Chair of the Board, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama
President’s Council, Ceres
AMBASSDOR EDWARD T. MCMULLEN, JR.
(Young Leader 1995)
Vice Chair, American Swiss Foundation
Ambassador of the United States to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (2017 – 2021)
Senior Policy Advisor, Adams and Reese LLP Partner, LondUS Capital
DR. VANESSA E. BEARY (Young Leader 2016)
Executive Director, American Swiss Foundation
Member of the Board, Harvard Alumni Association (2020 – 2023)
Founder, Harvard Alumni for Education Shared Interest Group
Welcome Remarks
Steven G. Hoch
Partner, Brown Advisory
Chair Emeritus, American Swiss Foundation
Chair, Nominating Committee
Member, Executive Committee
Young Leader 1990
Introductory Keynote
The Honorable Lauren Jones
Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Young Leader 2017
Fireside Chat
Matthew McKnight
General Manager, Biosecurity, Ginkgo Bioworks
Member of the Board, American Swiss Foundation Young Leader 2014 and
Dr. Srishti Gupta Narasimhan
Member of the Board, American Swiss Foundation
Member, Executive Committee
Member, Nominating Committee
Co-Chair, Stratton Prize Committee
Closing Remarks
Brig. Gen. (ret.) Andy Hutchinson
Member of the Board, American Swiss Foundation
Member, Executive Committee
Co-Chair, ASF Alumni Committee Young Leader 2001
Alex Pieper
Member Group Management Artemis Holding AG
Chairman Franke Group and Kraftwerk Group
Member of the Board, American Swiss Foundation
Member, Executive Committee
Co-Chair, ASF Alumni Committee Young Leader 2023
Mike Lake
President & CEO, Leading Cities
Boston Chapter Co-Lead, American Swiss Foundation
Co-Chair, Stratton Prize Committee Young Leader 2013
Speakers
Steven G. Hoch Partner, Brown Advisory
Chair Emeritus, American Swiss Foundation
Chair, Nominating Committee
Member, Executive Committee
Young Leader 1990
Steven G. Hoch is a partner of Brown Advisory, an investment firm advising private clients and institutions on diversified portfolios and related strategic and governance advice. The firm has been recognized for its strength in sustainable investing Mr Hoch was a founding partner of Highmount Capital LLC, an investment and wealth management firm which successfully merged with Brown Advisory Inc in 2015 He began his career at Chemical Bank in New York and Zürich. He also had client advisory and leadership roles at Bessemer Trust in New York and Pell Rudman (now Atlantic Trust) in Boston.
Mr. Hoch is Chair Emeritus of the corporation board of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and previously chaired the Investment and Nomination Committees. He serves as the chair of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, and previously completed two terms on the Smithsonian National Board. Mr. Hoch is Chair Emeritus of the American Swiss Foundation and serves on the President’s Council of Ceres. Mr. Hoch is a former director of Nestlé SA, where he served on the Nomination and Sustainability Committee
Mr. Hoch has a BA degree in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a dual American/Swiss citizen and resides in Boston.
Speakers
TheHonorableLaurenJones
SecretaryofLaborandWorkforceDevelopment
CommonwealthofMassachusetts
YoungLeader2017
Secretary Lauren Jones brings nearly two decades of experience working in localandstategovernment,non-profits,andtheprivatesector,withaparticular focus on workforce development. Prior to joining the Healey-Driscoll Administration,JonesservedasExecutiveVicePresidentoftheMassachusetts BusinessRoundtableandledtheorganization’sworkforcedevelopmentpolicy and strategy. She previously led the Massachusetts market for the non-profit Apprenti, where she worked with companies to cultivate and diversify tech talent through registered apprenticeships. She also created and led the Business Strategy Unit for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s Office of Economic Development,supportingbusinessattractionandemployerengagementinthe city of Boston. Prior to that, she held several roles in the Patrick-Murray Administration, including Communications Director for the Executive Office of Labor&WorkforceDevelopment,Policy&CommunicationsDirectorforformer Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, and Senior Program Manager of the Economic Development Incentive Program in the Office of Business Development.
Srishti Gupta Narasimhan is a physician leader whose global career spans geographies as well as the private, public and non-profit sectors.
Srishti served for nearly two decades at McKinsey A leader in the global health practice, she worked to harness the power of public-private collaboration to tackle challenges including child mortality, vaccine access, and family planning. Srishti later championed diversity and inclusion efforts, directed global talent programs, and led alumni engagement and strategy.
Today, she dedicates herself to board service She serves on the boards of innovative biotechnology companies including Invivyd, Aileen’s Pharma, and Idorsia Pharmaceuticals. In the non-profit sector, Srishti is a board member at Norrsken, the largest ecosystem connecting social entrepreneurs across Europe and Africa; Partners In Health, a global health organization that fights social injustice through the provision of quality care to the most vulnerable; and the BackPack Foundation, which advances higher education for women in science and leadership
Srishti graduated from Harvard with degrees in medicine, biology, and policy. She lives in Basel, Switzerland with her husband and two sons.
Speakers
Brig.Gen.(ret.)AndyHutchinson
MemberoftheBoard,AmericanSwissFoundation
Member,ExecutiveCommittee
Co-Chair,ASFAlumniCommittee
YoungLeader2001
Andrew F. Hutchinson is a combat veteran, a recipient of the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Army War College. He served in numerous positions of leadership and responsibility in the United States and abroad, to include Germany, Korea, Iraq, Bosnia, the Pentagon, and is a former Chief of Staff of the Pennsylvania National Guard. He ended 33 years of military service in 2015 with the rank of Brigadier General, PennsylvaniaNationalGuard,Retired. Sincethen,hehasworkedwithcharities and on several boards of directors, including the American Swiss Foundation since 2016. He is also an artist and resides in his native Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Speakers
AlexPieper
MemberGroupManagementArtemisHoldingAG
ChairmanFrankeGroupandKraftwerkGroup
MemberoftheBoard,AmericanSwissFoundation
Member,ExecutiveCommittee
Co-Chair,ASFAlumniCommittee
YoungLeader2023
Alex Pieper is a member of the board of directors and member group management at Artemis Holding AG, a Swiss family-owned industrial holdingcompany,andchairmanofFrankeGroupandKraftwerkGroup.
After completing an apprenticeship as a metalworker in 2003, Alex held various positions at Franke Group in Switzerland, the United States, the Philippines,Germany,andtheUAE,wherehewastheManagingDirector ofthelocalsubsidiary.In2015,hesteppeddownfromhisoperationalrole atFrankeGroupandjoinedtheboardofdirectorsofArtemisHoldingAG. In2016hetookoverKraftwerkGroupAG,aSwisscompanyspecialized inhandtoolsandworkshopequipment,asownerandCEO.
In2023,AlextransitionedtothechairmanshipatKraftwerkGroupashe joined Artemis Holding AG in an operational role and took over the chairmanshipoftheboardofdirectorsofFrankeGroup.
Speakers
Mike Lake
President & CEO, Leading Cities
Boston Chapter Co-Lead, American Swiss Foundation
Co-Chair, Stratton Prize Committee
Young Leader 2013
Michael is the founding President and CEO of Leading Cities. As President and CEO, Michael establishes and develops relationships with municipal governments, private sector businesses and universities around the world, creating a global network of partner cities dedicated to creating business development and government cooperation opportunities and implementing public policy that effectively addresses the shared challenges facing 21st century cities.
Michael has served as Special Assistant for White House Operations to two Presidents, policy research analyst to the former Prime Minister of Ireland, and Director of Development for United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.
OUR MISSION
We connect and engage Swiss and American leaders through inspirational programs to strengthen our shared values of liberty, the rule of law, and free enterprise.
OUR VISION
To be the premier organization connecting and inspiring American and Swiss leaders.
OUR IMPACT
For nearly 80 years, the American Swiss Foundation has cultivated the traditional friendship between the two countries through citizen-to-citizen diplomacy. This historic friendship reaches back over two centuries to the time when Switzerland and the United States were called the "Sister Republics," with shared democratic values,includingliberty,theruleoflaw,andfreeenterprise.
The Foundation's programs focus on the promising young people of both nations who will shape public opinion and policy in the years to come. Our goal is to inspirethemtopreservethecenturies-longfriendshipthroughactiveengagement with one another and with the senior leaders in our extensive network. The main program of the American Swiss Foundation is the Young Leaders Conference, held annually in Switzerland since 1990. The conference provides a unique platform for shared experiences and respectful dialogue among leaders of diverse cultural,political,andprofessionalbackgrounds.
Alumni of the past 33 conferences now number more than 1,450 leaders who shape the future of the two countries by sharing insights, fostering constructive dialogue, and building bridges. Our network includes influential government officials, entrepreneurs and business executives, media professionals, academics, and public policy experts, all dedicated to promoting the shared values of the "SisterRepublics."
ASF Membership
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member of the American Swiss Foundation, please email Stephanie Earp, Director of Operations and Development:stephanie.earp@americanswiss.org.
American Swiss Foundation
Organizational Chart
As of March 2024
Young Leaders Conference
The American Swiss Foundation's flagship program is the annual Young Leaders Conference, initiated in 1990 and held in Switzerland, with over 1,450 alumni in leading positions in the U.S. and Switzerland.
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 SSwiss 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 The 2024 Young Leaders Conference will take place in Basel, Switzerland with primary sponsorship by Novartis and Swiss International Air Lines
Member Programs
Members of the American Swiss Foundation connect and engage at a dozen events a year in the United States and Switzerland. These programs include:
ASF Leadership Summit: A convening designed to strengthen the relationship between the the United States and Switzerland, engage key stakeholders, and explore avenues for further collaboration and cooperation between the two countries Building Bridges Conference: Three-day leadership conference and Young Leaders reunion. Recent conferences included the triennial conference in Washington; a Silicon Valley Tech Tour; and a Boston area Apprenticeship Conference Gallatin Forum: Event series hosted in Washington, D.C. Named after the Swiss-born Secretary of the Treasury, Senator, and representative Albert Gallatin (1761-1849), it serves as a forum for discussion of all aspects of the bilateral relationship Boston Biotech Series: Annual event in the Boston area featuring industry experts and renowned scientists. Past speakers have included Harvard Professor George Church (Wyss Institute)
Great American Speaker Series: Organized in partnership with ETH and the University of Zurich Recent speakers included tech entrepreneur Dr Alex Karp, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, and Chairman of the U S Securities and Exchange Jay Clayton
Annual Dinner in New York City and the Alumni Dinner in Switzerland
For more information about the programs of the American Swiss Foundation please email Katie Everly, Director of Programs and Communications: katie.everly@americanswiss.org
DR. VANESSA E. BEARY (Young Leader 2016)
Executive Director
American Swiss Foundation
vanessa.beary@americanswiss.org
STEPHANIE EARP
Director of Operations and Development
American Swiss Foundation
stephanie.earp@americanswiss.org
KATIE EVERLY
Director of Programs and Communications
American Swiss Foundation katie everly@americanswiss org
BELLA WAY
Program Assistant
American Swiss Foundation bella.way@americanswiss.org
SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS
The American Swiss Foundation thanks its generous benefactors and patrons for their support!
BENEFACTORS
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation • Novartis
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP • Zurich Insurance Group Ltd
Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. • UBS
PATRONS
Miller Investment Management • Nestlé
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc.
SPONSORS
Läderach (USA) Inc. • Schindler Elevator Corporation
Steven G. Hoch
SUPPORTERS
Cornerstone Research • NERA
Newsmax
AMERICAN SWISS FOUNDATION
Chair of the Board
Robert J Giuffra, Jr , Esq (Sullivan & Cromwell)
Co-Chair of the Board
Markus U Diethelm
Vice Chair of the Board
Ambassador Edward T. McMullen, Jr.
Chair Emeritus
Steven G Hoch (Brown Advisory)
Executive Director
Dr Vanessa E Beary
Board of Directors
Philipp Albers
Luca Bernasconi (Rolex Watch U.S.A.)
Paul Bloom (Schindler Elevator Corporation)
Oliver Buchhofer (Swiss International Air Lines)
Terri Burns
Dan Casserly (Novartis)
Larry Grob
James Hauslein (Hauslein & Company)
Jan Hofer (Nestlé)
Brig Gen Andrew Hutchinson (Pennsylvania National Guard, ret.)
Adrian T Keller (Diethelm Keller Holding)
Jesse Kimball
Gabriela Lippe-Holst
Matthew McKnight (Ginkgo Bioworks)
H. Scott Miller (Miller Investment Management)
Dr Srishti Gupta Narasimhan
Monica Ningen (Swiss Re)
Alexander Pieper (Artemis Holding)
Gregory Field Price
Hon Kimberly A Reed
Dr Manuel Rybach
Bettina Schaller (The Adecco Group)
Angel Serna (Zurich Insurance)
Thomas Skelly (Barrett Family Foundation)
Paul Smyke (World Economic Forum)
Anthony Svanascini (Americaneagle com)
John Tuttle (New York Stock Exchange)
Cameron Wendt (Palantir Technologies)
Eunice Zehnder-Lai
SWISS ADVISORY COUNCIL
Chair
Markus U Diethelm
Executive Committee
Ron Abegglen (Swiss International Air Lines)
Adrian T Keller (Diethelm Keller Holding)
Dr Rahul Sahgal (Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce)
