Zurich, 20 October 2015 – Today’s Next Generation conference provides an audience of interested investors with first-hand insights from Julius Baer’s leading experts and renowned guest speakers on the topic of ‘First Movers’ – people who look beyond short-term challenges and instead try and test innovative ideas.

Boris F.J. Collardi, CEO of Bank Julius Baer, commented: “In today’s Next Generation Summit focusing on First Movers, we are bringing together some of the most inspiring thought leaders of our time, such as Jared Cohen of Google Ideas, and frontrunners such as Darcy Winslow, who initiated NIKE’s Sustainable Business Strategy.” 

The in-house and guest speakers providing valuable insights on the global megatrends relevant for the investors of today and tomorrow include:

Burkhard Varnholt, Chief Investment Officer, Bank Julius Baer, opens the series of presentation with the topic ‘Next Generation – the 4th wave of innovation’.

Jared Cohen, Director of Google Ideas and Advisor to the Executive Chairman Google, Inc.: Jared Cohen is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the co-author (along with Google Executive Chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt) of the New York Times bestselling ‘The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business’. 

Darcy Winslow, CEO/Managing Partner Academy for Systemic Change: Darcy Winslow will speak on unlocking the human spirit and building capacity in business, education and marine ecosystems to create systemic change for social, economic and environmental well-being at a scale that matters. She is convinced that “one can’t transform a system by pulling one lever. It takes everyone picking up a rein and pulling in a new direction.”

Further experts from the fields of nanotechnology and city planning for the future will share their views on the global megatrends relevant for today’s and tomorrow’s investors at the summit: 

Elena Corchero, Founder and Director of Lost Values Lab, Awarded Innovation Designer: Elena Corchero is a researcher and designer with over a decade of experience in product Research & Development and market research for new technologies. In her view true innovation is not just the ‘wow effect’ of latest things; true innovation is in the meaning – in the ‘why’.

Mate Rimac, Founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili and Greyp Bikes: Mate Rimac is an innovator and entrepreneur who has designed the world’s first electric supercar, the Concept One. He will speak on his belief about the reliability and further potential of electric cars. 

Aymeric Sallin, Founder and CEO of NanoDimension, a nanotechnology-focused venture capital company established in 2002: Aymeric Sallin will reflect on the first generation of nanotechnology, which is starting to impact every industry already. 

Alex Steffen, Award-winning writer, speaker and foresight consultant: Alex Steffen thinks, writes and speaks about humanity’s future, from vast planetary systems to subtle but rapid changes in our daily lives. He will elaborate on the acceleration of our lives, for example on how China and other emerging countries have industrialised in a time span ten times shorter than England did in the 19th century. 

Andreas Feller, Head Investment Solutions & Advisory, Bank Julius Baer, will speak on the process of digitisation as an important field to watch and the potential it offers to investors. As the digitisation process is happening faster than any previous technological revolution it will cause a lot of disruption to the way we work and live. 

The third edition of ‘Vision’, Julius Baer’s corporate magazine is also dedicated to the topic of First Movers to coincide with the theme of the Next Generation Summits. It features articles and interviews with some of the notable speakers from the conferences. The complete issue can be accessed under the link on the right.