There is an old proverb “No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow”. And spring is finally here. It seems like just a short time ago that we were still surrounded by snow and ice. With this pleasant transition, let me update you on what your Swiss Chamber has been doing over the past months.

We started the year with our friends from the British Chamber with great networking over pints of beer. Later in the winter months, many of us enjoyed a delicious fondue in the Swiss Chalet at the Marche in Toronto. 

In April, at our last AGM, the outcome was that the Chamber continues to evolve, developing new curriculum, encouraging new ways to network and to share information, and provide more value to you, our members of the SCCC.

We were pleased to re-elect many serving board members and to newly nominate Pascal Prinz, Director of Switzerland Tourism Canada, on the Board of Directors. Pascal has been with Switzerland Tourism since 2013 and has joined us in Canada last November. His expertise as marketing specialist with international experience in travel and public affairs will be a great asset for the Chamber.

At the AGM, we also welcomed our guest speakers Kusum Sen and Ryan Daniels from Desjardins Insurance, who delivered an interesting talk about Charitable Giving and Estate Preservation. If you have missed their presentation, please read their article in this Swiss e-news.

Most recent, we had our SCCC member Alexia Hefti give an interesting speech on the “Future of Blockchain, Crypto & Crypto Valley”. Alexia is a Swiss-Canadian blockchain & crypto lawyer working as Deloitte’s National Blockchain Tax Lead. She shared with us her knowledge including an overview of what Blockchain is, to the use of crypto currencies and tokens; all of it is still difficult and complex to grasp for many of us. An interesting aspect is also Switzerland’s unique position in this new field, including the creation of Crypto Valley. This was possible due to the advanced regulatory framework Switzerland introduced early on.

This event drew a wide interest, leading to a full house. Many attendees asked to schedule a follow up event with Alexia later this year. If you missed it, please read her summary in this newsletter.

The other area of focus for us during this shift from winter to spring will be the upcoming golf tournament, which will take place at Carrying Place Golf & Country Club on June 13. This year, it will be a joint event with the British Chamber. I am not sure if it's the Brexit that brings the Brits closer to the Swiss, but it promises to be an animated and competitive event!