ANNUAL ASSEMBLY 2021
Zurich, 14 September 2021, 17:15

New Global Tax System — Revolution or just Evolution?

Keynote speaker: Daniela Stoffel, State Secretary for International Finance  

Venue: Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville, Poststrasse 12, Zurich

On behalf of our Chairman Thomas Wellauer, we are pleased to invite you to our Annual Assembly 2021

at Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville in Zurich on Tuesday 14 September 2021.

Switzerland faces important changes in the Global Tax System particularly with the digitalization of the economy and the global minimum tax. This will have a substantial impact on companies in Switzerland. The respective negotiations are coordinated by the State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF). Our guest of honour, Daniela Stoffel, State Secretary for International Finance, will give us first-hand information at the Annual Assembly and open the discussion. It will be also an occasion to discuss with the State Secretary the consequences of Covid-19 in the in the field of finance and taxation.

Daniela Stoffel has been appointed by the Federal Council on 16 January 2019 as State Secretary for International Finance in the Federal Department of Finance (FDF). She graduated from the University of Zurich in 1992 with a degree in Philosophy, Economics and German Linguistics. In 1998, Daniela Stoffel entered the diplomatic service of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and served first as FDFA Press Officer, later at the Swiss Embassies in Washington D.C. as well as in Berlin. In 2015, Daniela Stoffel dealt with important topics in the context of OECD work for the G7, G20 and APEC in Paris. In 2015 she joined SIF and further was the Diplomatic Advisor to the Head of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF). 

Our Annual Assembly will be an occasion to get an overview on the activities of ICC in general and to look ahead. We look forward to seeing you in September. The event will be organised in accordance with the rules relating to COVID 19. Access is restricted to persons in possession of a COVID certificate. Our assembly is open to representatives of members of ICC Switzerland and delegates in general. Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues. Non-members are also welcome to participate. Registration is compulsory.

Register using the registration form and send the completed form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are delighted to invite you to attend the ICC International Trade & Prosperity Week – RESETTING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, 18^th – 22^nd October virtual event.

ICC ITPW 2021 brings together over 1,000 attendees from across the world and is the flagship conference of the year that encompasses all major policy priorities to specifically address “how” companies, organisations and governments are implementing solutions that deliver more inclusive, sustainable, and greener outcomes to build back better.

11+ WEBINARS | 5 DAYS | 50+ SPEAKERS

Supported by over 27 ICC offices worldwide, each day has its own theme:

DAY 1 – Trade Priorities, Trends and Analysis

DAY 2 – Climate Action & Sustainable Growth

DAY 3 – Digital Trade

DAY 4 – Tackling the Trade Finance Gap & Cybersecurity

DAY 5 – ICC Global Alliance Day – webinars hosted by the ICC global community

• Hosted via a new online platform, those that register will be able to:

• Access the full 5 days’ worth of content

• Personalise their agenda

• Network with attendees, speakers & sponsors

• Schedule one-to-one meetings and calls

REASONS TO ATTEND:

International audience and speakers bringing insights from across the world

Opportunity to network in advance of the event using our new virtual platform - make global connections

Select the webinars most relevant to you and watch content on demand

Register here

Paris/Zurich, 1 July 2021 - Claudia Salomon has begun her term as President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration – Three Swiss have been elected members of the Court

Ms Salomon, who takes the reins from former ICC Court President Alexis Mourre, was formally elected on 11 June by ICC’s supreme governing body, the World Council. Her election marks a milestone in the ICC Court’s almost 100-year history as the first woman to become President of the world’s preferred arbitral institution.

Ms Salomon is supported in her role by the ICC Court – comprising 195 members from 121 countries and including 17 Vice-Presidents – which begins its 2021-2024 mandate under Ms Salomon’s leadership today. The new ICC Court includes 68 new members and 12 new Vice-Presidents also elected during the World Council meeting of 11 June. Members of the ICC International Court of Arbitration ensures the quality and enforceability of ICC Awards.

Switzerland has a longstanding important position in the field of international arbitration and is traditionally strongly represented in the world’s preferred arbitral institution. Also this year, three recognised experts from the Swiss arbitration community have been elected. Daniel Hochstrasser has been elected new Vice-President of the Court. Diana Akikol has been elected as new member and Laurent Killias as new alternate member. ICC Switzerland is proud that again three outstanding Swiss arbitration practitioners will be on the Court, and sincerely congratulates them. A big thank you is addressed to Teresa Giovannini, outgoing member of the Court, and Anne Véronique Schlaepfer, Vice-President of the Court and Member of the Executive Board of ICC, for all her efforts during her two terms.

ICC Switzerland plans to organize a meeting to establish first contact with the new President of the Court either in Switzerland or on the occasion of a visit of the arbitrators in Paris.

Daniel Hochstrasser

Daniel Hochstrasser co-heads Bär & Karrer's arbitration practice, concentrating on commercial litigation and international arbitration. He primarily focuses on representing parties in complex disputes arising from M&A transactions, industrial and infrastructure projects, banking and finance, as well as license, distribution and development agreements, particularly in the pharmaceutical field.

In addition, Daniel Hochstrasser is frequently chosen as a party-appointed arbitrator and chairman of international arbitrations. While many of these proceedings are conducted under the ICC or Swiss Rules, his experience also extends to the rules of all other major institutions and ad hoc arbitrations. He is a lecturer at the Universities of Zurich and St.Gallen, and has published and lectured on arbitration and litigation in Switzerland and abroad. He has already been a member of the Court since 2015.

Diana Akikol

Dr Diana Akikol is a partner at Walder Wyss based in the Geneva office. She represents clients in commercial arbitrations and regularly sits as an arbitrator, often as president. Her practice has a particular focus on sales, M&A, shareholder agreements, agency, licence and distribution, consultancy, and other services. She also has extensive experience with claims relating to large infrastructure and construction projects. Dr Akikol is member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (Paris) and the Swiss ICC Commission of Arbitration and ADR. She furthermore serves on the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA), the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre, and the International Advisory Board of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC). Dr Akikol regularly speaks and publishes in her field.

Laurent Killias

Dr Laurent Killias is a partner with Pestalozzi and heading its arbitration group in Zurich. He focuses his practice on complex international arbitration and international litigation disputes. He has been involved in more than 150 international arbitration cases, both as counsel and arbitrator. As an arbitrator he acted under the rules of various leading institutions, such as the ICC, the Swiss Arbitration Centre and the AAA/ICDR. He is the co-founder of and head lecturer at the Swiss Arbitration Academy which has been established in 2008. In addition, since 2011 he is a lecturer on International Arbitration and International Litigation at the University of Zurich's LLM program. Laurent Killias has extensively published in the field of international arbitration as well as international litigation. In addition, he is a frequent conference speaker.

The full composition of the Court can be viewed on the ICC Website here

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is organizing the International Forum "The Future of International Supply Chains - Sustainable, Digital, Smart" from June to October 2021.

At the Forum we will take a look at the benefits and challenges of international supply chains:

•  

• - How can supply chains be made more resilient?

• • - Can digitalization of supply chains  also contribute to conserving our resources and protecting our climate?

  • - What are the benefits and challenges of supply chain finance?

  • - How do companies address the issue of corporate supply chain responsibility?

  • - Which initiatives and measures do they take to protect human rights?

  • - And last but not least: what are the latest trends of the "supply chains of tomorrow"?

The opening of the Forum will be joined by Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, Trade Centre (ITC), Ulrich Nussbaum, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Norbert Barthle, Parl. State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Frank Appel, CEO, Deutsche Post DHL, John Denton, Secretary General ICC and Holger Bingmann, Chairman, ICC Germany.

Register here

The “ICC-CCIG Series” address major themes related to international trade with a dual purpose: updating Members on issues that are currently being discussed at the United Nations, World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva; and illustrate the way businesses, actors of world governance, civil society and researchers can successfully cooperate towards common global goals.

The second event of the series is dedicated to business and human rights. ICC continuously promotes best practices to its members – domestic and international companies of all sizes and sectors– aimed at enhancing their internal management of human rights and other corporate responsibility areas. The event is held in connection with the 10^th anniversary of the unanimous endorsement by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which is celebrated in June 2021.

More information on the programme as well as registration can be found here.

We are pleased to announce a webinar on Thursday 6 May, 17:00, on trade and environmental sustainability. This webinar will launch a series of events co-organised by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the CCIG. It fits into the series of Geneva Business Dialogues organised by ICC Switzerland which the objective is to strengthen global prosperity and development through trade and investment.

More information as well as the possibility to register you find here.