With the Hidden Champions series, HSG Alumni invites you behind the scenes of Switzerland’s most fascinating, globally successful yet low-profile companies. These exclusive events offer direct access to entrepreneurial excellence — from family-owned businesses to industry leaders — that shape global markets while staying rooted in Swiss values.
Meet the people behind the success, experience company culture up close, and gain insights that go far beyond the headlines.
The Hidden Champions series was launched thanks to the initiative of HSG alumnus Christoph Walser. He has over 20 years of international leadership experience in the retail and consumer goods industry, including as country manager and member of executive boards. Today, he supports Swiss and European SMEs in strategy and transformation projects and acts as a sparring partner for entrepreneurs and CEOs. Next to his own business he works as Senior Advisor with HSG Alumni Career.
The HSG Alumni Hidden Champions series kicked off with an inspiring afternoon visit to Lantal Textiles AG in Melchnau. Founded more than 130 years ago, Lantal is a global leader in premium interiors for aircraft, trains, and buses, a true Hidden Champion combining Swiss innovation, craftsmanship, and long-term entrepreneurship.
CEO Dr. Urs Rickenbacher and Luzius Rickenbacher, EVP Aviation Interiors, personally guided participants through the production facilities, offering first hand insights into Lantal’s culture and leadership. Their dialogue reflected the family firm’s enduring values of transparency, trust, loyalty, and continuity, as well as its remarkable resilience and innovation capacity.
Moderated by Dr. Christoph Walser, initiator of the Hidden Champions series, the visit brought entrepreneurship to life with personal stories, authentic encounters, and inspiring conversations that continued well beyond the factory tour.
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