Google, MSA Safety and Novocure Receive Tell Awards 2014 for Foreign Direct Investment
Projects in Switzerland
New York, June 24 – Google, MSA Safety and Novocure were each presented with a 2014 Tell Award
recognizing significant inward investment projects in Switzerland, reports Daniel Bangser, Director
North America for the Swiss Business Hub USA. The awards, named for legendary Swiss hero
William Tell, were presented on June 19 by Ambassador François Barras, Consul General of
Switzerland in New York and Daniel Küng, CEO of Switzerland Global Enterprise.
Awards were presented during a program hosted by Bloomberg at its New York headquarters. It was
followed by panel discussions on inspiring innovation and entrepreneurship.
Tell Awards were presented to:
Patrick Warnking, Country Director Switzerland, Google, recognizing Google for expanding in
Zurich, now its largest R&D location outside the US.
In accepting the award Mr. Warnking said “Google is honored to receive the ‘Tell Award.’ Ten years
ago, we started with two persons in a small office at the banks of the river Limmat, by now our Zurich
office has become Google’s biggest engineering center outside of the United States. Switzerland
offers the right environment for our 1300 employees from 75 countries: Excellent universities, a highlevel infrastructure, a high quality of life and an ecosystem with strong partners in research, business,
start-ups, schools and associations. We are looking forward to continuing to innovate as we enter the
second decade of Google in Switzerland.”
Ronald Herring, President, MSA Europe recognizing MSA Safety for choosing Rapperswil’s new
flagship office building “Cube”, in Canton St. Gallen, as the site of its new European Headquarters.
Mr. Herring said “At MSA we are very honored to receive this recognition. And it comes at a very
th
exciting time for our company, as we celebrated the 100 anniversary of the founding of our company
this past June. For a century, MSA has been focused on one mission, protecting men and women at
work around the world. And while our roots are in the United States, our new European headquarters
based in Rapperswil is sure to serve as a foundation for growth for many years ahead. Our new
Swiss home offers so many benefits, including a business friendly environment, the availability of top
talent, a reliable and stable political and economic system, proximity to key markets, and as someone
who travels extensively, ease of transportation within Europe, globally and to the United States. All of
us at MSA are looking forward to our second century in business...one that begins with an exciting
new location in Switzerland.”
Switzerland Global Enterprise – Swiss Business Hub USA, 633 Third Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10017-6706
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Wilco Groenhuysen, Chief Financial Officer, Novocure recognizing the company for establishing
an EMEA Headquarters in Canton Lucerne to manage global supply chain, R&D, European sales &
marketing, quality control, and finance functions.
Mr. Groenhuysen commented, “Our bond with Switzerland goes back to the early stages of
Novocure’s existence. Our first patient participating in clinical testing of our ground breaking therapy
started in Switzerland in the early part of 2000. As our Company grew so did our plans for global
expansion and we decided that we needed to manage our international supply chain centrally,
preferably in combination with a future European HQ. Attributes we evaluated included infrastructure,
quality and availability of workforce, as well as an economic climate conducive to growth.
“We found Switzerland, and in our situation particularly Lucerne, to provide for us the ideal
combination of these attributes.”
Mr. Küng said “Switzerland has been a magnet for foreign companies for many years,” noting that in
2013 some 300 foreign companies settled in the country. “Various renowned benchmark studies and
location rankings have repeatedly highlighted Switzerland’s leadership while illustrating its key
success factors,” he said. “The Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF)
lists Switzerland, for the fifth time in a row, as the world’s most competitive country. And the European
Innovation Scoreboard ranks Switzerland on the top of the most innovative countries worldwide for the
second consecutive year.”
First presented in 2004, the Tell Awards program is supported by Switzerland Trade & Investment
Promotion and Switzerland Global Enterprise, the official Swiss government agency that assists
companies expanding internationally, including American companies evaluating Switzerland’s
competitive advantages and navigating the setup process.
Follow Switzerland Trade & Investment on Twitter (@CH_Business)
Contact: John Williamson (908) 730-9622 or johnhwilliamson@embarqmail.com
Switzerland Global Enterprise – Swiss Business Hub USA, 633 Third Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10017-6706
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