David Bosshart is the CEO of GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) for economic and social studies in Rüschlikon.

GDI is an independent European think tank, founded by the European retail pioneer Gottlieb Duttweiler (1888-1962). The institute specialises in trend research, retail, economic and social issues, strategic workshops, lectures, and conferences like the International Retail Summit (62nd edition in 2012), the European Foodservice Summit (13^th edition in 2012) and the European Trend Day (8^th edition in 2012). Its main topics are: changes in consumption patterns and behaviour, innovation in retailing and the service industry.

Following high school and a business education, Dr Bosshart capped his studies with a PhD from the University of Zurich in philosophy and political theory. He has been involved in communications, marketing consulting, retailing and scientific research. From 1991–1996 he was head of the department for consumer research and social change at GDI and from 1997–1999 was head of strategic development and director of the cultural and social section of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. The Federation of Migros Cooperatives contributes to the Migros Culture Percentage, a voluntary commitment by Migros in the sectors of culture, society, education, leisure and the economy. Its institutions, projects and activities make it possible for the general public to have access to cultural and social services. Dr Bosshart has held his current position since 1999.

David Bosshart is the author of numerous publications and a speaker at international events in Europe, the US, South America and Asia. His expertise is focused on consumption and retailing, management, social change and political philosophy.

Christoph Conrad is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Geneva, a position he assumed in 2002. Born in 1956 in Bonn, he received a PhD in contemporary history from the Free University of Berlin in 1992, where he was a lecturer and then the responsible administrator of the Center for Comparative History of Europe (1997-2000).

He was a visiting scholar at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University (1994-1995 and 2009), the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) (2001-2002), Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (2003-2005), the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna (2007), the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau (FRIAS) (2008-2009) and Humboldt University in Berlin (2011). On several occasions, he was a visiting professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Ecole Normale Supérieure (rue d'Ulm) and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, all in Paris.

His research interests concern the comparative history of welfare states, problems of aging, the history and theory of historiography as well as the development of market research and opinion polling.

For more information, please click here.

Mirjam Hauser is a researcher at the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute. She analyses developments in society, business and consumption, with a particular focus on values, attitudes, and consumer behaviour and nutrition.

Mirjam Hauser studied social and business psychology and political sciences at the Universities of Zurich and Granada and has a Master of Science degree. She has previously worked as a researcher and advisor at BBDO Consulting and as a member of the diplomatic service at the Swiss Embassy in Buenos Aires. As an external doctoral student at the University of Zurich, she is currently working part-time on her dissertation on the topic of values, attitudes and consumer behaviour.

Nia Joynson-Romanzina, born in Cardiff, Wales in 1970, holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Cardiff and two Masters degrees: an MSc in Development Management and MA in Mass Communications from Leicester University.

She has a tremendous passion for topics of inclusion. She built up this interest early in her career working for the European Union Commission and international NGOs, building initiatives to promote equal opportunities and inclusion in the labour market and other development projects.

This passion continued to grow through her work with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome, Italy, where she entered the emerging world of on-line communications while continuing to be active in gender mainstreaming and socio-economic development programmes.

Ms Joynson-Romanzina joined Swiss Re in 2008 and has been the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion since May 2010. In this role she has launched a group wide strategy and action plan to achieve a leadership climate and inclusive culture which fosters and values diversity of thought and opinion.

Ms Joynson-Romanzina is a member of Catalyst’s European Board and represents Swiss Re in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women Leadership Board.

Rick Perdian is a Senior Business Development Manager at Swiss Re’s Centre for Global Dialogue in Rüschlikon, Switzerland.

Prior to joining the Centre's team in 2008, he worked for 25 years in law and insurance. He moved to Zurich in 2003 to join the claims and legal management team of Swiss Re's Financial Services Business Group.

In the US Mr Perdian worked for both Zurich Risk Management Services and The Home Insurance Company in various legal and claims-related functions and was a lawyer in private practice. Throughout his career, his focus was on the litigation and resolution of environmental, asbestos, pharmaceutical and other mass tort exposures.  

He received his juris doctor cum laude from Temple University School of Law and a bachelor of arts in music from the University of Pittsburgh.

Please click here to see the complete bio.

Monique R.  Siegel was born in Berlin.  In  1962,  she  emigrated  to  the  US  where  she  became  a  US  citizen  and  obtained  an  MA  and  a  PhD  in  germanic  language  and literature  (Columbia  University  and  New  York  University).  Since 1971, she has been living in Zurich.  She has dual citizenship US/CH.

In  1980,  she  founded  her  consulting  business  and  quickly  established  herself  internationally  as  an  unconventional  consultant  in  the  areas  of  change,  innovation,  leadership,  and  megatrends. 

She  is  the  author  of  eleven  books,  a  columnist  and  a  regular  contributor  to  the  international  media  on  economic,  cultural  and  educational  topics.  As  a  popular  speaker,  she  is  a  frequent  guest  on  radio  and  television. 

Since  the  start  of  her  lectures  on  «Europe»  in  2004,  she  has  become  an  expert  on  the  history  of  Europe  over  a  period  of  2 500  years.

In  2007,  she  finished  her  post-graduate  studies  at  the  University  of  Zurich  with  an  MA  in  applied  ethics  which  resulted  in  a  multimedia  lecture  series  on  the  subject  of  power  and  ethics.

Dario Suter studied at the University of St. Gallen and graduated in 2004 with a masters in business with a specialisation in media and communications management. After graduation he worked in the traditional media sphere at the publishing houses Ringier (2005) and Axel Springer (2006) in Zurich and Hamburg.

After leaving Axel Springer, he played a key role in the establishment of studiVZ, at its time Germany’s largest social network, as CMO of Marketing and Sales and as a partner (2006-2008). The company was sold to the German publishing house Georg von Holtzbrinck in 2007.

In 2008 Dario Suter entered into the film business together with Christoph Daniel and Marc Schmidheiny. In Berlin the three partners founded DCM and have already produced several films. DCM’s other two segments are film distribution and business angel activities for supporting Internet start-ups.

The next major film projects have already been scheduled: “Kon-Tiki”, a film about the famous expedition of Norwegian researcher and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl, will be released in autumn 2012, and. “Quartet”, Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, will also be released later in the year. DCM acts as co-producer and distributor of both films.