In honor of the 10th edition, the organizers dared to dream of an in-person event during the covid and they achieved big : on May 12, the SwissTech Convention Center welcomed 430 visitors & guests (320 participants, 30 speakers, and 80 delegates from companies & non profit organisations).
Firstly, after the Opening Ceremony, André Mercanzini, CEO & co-founder of Aleva Neurotherapeutics, presented his career and his company. Driven by his passion and fully committed to develop a solution useful for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, André described the challenging moments he experienced as an entrepreneur, and how he overcame them. His authenticity left a mark on the public.
André Mercanzini spoke onpenly about his vision & his priorities : first come the patients and the science, and then the money. Sacrifices are a part of an entrepreneur’s career.
His speech was followed by a presentation from McKinsey, the platinum sponsor of the event, which highlighted the diversity of projects on which the consultants work. Willing to create a bridge between academia and industry, companies such as Eli Lilly, Biopôle, Merck and ADC Therapeutics also gave a talk to attract talents.
These prestigious companies – just like many others also present during the event – were looking for talented, motivated and dedicated persons. Persons like you maybe!
Then, the Networking Forum allowed all the visitors & guests to connect with each other and expand their network. Hiring companies and recruiters were present. Participants also had the chance to play Reflectory, an introspective game to rethink their career, with psychologist Aude Poriau.
In order to ease the transition from the academic world to the professional world, a round table was organized with Alumni to discuss first employment & the many career possibilities existing. These experienced professionals shared advice and spoke with a lot of honesty about their first steps outside academia. Following, a Special Networking Forum with 28 Alumni was organized.
Networking is an important step when searching for a job, as connexions bring new opportunities.
To close up this enriching day, Mandy Bronsil, founder of B-Inspired invited participants to reflect on the notions of failure and success. During this very interactive session, participants were guided into building their own definition of success, and were invited to broaden their perspectives. Finally, Mandy Bronsil delivered key messages :
Dare to take risks ! Dare to dream your career !
and above all:
Dare to fail as you go, as “failure is part of the process of success” ! (Robert T. Kiyosaki)