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.
Was braucht es, um in einem hochregulierten Markt immer wieder neue Lösungen zu entwickeln und damit weltweit erfolgreich zu sein?
Am fünften Hidden-Champion-Event erhielten rund 60 Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer spannende Einblicke in die Aerolite AG. Das Unternehmen aus Ennetbürgen (NW) entwickelt und produziert hochspezialisierte Innenausstattungen für Rettungsflugzeuge und Hubschrauber, unter anderem für die Rega und den Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australien.
Im Hangar des Airforce Center in Dübendorf konnten die Teilnehmenden eine PC-12 aus nächster Nähe besichtigen und direkt am Flugzeug erfahren, worauf es bei der Arbeit von Aerolite ankommt. Jedes Gramm zählt – gleichzeitig müssen höchste Anforderungen an Sicherheit und Zulassung erfüllt werden. Gemeinsam mit seinen Kunden entwickelt Aerolite deshalb laufend leichtere und effizientere Lösungen und setzt dabei unter anderem auf eigene Kompetenzen in der Entwicklung und Fertigung von Composite-Bauteilen.
Ebenso spannend war die Geschichte von HSG-Alumnus und Eigentümer/CEO Rudolf Ehrbar: Was bewegt jemanden dazu, mit 60 ein Unternehmen zu kaufen und mit über 70 nochmals die operative Führung zu übernehmen? Im Gespräch mit Christoph Walser gab er persönliche Einblicke in seine Motivation, seine Erfahrungen und die Entwicklung von Aerolite.
Gemeinsam mit den Geschäftsleitungsmitgliedern Stefan Spichtig, Georg Schöhl und Peter Zwyssig bot sich den Teilnehmenden ein facettenreicher Blick auf das Unternehmen, bevor der Nachmittag bei einem Apéro und vielen guten Gesprächen inmitten der eindrücklichen Flugzeuge des Flieger Flab Museums ausklang.
Zu den Bildern
Our fourth HSG Alumni Hidden Champions event, moderated by Christoph Walser, took us to DT Swiss—a leading international technology company in the bicycle industry with a strong focus on engineering, precision, and quality.
During a factory tour, our participants gained impressive insights into the production processes—and, by extension, into the company’s deeply rooted commitment to quality, progress, and long-term thinking.
The open discussion that followed with Chairman Frank Boeckmann and Board Member Andy Kessler was particularly enriching. Together, we discussed how DT Swiss shapes its business success—driven by a clear brand strategy and a consistent focus on further development.
With approximately 200 million CHF in revenue, 1,300 employees, and a global presence, DT Swiss successfully holds its own at the highest level—working closely with leading OEM customers and demanding racing teams. It also became clear that progress is not a matter of chance. It arises from continuous development, consistent customer focus, and a close connection to the product.
To the pictures
Our third HSG Alumni Hidden Champions event, hosted by Christoph Walser, brought us to Femtoprint in Agno, Ticino a fascinating example of Swiss deep-tech innovation with global reach.
Using ultra-precise lasers, Femtoprint manufactures microscopic 3D structures inside glass to produce advanced components for photonics, watchmaking, and medical technology.
During the visit, Co-founder and CEO Nicoletta Casanova shared fascinating insights into the company’s technology and growth journey. With around 60% of turnover generated in the United States and ~30% annual growth, Femtoprint is now entering a new phase focused on industrialization and scaling production. The company plans to expand from 900m2 in 2024 to 2,400 m² by the end of 2026 to support increasing demand.
In a panel discussion with Andrea Lovato, CTO at Femtoprint, we also explored strategic questions around geopolitical resilience, attracting talent to Ticino, and global expansion — including the potential creation of a production subsidiary abroad, while keeping R&D firmly rooted in Switzerland.
Beyond the impressive technology, what made the visit in Ticino truly inspiring was seeing the HSG community come together: alumni from across Switzerland joined, and five students from SGOC even traveled from the University of St.Gallen back to their home canton of Ticino to engage directly with one of the region’s most exciting deep-tech companies.
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Hidden champion under pressure – and on the move
The second edition of "HSG Alumni Hidden Champions" at Thermoplan impressively demonstrated how the global market leader for professional fully automatic coffee machines combines quality and resilience. Despite the burden of 39% US tariffs — now reduced to 15% — CEO Adrian Steiner remains optimistic: crises are opportunities to learn and move forward
To the pictures
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.
To the pictures