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stars Switzerland symposium 2026

Unknown Unknowns: Prepare for Resilience!

4-7 September 2026

Wolfsberg, Ermatingen

Objectives:

  • Broaden the mindset to better understand major global trends which will impact business and society over the next couple of years, like Disruptive Technological Developments, AI-Innovation, Geopolitics and Geoeconomics, Circular Economy, Health and Leadership
  • Engage in interdisciplinary dialogue across geographies, cultures and industries
  • Contribute to the personal development to drive responsible and sustainable actions

 

Background Information: Link 

Friday, 4 September 2026 - Wolfsberg
12:00 Opening of Conference Check-in
  • Lobby
15:30 Welcome Coffee
  • Foyer
16:30 Welcome Address
  • Auditorium
16:45 Complexity is Destiny - Orientation in Times of No Direction
  • Peter MAURER  President, Basel Institute on Governance; Former President, International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC; Member, stars Global Advisory Panel, Berne, Switzerland
18:15 Cocktails hosted by the Canton of Thurgau
  • Foyer
19:00 Group Picture
19:15 Dinner
  • Panoramasaal
Dinner Speech
Night Cap
  • Remise Wolfsberg
Saturday, 5 September 2026 - Wolfsberg
07:00 Breakfast
  • Restaurant
Leadership: Success in Business and Beyond
08:30 Individual Interviews
  • John R. ALLEN  Strategic Advisor, Microsoft; Four-Star General (Ret.), United States Marine Corps; Member, stars Global Advisory Panel, Washington DC, United States
  • LIM Siong Guan  Former Group President, GIC; Former Head of Singapore Civil Service; Member, stars International Board, Singapore
  • Fabian RUPPRECHT  CEO, Helvetia Group, St. Gallen, Switzerland
  • N.N.  
  • N.N.  
  • N.N.  
  • Auditorium
10:00 Networking Coffee
  • Auditorium Foyer
10:30 Leadership Dialogues (in Breakout Groups)
  • John R. ALLEN  Strategic Advisor, Microsoft; Four-Star General (Ret.), United States Marine Corps; Member, stars Global Advisory Panel, Washington DC, United States
  • LIM Siong Guan  Former Group President, GIC; Former Head of Singapore Civil Service; Member, stars International Board, Singapore
  • Fabian RUPPRECHT  CEO, Helvetia Group, St. Gallen, Switzerland
  • N.N.  
  • N.N.  
  • N.N.  
  • Breakout Rooms
12:00 Buffet Lunch
  • Panoramasaal
Circular Economy (CE) as Game-Changer
13:30 Moderator
  • Gordana KIERANS  Circular Economy Consultant, Managing Director MGT OPEN; Supervisory Board Member, Circle Economy Amsterdam; President, stars South-East Europe Alumni Chapter, Grižane, Croatia
  • Auditorium
15:00 Networking Coffee
  • Auditorium Foyer
16:30 Time at your Disposal
17:00 Departure
  • Auditorium Foyer
18:00 Visit of the Mainau Island (www.mainau.de)
  • Mainau Island
Welcome Address
  • Mainau Castle
Walk through the Mainau Island
  • Mainau Castle
Dinner Buffet
  • Palm House, Mainau
22:00 Night Cap
  • Remise Wolfsberg
Sunday, 6 September 2026 - Wolfsberg
07:00 Breakfast
  • Restaurant
Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Intelligence
08:30 Great Powers Today (Plenary Discussion)
  • John R. ALLEN  Strategic Advisor, Microsoft; Four-Star General (Ret.), United States Marine Corps; Member, stars Global Advisory Panel, Washington DC, United States
  • Volker PERTHES  Senior Advisor, German Institute for International and Security Affairs; Former Under-Secretary-General, United Nations; Member, stars Scientific Board, Berlin, Germany
  • YU Jie (tbc)  Senior Research Fellow on China, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House, London, United Kingdom
  • Auditorium
09:30 Emerging Powers (Plenary Discussion)
  • Pelayo COVARRUBIAS (tbc)  Presidente, País Digital; Director Relaciones Institucionales, Universidad del Desarrollo; stars Alumnus, Santiago, Chile
  • N.N.  
  • N.N.  
10:30 Networking Coffee
  • Auditorium Foyer
11:00 Deep Dive Breakout Group 1: "Great Powers Today"
  • John R. ALLEN  Strategic Advisor, Microsoft; Four-Star General (Ret.), United States Marine Corps; Member, stars Global Advisory Panel, Washington DC, United States
  • Volker PERTHES  Senior Advisor, German Institute for International and Security Affairs; Former Under-Secretary-General, United Nations; Member, stars Scientific Board, Berlin, Germany
  • YU Jie (tbc)  Senior Research Fellow on China, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House, London, United Kingdom
  • Auditorium
Deep Dive Breakout Group 2: "Emerging Powers"
  • Pelayo COVARRUBIAS (tbc)  Presidente, País Digital; Director Relaciones Institucionales, Universidad del Desarrollo; stars Alumnus, Santiago, Chile
  • N.N.  
  • N.N.  
  • Breakout Room
12:30 Buffet Lunch
  • Panoramasaal
Think the Unthinkable: Global Health Matters
15:30 Networking Coffee
  • Auditorium Foyer
Peers-Exchange
16:00 Session 1 in Breakout Groups
  • Breakout Rooms
17:00 Networking Coffee
  • Auditorium Foyer
17:30 Session 2 in Breakout Groups
  • Breakout Rooms
18:30 Time at your Disposal
19:30 Cocktails
  • Restaurant
20:00 Dinner
  • Restaurant
Night Cap
  • Remise Wolfsberg
Monday, 7 September 2026 - Wolfsberg
07:00 Breakfast (Check-out till 8.15)
  • Restaurant
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES RESHAPING POSSIBILITY
08:30 AI - Driven Change Management
  • Auditorium
09:00 Agentic AI and the Future of Work
  • Auditorium
09:30 N.N.
  • N.N.  
10:00 Networking Coffee
  • Auditorium Foyer
10:30 Internet or Inter-Threat: Cybersecurity and the Next Generation of the Internet
  • Martin BOSSHARDT  CEO, Anapaya Systems; Member, stars Scientific Board, Zurich, Switzerland
11:00 Plenary Discussion
12:00 Concluding Remarks
12:15 Buffet Lunch
  • Restaurant
13:00 Shuttle to the Airport or to the Railway Station
  • Meeting Point: Lobby

Moderation:
Mark DITTLI, Co-Founder and Financial Journalist, The Market, Zurich, Switzerland

The symposium is held under the Chatham House Rules.

stars reserves the right to make any necessary changes to the programme. The full terms and conditions of stars are available here.

1 December 2025

Programme Speakers / Moderators Partners Application