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Vaud International Business Award

The strength of the canton of Vaud lies widely in the diversity of its economy, which has earned recognition far beyond the cantonal and national boundaries. In order to reward companies that have contributed to the image and international reputation of the canton of Vaud, the Department of Economy, Innovation and Sports (DEIS), the Vaud Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CVCI) and Innovaud have set up the Vaud International Business Award.

The purpose of this award is to highlight the contribution of international companies, the diversification they bring and their positive impact on our economy.

Three distinct prizes are awarded:

  • Category "Foreign company": foreign international company based in the canton of Vaud
  • Category "Swiss company": Swiss exporting company
  • Category "Jury's special prize": additional organization that the jury wishes to reward

The organisation of the Prize is coordinated by International Link, the CVCI's service dedicated to international entities.
 

    The winners 2023 are...

    Aurélien Demaurex, Board Member, Innovaud - Joseph Castellet, General Manager, POMOCA - Jonathan Brossard, CEO, Conextivity - Aurélien Uldry, Senior Finance Director and Nyon Campus Lead, Haleon - Isabelle Moret, State Councillor, Head of the Department of Economy, Innovation, Employment and Heritage (DEIEP) - Philippe Miauton, Director, Vaud Chamber of commerce and industry 


    Category "Foreign Company"

     
    HALEON

    A former division of GSK, founded in 1917, Haleon was spun off as a separate entity in 2022. Today, 1’100 employees from 50 countries work at the Nyon Prangins site. 300 million units of over-the-counter drugs are produced there each year, among which brands like Voltaren and Otrivin.


    Category «Swiss Company»

     
    FISCHER CONNECTORS

    A family business founded in 1954, Fischer Connectors provides high-performance connectivity solutions. Today, it is part of the Conextivity group along with Wearin’, the group’s other brand. Globally, Conextivity has 700 employees and 6 production sites, among which 320 in Saint-Prex.  


    Jury's Special Prize

     
    POMOCA

    Present in Denges for nearly 90 years, POMOCA is an expert in self-adhesive ski-touring skins. With some 40 employees in the canton of Vaud, its products are distributed in 35 countries, covering 1/3 of the market worldwide. The opening of a brand new production plant will take place in Chavornay in April 2024.


    The three companies featured in the video below, based in the canton of Vaud, are regular partners of the prize-winners. They reflect the ongoing collaboration between SME and international entities.  

    TIMATEC


    FIVECO


    POLYVAL

    ISABELLE MORET
    State Councilor, Head of the Department of Economy, Innovation, Employment and Heritage (DEIEP)
    AUDE PUGIN
    President, Vaud Chamber of commerce and industry
    RÉMI WALBAUM
    President, Innovaud 
    MARIANNE SCHMID MAST
    Full Professor, Faculty of business an economics (HEC), University of Lausanne
    BENOIT LELEUX
    Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, IMD
    ABDALLAH RIZKY
    Operations Director, Dentsply Sirona

    JEAN-PAUL VIONNET
    Chief Operations Officer (COO), SICPA

    PATRICK THÉVOZ
    Co-fondateur et CEO, Flyability 

    Many thanks to our partners for their contribution to the success of the 
    Vaud International Business Award.

    With the support of 


       


    Partners
     

     
    With over 150 beds, the Clinique de La Source is the biggest private institution offering acute multidisciplinary care (Surgery – Medicine – Maternity) in the canton of Vaud.
      



      
    Retraites Populaires is a specialist in 2nd and 3rd pillar pensions, as well as real estate, loans and pension fund management, offering individuals, companies and institutions a platform of skills and expertise.


      
    L'Escargot Rouge, the new Vaud red wine, represents dozens of winegrowers, who decided to unite behind this emblem to highlight the quality and expertise of their wines. The brand offers two ranges (Original and Sélection) certified by Terravin.


    Media Partner

     

      
    In the ever-changing environment that is the canton of Vaud, "24 heures" brings local knowledge to the fore. Through a variety of voices, the newspaper offers complete news coverage as well as an extended dialogue with their readership. 


    Would your company like to contribute to the promotion and success of the Vaud International Business Award? Do not hesitate to contact us!

    The Vaud International Business Awards, now in its 10th year, announces its three winners

     
    PRESS RELEASE

    Lausanne, 30 November 2023  The winners of this year’s Vaud International Business Awards are Haleon, a leading global provider of consumer health products, Fischer Connectors, a Conextivity company that develops innovative, high-performance connectivity solutions, and POMOCA, which makes specialty skins for ski touring. The awards, designed to showcase three thriving local businesses that have also made a name for themselves internationally, are handed out jointly every year by the Vaud Department of Economy, Innovation, Employment and Heritage (DEIEP), the Vaud Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CVCI) and Innovaud. This year’s awards ceremony took place at IMD in Lausanne on 30 November, with some 300 people attending

    Haleon, a former GSK division that was spun off as a separate entity in 2022, was the winner in the Foreign Company category. The company has a large site at Nyon Prangins, where its flagship products like Voltaren and Otrivin – found in most drug stores around the world – are produced. The site is the only one of its kind at Haleon and covers the complete product lifecycle. There, some 1,100 employees from 50 countries develop, manufacture and market around 300 million units of over-the-counter drugs each year. The firm is known for being one of the most innovative and reliable in its industry. Through its Nyon Prangins site, it helps build up Vaud’s reputation and illustrates the exceptional skillset found in the canton. The site itself has been producing pharmaceuticals since 1917

    The Best Swiss Company winner was Fischer Connectors, a family business that’s grown substantially since it was founded in 1954. Today part of the Conextivity group, its core business has expanded to include cable assemblies and embedded electronics, so that it now provides high-performance, end-to-end connectivity solutions for locally connected sensors, devices and ecosystems. The other Conextivity company is Wearin’, which makes AI-powered, cloud-operated IoT systems. Globally, Conextivity has 700 employees and six production sites, along with an R&D centre in Vaud backed by regional support hubs. The group’s headquarters and an ultra-modern production plant with 320 employees are in Saint-Prex. Conextivity Group is currently led by the third generation of the Fischer family: Jonathan Brossard, CEO since 2016, and Sabrina Brossard, who became the chair of the board this year

    The Special Jury Award went to POMOCA, which has been operating out of Denges for nearly 90 years. The firm is known around the world as an expert in self-adhesive ski-touring skins thanks to its innovative, high-quality products. Today POMOCA has around 40 employees in Vaud and sells its products in 35 countries. It works with 21 ski and snowboard manufacturers and has an approximately one-third share of the global ski-skins market. POMOCA’s products are behind two-thirds of all international medals and the Patrouille des Glaciers time record. It plans to open a new 3,800 m² production plant in Chavornay in April 2024 in order to better serve skiing enthusiasts around the world.

    he awards were handed out on 30 November by members of the selection panel and the three sponsor organisations. The ceremony was attended by Vaud State Councillor Isabelle Moret. The selection panel was chaired by Moret and included Aude Pugin, Chairman of the Vaud Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CVCI); Rémi Walbaum, Chairman of Innovaud; Benoît Leleux, the Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at IMD in Lausanne; and Marianne Schmid Mast, Dean of HEC Lausanne. It also included representatives from last year’s winners: Abdallah Rizki, Operations Director at Dentsply Sirona; Jean-Paul Vionnet, Chief Operations Officer at SICPA; and Patrick Thévoz, Co-founder and CEO of Flyability.

    warding local businesses in three categories

    he Vaud International Business Awards, which are handed out every fall, were introduced in 2014 to recognise companies that have their headquarters in Vaud and have successfully expanded internationally. The companies must also play a role in boosting Vaud’s image abroad and creating jobs at home. Additional selection criteria for the Best Foreign Company award are whether the company’s goods and services are produced locally, how much it helps diversify the Vaud economy, how many of its suppliers are local, and how well it is integrated into the canton. Additional selection criteria for the Best Swiss Company award are how much the company helps train local workers, whether it has any joint R&D programs, and how much of its revenue is generated internationally. And finally, the additional selection criteria for the Special Jury award are how innovative the company is, how big of a role it plays in the local community, and to what extent it works with other local businesses. We would like to take this opportunity to thank 24 heures, which provided press coverage for the awards.

    Press Release in PDF


    Contacts

    Isabelle Moret
    Vaud State Councillor, Head of the Vaud Department of Economy, Innovation, Employment and Heritage (DEIEP), +41 21 316 61 82
    isabelle.moret@vd.ch

    Philippe Miauton
    Managing Director of the Vaud Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CVCI), +41 79 277 68 41
    philippe.miauton@cvci.ch
     

    Samuel Calani
    ommunication Project Manager, Innovaud, +41 21 644 00 60
    amuel.calani@innovaud.ch

    2023

    Foreign Company : Haleon
    Swiss Company : Fischer Connectors
    Jury's Special Prize : POMOCA


    2022

    Foreign Company : Dentsply Sirona
    Swiss Company : SICPA
    Jury's Special Prize : Flyability


    2021

    Foreign Company : Incyte
    Swiss Company : Nexthink
    Jury's Special Prize : Frontiers Media


    2020

    Foreign Company : Intuitive Surgical Inc.
    Swiss Company : Groupe Boschung
    Jury's Special Prize : Green Motion SA


    2019

    Foreign Company : SCHOTT Suisse SA
    Swiss Company : PLUMETTAZ
    Jury's Special Prize : Fromagerie Le Maréchal


    2018

    Foreign Company : TESA SA
    Swiss Company : BOBST
    Jury's Special Prize : SOPHiA GENETICS


    2017

    Foreign Company : Merck
    Swiss Company : LEMO
    Jury's Special Prize : Wider SA


    2016

    Foreign Company : Cla-Val Europe
    Swiss Company : Audemars Piguet
    Jury's Special Prize : Elite


    2015

    Foreign Company : Ferring
    Swiss Company : Swissquote
    Jury's Special Prize : APCO Technologies


    2014

    Foreign Company : Medtronic
    Swiss Company : Nespresso
    [no special jury prize during the first edition]


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