Best of Switzerland

The winning companies, including a sanitary technology manufacturer and a specialist chemical producer, were praised as "success stories" that represented the "obvious strengths of Swiss business" by keynote speaker, Benedikt Weibel, jury member and Chief Executive Officer of Swiss railways, SBB. More than 300 members of the country's business and political elite attended the awards ceremony hosted by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants' Partner, Beatrix Morath.

Reflecting on Switzerland's overall economic development, Weibel said the country continued to represent a brand of credibility, monetary stability and legal certainty. These elements, coupled with Switzerland's particular type of direct democracy, its federalist structures and highly flexible labor market were hallmarks of the country's economic strengths.

But Weibel did not shy away from pointing out the country's weaknesses: "Entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to take risks are no longer elements of our economic 'virtues.' This is a crucial problem" he said. "Growth and innovation must go hand in hand," he stressed.

The higher the national income, the more economists, lawyers, financial analysts and psychologist were graduating from Swiss universities. "How can we motivate young people to study engineering, when a banker in middle-management makes twice as much money?"

Praise for the winning companies

Growth

The Geberit Group, the European market leader in sanitary technology, was awarded the prize in the Growth category. Citing the company's excellent development over the past years, jury member Rolf Dörig praised the company as "an example of how investments into the core business can yield excellent results, if you do it right." Since 2001 the company has achieved an average annual growth rate of 13%.

Stadler Rail took home the prize for small- and medium-sized enterprises in this category. Walter Frey, jury member and CEO of the Emil Frey AG, underlined the importance of a visionary CEO in achieving outstanding performance. The specialist rail manufacturer's CEO Peter Spuhler was responsible for achieving an annual sales growth of 37%. He had decided to stick to the traditional SME approach of offering quality goods at moderate prices. The company's achievements were all the more impressive given the difficult economic climate it operated in, Frey said.

Europe Strategies

In awarding this prize, the jury was won over by the impressive European presence of specialist chemical manufacturer, Sika AG. The leader in processing materials used in reinforcing and protecting load-bearing structures in construction and industry has 23 of ist 55 global production sites in Europe. More than half of its 11,000 employees work on the continent. Jury member René Lüchinger praised the company as a "success story for innovation and high-tech products."

Mergers & Acquisitions

Grand Prix winner Holcim also took home the prize in the category Mergers & Acquisitions. By buying up the UK's Aggregate Industries in early 2005 and buying into India's second-largest cement producer The Associated Cement Company (ACC), Holcim was able to strengthen one of its core businesses and gain access to new markets. The jury also praised the company's decision to invest in India's most profitable cement group, Gujarat Ambuja Cements in early 2006, which puts Holcim on firm footing on the sub-continent.