In this podcast, I sit down with Stéphane Garelli for a very open conversation about the competitiveness of Switzerland, not to celebrate past achievements, but to understand what we must still question, strengthen and reinvent if we want to remain the most innovative nation in the world. Switzerland has long benefited from an exceptional combination of stability, talent, education, industry, research and openness. But none of these advantages can be taken for granted. In a world that is fragmenting, accelerating and becoming increasingly competitive, the real question is no longer whether Switzerland is doing well today, but whether it is preparing well enough for tomorrow. Stéphane Garelli has spent decades studying competitiveness, advising governments and companies, and observing how nations gain — and lose — their edge. Together, we explore what Switzerland still does remarkably well, where complacency may be setting in, and what we can and must work on now to preserve our capacity to innovate, decide and act.

This conversation is therefore not only about rankings or economic performance. It is about our collective ability to remain relevant, resilient and difficult to replace.

Because leadership is never inherited. It has to be earned again, every day.