Global Wealth Management and Co-Head EMEA OneUBS, based in Zurich and Singapore.
His key focus is on driving broader client engagement for strategic clients and connecting clients to UBS globally, working in partnership with regional business leaders and supported by senior client coverage teams. He is also a Board Member of the UBS Optimus Foundation Singapore.
Benjamin was previously Chief Executive Officer Hong Kong, Head of Wealth Management Asia Pacific and APAC Sustainability Leader at Credit Suisse. He was also the Chair of the Board of the Credit Suisse APAC Foundation. He has over 30 years of experience in both Investment Banking and Wealth Management across Switzerland and Asia, 22 of which were based in Singapore and in various senior management capacities.
Benjamin joined Credit Suisse in November 2009 as Head of Private Banking Singapore Market, based in Singapore, and went on to hold other senior leadership appointments in the region including Head of Private Banking South Asia and Singapore Chief Executive Officer.
Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Benjamin was Head of Key Clients Singapore, UBS Wealth Management. He started his career in the Export Finance department at UBS in Switzerland in 1992, and led Commodities, Structured Trade and Export Finance at UBS Investment Bank in Hong Kong from 1997 to 2000, before beginning his career in wealth management.
In recognition for his industry contributions and his demonstration of mastery of the profession, Benjamin was conferred the title of IBF Distinguished Fellow for Private Banking and Wealth Management by The Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) Singapore in October 2022.
Raffaello D'Andrea is the founder of the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control at ETH Zurich and the CEO of Verity, the world-leading mobile intelligence company. A driving force behind modern robotics, he led his team to four world championships at RoboCup—the world's leading robotics and AI competition—and co-founded both Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics) and ROBO Global, creator of the first Robotics and AI ETF. A true polymath, his dynamic works are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada and have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, while his viral TED talks have garnered tens of millions of views. For his groundbreaking contributions to science and industry, he has been inducted into the US National Academy of Engineering, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the Logistics Hall of Fame. Despite a career building the future of autonomous systems, he is not a techno-optimist, he is a technological realist.
Dr Florence Gaub is a political scientist, military strategist and futurologist. She is Director of Research at the NATO Defence College in Rome. Gaub advises governments and international organisations on the basis of future scenarios and trend analyses. Florence Gaub (*1977) studied Political Science, French and Modern History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, graduating with a Master's degree and spending a semester abroad at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, Sciences Po Paris. She completed her doctorate at the Humboldt University in Berlin in 2011. From 2007 to 2009, Florence Gaub taught at the Historical Institute of the University of Potsdam in the Military Studies programme and at the Institut d'études politiques in Paris. She then worked at the NATO Defence College until 2013 and afterwards as a Senior Analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies in Paris (EUISS) until 2018, and most recently as its Deputy Director until May 2022. In this role, she built up its foresight capacities and published formats such as the What if... series in the Chaillot Papers. In May 2022, she founded the Futurate Institute and since 2023 she has returned to the NATO Defence College , where she is Director of the Research Department. From 2012 to 2015, Florence Gaub was also a reserve officer in the French army with the rank of major and from 2020-2022 she was a member of the World Economic Forum's Future Council on Frontier Risks. She is a member of the International Advisory Board of the European Forum Alpbach and has been a member of the Future Council on Complex Risks since 2023 as well as a visiting professor at the College of Europe. Florence Gaub analysed and observed the developments following the Iraq War, the Lebanon War in 2006 and the international military operation in Libya in 2011, among other things. She investigated the conflict structures and the geopolitical significance of the Arab region as well as the effects of climate change in the Arab world.
Simone Gibertoni is the Chief Executive Officer of Clinique La Prairie, one of Switzerland’s most iconic brands and a global pioneer in longevity medicine. Under his leadership, the institution has evolved from a historic medical clinic into an international longevity platform dedicated to extending healthspan through scientific rigor, personalization, and human-centered care.
He is guiding the global expansion and strategic diversification of Clinique La Prairie through transformative initiatives such as the Clinique La Prairie Health Resorts and the innovative Longevity Hubs by Clinique La Prairie, designed to bring advanced longevity science into integrated lifestyle ecosystems worldwide.
Simone is also CEO and co-founder of Clinique La Prairie Holistic Health, an ultra-luxury company at the forefront of longevity supplements and precision nutraceutical innovation. In addition, he is co-founder of the Longevity Fund, created to connect scientific discovery, investment strategy, and clinical application within the rapidly evolving longevity landscape. He served on the boards of companies operating across cosmetic, health, genetics, and luxury sectors, and is internationally recognized as a thought leader in longevity science, wellness innovation, and strategic leadership. As a keynote speaker, educator, and writer, he contributes actively to shaping the global conversation on how science, business, and human potential intersect in the age of extended lifespan.
Through his podcast, his newsletter Unlock Longevity, and his writings on longevity, management, and luxury, Simone reaches millions of readers and listeners each year, influencing leaders, entrepreneurs, and health-conscious individuals around the world.
He lives in Switzerland with his family.
Wolfgang Ischinger is Chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). After studying law and international relations in Bonn, Geneva, and Boston, Wolfgang Ischinger worked in the office of the UN Secretary-General in New York before entering the German Foreign Service in 1975. From 1982 to 1990, he served as a personal aide to the then Federal Foreign Minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher. From 1993 to 1995, he was Head of the Planning Staff and, from 1995 onward, Political Director at the Federal Foreign Office.
From 1998 to 2001, Wolfgang Ischinger was State Secretary; from 2001 to 2006, he served as Ambassador to Washington, and subsequently until 2008 as Ambassador to London. In 2007, he represented the EU in the Troika negotiations on Kosovo, and in 2008 he assumed the chairmanship of the Munich Security Conference. Under his leadership, the conference grew from two employees to a staff of around 70 permanent employees, supported by partners and numerous international sponsors with a budget of over €15 million per year.
Ischinger is also President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference Foundation and served as General Representative of Allianz SE in Munich from 2008 to 2014. In 2014, Ambassador (ret.) Wolfgang Ischinger represented the OSCE in efforts to promote national dialogue in Ukraine, and in 2015 he chaired the OSCE-appointed “Panel of Eminent Persons” on strengthening the European security architecture. Wolfgang Ischinger is co-founder and shareholder of Agora Strategy Group AG, a geostrategic consulting firm in Munich. He advises companies, international organizations, and governments on political and strategic issues. He teaches at the Hertie School in Berlin and is an honorary professor at the University of Tübingen.
He is also a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and serves on various supervisory and advisory boards, including the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Atlantik-Brücke, the Yalta European Strategy Group (YES), the American Academy in Berlin, and the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. He is also a member of the international advisory board of Investcorp in London, as well as other supervisory and advisory boards of international companies. Ambassador (ret.) Ischinger is a highly valued interlocutor and a sought-after speaker on foreign and security policy issues. Calm and well-grounded, he impresses audiences with his expertise in his lectures.
Annik is responsible for the overall people strategy and employee value proposition for the HNW segment worldwide. This includes influencing the full employee life cycle—from recruitment and onboarding to talent development, people assessment, performance management, reward, and retention measures.
Previously, Annik led the Familiarization team within the Integration Office of Wealth Management at UBS. His team was dedicated to providing training and knowledge platforms for former Credit Suisse Client Advisors, supporting their smooth transition into the UBS environment. He also headed the UBS Advisory & Sales Academy, where he and his team delivered tailored advisory and sales training for Wealth Management Client Advisors.
Annik began his career at UBS in 2002 as a Graduate Trainee in Human Resources and has since held several positions, including HR Recruiter, HR Talent Manager, and HR Business Partner for Wealth Management. In 2014, he transitioned from HR to Education, maintaining a strong focus on people development.
Over the past 12 years, Annik has conducted more than 1,100 training sessions and event moderations. He holds a licentiate degree in Public Management from the University of St. Gallen (lic.rer.publ.HSG), earned in 2001.
Ulrich Köllensperger joined EQT Partners in August 2010.
Prior to joining EQT Partners, Ulrich worked as Vice President at J.P. Morgan in London focusing on infrastructure and transportation transactions.
Ulrich holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Vienna University of Economics and Business and a CEMS Master of International Management from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) in Bergen.
Current: Colisee, Nordic Ferry Infrastructure
Previous: Melita, Fiberklaar, Parques Reunidos, Charleston, Parkia, Unilode Aviation Solutions
Andreas Kubli has been Managing Director at UBS since 2010. In various senior leadership roles, he has been instrumental in driving UBS’s digital transformation.
From 2013 to 2026, he led Channels and Platforms, scaling core client platforms and innovation. He oversaw the launch of TWINT, Switzerland’s leading mobile payments platform, helped build the UBS Digital Factory, and drove the development of AI-enabled digital client facing channels. Prior to this, he led Strategy Development for UBS Switzerland, advancing UBS’s strategic programs.
On March 1, 2026, Andreas Kubli was appointed Group Head of Digital Assets. He is leading UBS’s group-wide digital assets strategy and drives the delivery of key initiatives across the firm to integrate digital assets as a value-creating part of UBS’s business strategy.
Prior to joining UBS, Andreas was Partner at McKinsey & Company.
He has served on the Board of Directors of TWINT AG since October 2016.
Josh Lee (Seoul) joined KKR in 2020 and is a member of the Private Equity team. He has been involved with the firm’s investments in Samsung SDS, MUSINSA, and HD Hyundai Marine Solution. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Lee worked at Kylin Management, Apax Partners, and Moelis & Company in New York. He holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Diana Na covers the European Healthcare sector in the CIO office at UBS. Before joining UBS in December 2024, she worked in multiple sell-side analyst roles across several investment banks, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Berenberg, where she covered European Pharma and Biotech over a 15-year period. Diana holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Biochemistry from Oxford University.
Nadia Nikolova is the Chief Executive Officer of responsAbility Investments AG, a leading global impact asset manager dedicated to mobilising private capital into emerging markets across climate finance, financial inclusion, and sustainable food systems. responsAbility is owned by M&G, a FTSE 100 company.
Since becoming CEO in September 2025, Nadia has been leading a period of strategic repositioning with a clear north star: shifting mainstream institutional capital allocation towards impact critical sectors at scale. Her long term vision is to move at least 10% of institutional portfolio allocations toward emerging market impact investments, a threshold she believes would materially close the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) funding gap and structurally change how global capital serves development and climate outcomes.
Prior to responsAbility, Nadia held senior leadership roles at Allianz Global Investors, including Head of Direct Lending, where she built and scaled private credit and blended finance platforms across Europe and Asia. At AllianzGI, she was a key architect of some of the largest blended finance debt vehicles globally, demonstrating that private capital can be mobilised at scale when risk sharing and incentives are designed correctly.
Nadia is widely regarded as a constructive challenger of the traditional development finance community and a strong advocate for private capital mobilisation, bridging the worlds of institutional asset management, development finance, and policy. She currently serves on the Board of the Swiss Platform for Impact Investing, contributing to Switzerland’s role as a global hub for impact and sustainable finance.
Andreas has been serving as the GFIM Head since September 2023. In his current position he is responsible for the global FIM franchise, with a particular focus on the integration and development of the international business booked in Switzerland and abroad.
He began his journey with Credit Suisse back in July 2006 and having worked in the EAM business ever since, has gained extensive knowledge and experience in this field. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of the Global EAM Business Unit and a member of the GWM Management Committee of Credit Suisse. In that capacity Andreas not only led the global CS EAM franchise, but also oversaw the division's PLF business in Luxembourg and Ireland. Before the scope of his mandate was extended, Andreas successfully managed the CS EAM franchise in Europe and managed the area’s PLF business as well as the IWM Europe Singapore Team for European UHNWIs. Between 2014 and 2017, as part of his remit as the Head of EAM UK, Andreas played a vital role in the development of the EAM UK franchise and was instrumental in shaping its platform and defining its comprehensive multinational value proposition. Andreas is based in Zurich and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Zurich.
Norbert Patt is a Swiss executive with extensive leadership experience in the tourism and mountain railway industry. He has been Chief Executive Officer of TITLIS Bergbahnen in Engelberg since 2010, following roles as owner of PTC Tourismus Consulting GmbH in Chur, Co-CEO of Lenzerheide Bergbahnen AG, Director of Stätzerhorn und Rothornbahn in Lenzerheide, Head of Process Development at Hamilton AG in Chur, and R&D Engineer at Hamilton Medical AG.
He holds an Executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen, a postgraduate diploma in business economics from Kaderschule St. Gallen, completed a medical research program at the University of Utah, and has a degree in electrical engineering (HTL/FH) from Neu-Technikum Buchs, building on an apprenticeship as a radio and television electronics technician at Rediffusion Chur.
Alongside his CEO role, he is actively engaged in various boards and associations, including Chairman of the Board of Directors of Titlis Resort AG, Vice-Chairman of Luzern Tourismus AG, and board or foundation board member for several regional tourism, education, and economic development organizations in Central Switzerland and mountain regions.
Lei Qiu is a Senior Vice President and Head of Thematic Equities, responsible for the AB Global Disruptors, Global Technology, Strategic Research and Strategic Research Balanced Strategies. She has been a portfolio manager at AB since 2016 and was previously a senior research analyst, focusing on the technology, media and telecom sectors. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, Qiu was the founder and the managing partner for three years of Phidias Capital Management, a technology-focused asset-management company. From 2003 to 2009, she was a general partner and senior research analyst at Andor Capital Management, and from 2000 to 2002, she was a research analyst at Chilton Investment Company. From 1995 to 1997, Qiu worked as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs. She holds a BA in economics (magna cum laude) from Smith College and an MA in business economics from Harvard University. Location: New York
Vai Rajan joined EQT Partners in August 2021 and is a Managing Director & Head of EMEA within the Global Wealth Solutions team.
Previously, Vai was a Principal at HarbourVest Partners in London, and a Product Specialist at HSBC Alternative Investments Ltd. prior to that. Vai worked in Geneva, New York, and Singapore before moving to London, and has focused on the research, selection, structuring, and distribution of private market investment opportunities to Family Offices and Private Banks since 2007.
Vai holds a Master of Science degree from Imperial College London (UK), a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College (NH, USA), and is a CFA Charterholder.
As CEO of Twelve Securis, Urs is the key driver of the firm’s vision and strategy, operational excellence, and stakeholder trust, all while navigating complex financial and regulatory landscapes.
Urs Ramseier is a co-founder of Twelve Capital and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2010, serving as Executive Chairman since 2020. He has held key leadership positions within the company, including Chief Investment Officer and CEO. Urs is a Board Member of the BoD of Twelve Securis Holding AG, chairs the Twelve Securis Executive Committee and is a member of the Investment Oversight Committee.
Prior to joining Twelve Capital in October 2010, With a career spanning nearly three decades, he has held senior roles in investment management, credit risk, and equity analysis across global financial institutions. His prior experience includes serving as Head of ILS at Horizon21, a series of progressively senior roles at Credit Suisse, where he ultimately managed Credit Suisse Asset Management’s investments in European insurance stocks, and Lombard Odier and Cie, where he specialised in credit risk, equity analysis, and portfolio management for the insurance and real estate sectors.
Urs holds a PhD in Economic Geography from the University of Bern and completed studies at the Institut de Sciences Politiques in Paris.
Nicole Reisinger is the CEO of Engelberg-Titlis Tourismus AG, where she has been leading the destination’s tourism strategy and development since March 2025. Drawing on many years of experience in marketing, communications and leadership roles across the energy, transport and tourism sectors, she combines strategic vision with a strong focus on stakeholder management and market development.
Before taking over as CEO in Engelberg, she was Head of Markets and a member of the executive board at ewl energie wasser luzern, and served on the Board of Directors of SET Swiss Energy Trading AG. Earlier, she held key leadership positions at zb Zentralbahn AG as Head of Marketing and Sales and Deputy Managing Director, and at ewl as Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications. Her career also includes marketing and PR roles at Savognin Bergbahnen AG and Lenzerheide Marketing und Support AG, as well as several years as a TV editor and presenter at Zentralschweizer Fernsehen Tele 1.
After completing his studies, he initially worked as a renewable energy equity analyst in investment banking. After moving to UBS he became part of UBS Chief Investment Office.
In addition to his work as an equity analyst focusing on European industrial companies, he looks at thematic investment ideas such as automation and robotics, power and resources, security and safety, circular economy, water scarcity, and energy efficiency.
Alexander Stiehler is a graduate economist and a trained financial analyst.
As CEO of Twelve Securis, Urs is the key driver of the firm’s vision and strategy, operational excellence, and stakeholder trust, all while navigating complex financial and regulatory landscapes.
Urs Ramseier is a co-founder of Twelve Capital and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2010, serving as Executive Chairman since 2020. He has held key leadership positions within the company, including Chief Investment Officer and CEO. Urs is a Board Member of the BoD of Twelve Securis Holding AG, chairs the Twelve Securis Executive Committee and is a member of the Investment Oversight Committee.
Prior to joining Twelve Capital in October 2010, With a career spanning nearly three decades, he has held senior roles in investment management, credit risk, and equity analysis across global financial institutions. His prior experience includes serving as Head of ILS at Horizon21, a series of progressively senior roles at Credit Suisse, where he ultimately managed Credit Suisse Asset Management’s investments in European insurance stocks, and Lombard Odier and Cie, where he specialised in credit risk, equity analysis, and portfolio management for the insurance and real estate sectors.
Urs holds a PhD in Economic Geography from the University of Bern and completed studies at the Institut de Sciences Politiques in Paris.
