Author:
Daniel Saeuberli
VP & Country Head- Switzerland, Enterprise Business
Tech Mahindra

The world is undergoing change at a rate we have never seen before. But the future does not need not be uncertain. Switzerland can chart a course in this new normal, bolder than ever before.

Home to unique talents like Albert Einstein, research infrastructure such as the LHC at CERN, product and service innovations such as the World wide web, Nescafé, LCD, Globi and even Velcro, the landlocked Swiss Confederation is a marvel of science, technology, engineering and innovation. But being amongst the top players of the Global Competitiveness Report or the Global Innovation Index is not the end of the game - rather a challenging proposition. How can we continue to innovate and thrive?

It's not an easy question. However, if we shift the focus from how to 'why,' the need of the hour becomes a lot clearer.

The Time to Imagine, Build, and Run Digitization Differently – by helping to embed trust into the digital world.

Switzerland has managed to stay ahead in the innovation race via leading per-capita patent applications, excellent research and testing ecosystem, and university programs that groom new talent. Moreover, the country has always been quick to utilize new technologies to create robust innovation across various industries, from financial services to manufacturing and life sciences.

But, the world has entered the 'next' normal - one that pivots around the nucleus of technology embedded in everything we do. With the fluctuations in eCommerce, manufacturing, and exports, Switzerland needs to marry technology with every possible domain to enable the future. There is also a need to move ahead with s strong sense of purpose, creating short-term value for shareholders, combined with a long-term impact for all stakeholders.

For instance, cognitive intelligence can work wonders with Swiss ethics in healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) applications and further developing cities like Lausanne. With the right set of experts collaborating for a better outcome, technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and automation, drone testing and digital aviation, can tackle a variety of challenges in different sectors, as outlined in the digital opportunity report by the University of St. Gallen (Link to the report). Switzerland, after all, is the ideal location for high-quality production with globally networked supply chains in the heart of Europe. But not only that: Imagine the impact wearable technology will have in mitigating risks and improving data-related processes for the Swiss insurance and healthcare industries!

Talking about the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector, it's no mystery that the openness of Swiss authorities has made it the logical choice for blockchain and fintech ecosystems and business models to prosper. While the Swiss city of Zug has earned the nickname "Crypto Valley" (which grew by 177% in the number of tech-related events in 2018), boader adoption of frictionless capabilities across business ecosystems, creating sustainable value for its participants needs to start creating value beyond crypto investment and we can see clear aspirations and good progrees in the sector. To scale the application of the technology that allows to fundamentally rethink business and compliance processes by embedding principles and good practices “by-design” further, a roadmap of holistic development, a diverse set of stakeholders with technological skills deep domain expertise, research capabilities, regulatory understanding, enabled by proven methods & accelerators must come together to create value.

I truly believe when the technology can be a true enabler beyond cryptocurrencies and trading, we will see revolutionary use cases scaled in industries close to our hearts and minds. And that is the true opportunity.

The 'next' is about co- designing and co-creating solutions that allow us to evolve value creation from the current scenarios or fundamentally rethink them by developing around use cases and outcomes for our future needs. Streamlining processes to sustainably ensure transparency, operational efficiency & effectiveness, scalability and agility. Enriching experiences for a new generation of businesses.

It's about not just preserving value, but unlocking new value streams that create more prosperous, fulfilled societies and businesses while building a more sustainable relationship with our planet. Switzerland has developed into an innovative hub for all kinds of technologies. It is that technological estate that can be leveraged fur business around the globe to fuel the economy at an accelerated rate. For instance, a banking and insurance maven like Switzerland can reap incredible benefits from data privacy and security as an enabler for their business, vs. just looking at it as a necessary burden. Similar to its role in the physical world, when it comes to digital trust and sovereignty, Switzerland can credibly step up to play a key anchor to enabling global ecosystems.

Overall, TechM aspires to create sustainable value for all stakeholders by orchestrating capabilities across the value chain of Swiss and Indian industries. We help organisations to re-imagine a future with unique digital product- and service experiences, enabled by trusted business ecosystems.

Experience NXT.NOW™

TechM is on a mission to create sustainable value and integrate a future of possibilities for Switzerland.

By designing solutions that address what might be the future of healthcare, communications, manufacturing, distribution, retail, banking, insurance, and so on – TechM co-imagines, -prototypes, -builds, and -runs the course of the future with endless possibilities, together with partners and clients. With NXT.NOW™, we aim to co-create value proactively with undeterred reimagination and a fundamental understanding of key business drivers and priorities in the Swiss landscape to ensure a competitive dominance (and not just parity). NXT.NOW™ enabled at the intersection of design, business process, data and technology, will help to platform your business for better business outcomes, by helping to codify knowledge to be embedded in digital products and services more and more. We will focus our business on assembling several digital services, components and APIs into one sustainable business ecosystem for you and contextualize it for accelerated positive business and societal outcomes that drive sustainable value.

Above all, we will not only bring people, process and technology under one umbrella, but also go beyond by embedding unique expertise & creativity, human centered design plus the value of unique data into our value propositions. That is what we invest around for the future of Switzerland. That is what will be the NXT future globally.