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JUNE 26 - JUNE 29
Transfer Fribourg to Geneva via shuttle bus
10:00 AM – 10:05 AM
Welcoming remarks from ILO
10:05 AM – 10:45 AM
Official Opening for MSME Day
Session Chair: Dr. Ayman ElTarabishy, CEO & President, ICSB
Distinguished Speakers:
• H.E. Ambassador Jung Sung Park, Deputy Permanent Representative
of the Republic of Korea in Geneva
• H.E. Ambassador Matthew Wilson, Permanent Representative of Barbados
to the United Nations Office in Geneva
• Dragan Radic, Chief-Micro, Small and Medium-Sized
Branch (MSME) Sustainable Enterprises, Productivity, and Just Transition Department, ILO
•Akustina Morni, Director of Policy, International Organization of Employers, IOE
• Ki-Chan Kim, Chair of the Board, International Council for Small Business (ICSB)
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM
The Global Impact of MSMEs for a Better World
Session Chair: Dr. Rico Baldeger, Dean and Professor, School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR)
Speakers:
• H.E. Martin Garcia Moritan, Ambassador to Uruguay, The Republic of Argentina
• Perrine de le Court, Director Ashoka, Belgium
• Nigist Goytom, Founder and CEO of Ha Hu, Switzerland
• Roland Decorvet, Founder and Chairman, Alpha Seeds, Congo, Switzerland
• Chang-Jae Shin, Chairman & CEO of KYOBO Life Insurance, S. Korea – Recognition to Follow
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Women in Business – opportunities for impact
Session Chair: Ms. Analia Pastran, ICSB Board Member, Argentina
Speakers:
• Katia Passerini, Provost and Executive Vice President, Seton Hall, USA
• Narmina Hasanova, CEO and founder of MiniBoss Business, Azerbaijan
• Chantal Line Carpentier, Head, Trade, Environment,
Climate Change and Sustainable Development, The United Nations
• KyungRan Yang, Co-founder and CEO of MegaGen Implant Co. Ltd., S. Korea
• Sonja Betschart, Co-founder of WeRobotics, Switzerland
• Franziska Giffey, Deputy Lord Mayor of Berlin (via video), Germany
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Human-Centered Entrepreneurship:
A Global Perspective
Session Chair: Rico Baldeger, Dean and Professor, School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR)
Speakers:
• Nicolas Durand, Director of Foundation Campus Biotech, Switzerland
• Cameron McKenzie, CEO Aspire, Switzerland
• Mouad Lamrani, General Director R&D Innovation Center, Menicon Co., Ltd., Switzerland
• Louis-Jacques Filion, Professor Emeritus HEC Montréal, Canada
• Kristina Babina, CEO and Founder of TotUp, Switzerland
• Thomas Heupel, Research Director, FOM, Germany
• Christian Meisel, Head of Entrepreneurship Center, h2, Germany
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
Lunch Break at the ILO
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Head to United Nations Palais des Nations – Room XVII
pre-registration required
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Opening Statements
Session Chair: Dr. Ayman ElTarabishy, President & CEO, ICSB
Distinguished Speakers:
• H.E. Ambassador Carlos Mario Foradori,
Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations in Geneva
• H.E. Ambassador Seong Deok Yun,
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea in Geneva
• H.E. Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Management Board, Azerbaijan
The Small and Medium Business – Azerbaijan – Host of COP 29
• H.E. Jo, Kyoo-il, Mayor, Jinju City, S. Korea
• Chantal Line Carpentier, Head, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• Representative, International Trade Centre (ITC)
• Ki-Chan Kim, Chair of the Board, International Council for Small Business (ICSB)
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Global MSMEs Initiatives from Organizations
Session Chair: Ms. Chantaline Carpentier, Head, Trade, Environment,
Climate Change and Sustainable Development,
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Speakers:
• Amelia Santos – Chief, Investment Issues and Analysis Section,
Enterprise and Investment Division, UN Trade and Development
• Henrique Pacini – Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental
Pollution Programme Manager, Trade and Environment Branch,
UN Trade and Development?
• Dragan Radic, Chief-Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Branch (MSME) Sustainable Enterprises, Productivity and Just Transition Department, ILO
• Lucia Cusmano, Acting Head of the SMEs and Entrepreneurship Division and Head of the Unit on SME and Entrepreneurship Transformation at the OECD Centre
• Rico Baldegger, President of the Board of Trustees,
Swiss Sustainability Foundation, Switzerland
• Andrés O. Hayes, President & CEO Airtifae Group, United States
• Marc Tienbig, President of the German Small and
Medium-Sized Business Association (DMB) (via video), Germany –
introduced by Hartmut Meyer
• Sebastian Striezel, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Berlin (via video), Germany
4:45 PM – 6:00 PM
Looking into the Future Session – The Youth Input & Conclusion
Session Chair: Dr. Ayman ElTarabishy, President & CEO
6:00 PM
Reception at Vieux Bois Geneva
School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR)
8:00 am – 8:45 am: Registration and Welcome Coffee
8:45 am – 9:15 am: Opening Ceremony
Fribourg: A Gateway to the Future and the World
Room: Auditorium BV
Welcome Remarks by Co-Hosts:
Room: Auditorium BV
Rico J. Baldegger, PhD, Dean and Professor of Strategy, Entrepreneurship & Innovation School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR)
Ayman ElTarabishy, PhD., President and CEO, ICSB, Deputy Chair, Department of Management, GW School of Business
Welcoming our International Global Leaders
H.E. Ambassador Martin Garcia Moritan, Ambassador of the Republic of Argentina to Uruguay and Founding Member of the U.S. MSMEs Day June 27, 2017
H.E. Mayor Jo, Ky00-il, Jinju City, S. Korea. Jinju City is the Capital of Korean Entrepreneurship in S. Korea
9:15 am – 9:45 am: Plenary Session #1: Navigating the Future with Empowering Leadership and Sustainability
Session Chair: Rico Baldegger
Keynote Speaker: Gerhard Andrey, Founder of Liip and Member of the Swiss Parliament
9:45 am – 10:30 am: Plenary Session #2: To the Edge of Space
Session Chair: Rico Baldegger
Keynote Speaker: Raphael Domjan, President of the PlanetSolar Foundation
Roundtable Discussion: Christian Fischer, Co-Founder & CEO Bcomp; Massimo Fiorin, Managing Director Aeropole
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Coffee Break and Networking
During Coffee Break a Book Signing Ceremony: Filion, Louis Jacques (2023) Agents of Innovation – Entrepreneurs – Facilitators – Intrapreneurs – Emerald Publishing
11:00 am – 12:15 pm: Parallel Breakout Sessions – Competitive Papers and Workshops
Parallel Session One: Global Lens on MSMEs – Presentations from around the world
Room: 4th floor, No. 426 • Session Chair: Katia Passerini
Paper #1: Agenda 2030 and the Impact on MSMEs – The United Nations by Ambassador Martin Moritan of the Republic of Argentina
Paper #2: Assessing the impact of war on Ukraine’s regional entrepreneurial ecosystems by Viktoriia Apalkova
Paper #3: Imparting Digital Literacy to Woman Entrepreneurs– An Exploratory Approach by Sundar Balakrishna
Paper #4: Navigating through Storms: Ukraine’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem During the War by Serge Apalkov
Parallel Session Two: ICSB Signature Program: 10×10 Program – Globalization of SMEs
Room: 4th floor, No. 432 • Session Chair: Andres Hayes
Parallel Session Three: Competitive Papers Empowering Entrepreneurs: Trends and Insights
Room: Ground floor, No. 015 • Session Chair: Alexander Kaiser
Paper #1: From Margins to Mainstream? Empowering Entrepreneurs through the Entrepreneurship Industry by Parul Manocha
Paper #2: Entrepreneurs in the Hedge Fund Industry: Is the Gender Gap a Performance Matter? by Francesc Naya and Nils Tuchschmid
Paper #3: Complementary or Substitutive Relationships? Dilemmas in Social Enterprise’s Multifaceted Objectives by Won-Yong Oh
Paper #4: Analysis of Women Entrepreneurship in Africa by Rebecca Majola
Parallel Session Four: Competitive Papers Entrepreneurial Innovations and Technology
Room: 1st floor, No. 101 • Session Chair: Maurizio Caon
Paper #1: Future Supply Chains: between new technologies and old organizational models, steering the course toward sustainability by Jürgen Fritz and Nicoletta Giusti
Paper #2: Student Entrepreneurship Spirit: A Comparison Between Latin American and Caribbean Universities By Eva Cabán-García
Paper #3: The Development of an Entrepreneurial University in India: A Case Study: M H Bala Subrahmanya and G. Arun Kumar
Paper #4: Informality in Ethnic Minority Microbusinesses: A inevitable consequence of resource constraints or a deliberate strategy in ethnic minority microbusinesses by Muhibul Haq
Paper #5: Towards a Configurational View of Entrepreneurial Orientation by Jinfeng Lu and Dimo Dimov
Parallel Sessions Five: Competitive Papers – Innovation Approaches in Entrepreneurship
Room: 3rd floor, No. 306 • Session Chair: Magali Dubosson
Paper #1: Exploring the Impact of Humane Entrepreneurship on Overall Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by Zoran Bjelic
Paper #2: Fostering Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: a Governance lens on start-up Maker-Spaces by Carlos da Silva
Paper #3: Financial Technology and Entrepreneurship in Kenya: A Propensity Score Matching Approach by Rodgers Anyanga, Bhavish Jugurnath and Jackson Maalu (online)
Paper #4: From reframed problems to radical solutions, Expert insights on changing perspectives for more radical innovation, by Debora Ngoussi Makongo and Philipp Bubenzer.
Parallel Sessions Six: Competitive Papers and Workshops – Cross-Cultural Insights
Room: Auditorium BV • Session Chair: Ayman ElTarabishy
Paper #1: East meets West, the Case of Entrepreneurship through Confucianism and the Protestant Reformation. A Tale of Two Cities by Rico Baldegger, Jeffrey Alves, Mayor Cho Kyu-il, Mayor Jinju City, S. Korea, and Kichan Kim
Paper #2: Workshop: Understanding Entrepreneurship Across Demographics: Insights from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Data by Neha Prashar
Paper #3: Leading international opportunity for a digital sustainable start-up by Raphael Gaudart and Yves Baldegger
French Language: Fire Side Chat: Diversity and Inclusion Challenges in Organizations or Diversité et inclusion: quels défis pour les organisations
Room: 2nd floor, No. 205
Session Chair: Greta Balliu and Laurent Houmard
Speakers: Gregory Jacquet, délégué de la cohésion sociale de l’Etat de Neuchâtel, Clarisse di Rosa, responsable Diversité et inclusion, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), Michel Pochon, responsable DE&I, Poste Suisse romande, Gabrielle Landry-Chappuis, Directrice Hi5 Safe Spaces, experte en Diversité, équité et inclusion
12:15 pm – 1:00 pm: Networking Lunch Innovation Lab
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: Plenary Session #3: The Role of Academia, NGO, and private sector on the Development of Entrepreneurs
Room: Auditorium BV • Session Chair: Rico Baldegger
Presenters: Amy Zeng, Dean Sawyer Business School; Marcel Dubey, CEO CP Automation and Beat Vonlanthen, President of the economic federations Swiss Medtech & Chocosuisse
1:45 pm – 2:00 pm:** City of Fribourg & Jinju City Friendship Ceremony **
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Parallel Breakout Sessions – Competitive Papers and Workshops
Parallel Session Seven: Women Entrepreneurs: Present and Future
Room: 4th floor, No. 432 • Session Chair: Maya Dougoud
Presenters: Vicky Stylianou, Kristina Babina, KyungRan Yang and Andowah Newton
Parallel Session Eight: Research, Projects, and Initiatives of major international development agencies: International Labor Organization (ILO) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Room: 4th floor, No. 426
Session Chair: Ayman ElTarabishy • Presenters: Dragan Radic and Lucia Cusmano
Parallel Session Nine: Entrepreneurial Leadership
Room: Ground floor, No. 015 • Session Chair: Analia Pastran
Paper #1: Self-leadership: The essential drive for entrepreneurs by Marco Furtner, Simon Liegl, and Kilian Klösel
Paper #2: A Transformative Model for Teaching and Learning Emotional Intelligence (TEI) for Aspiring Entrepreneurial Leaders (online) by Delia Elena Mateias
Paper #3: Becoming a Better Entrepreneur: An Autoethnographic Study of Leadership Development by Vasco Fonseca
Paper #4: Cultivating an Intrapreneurial Mindset: Leadership Development and Executive Presence through Stakeholder Engagement by Joao Pedro Oliveira
Parallel Session Ten: Sustainability & Innovative Models
Room: 1st floor, No. 101 • Session Chair: Carlos da Silva
Paper #1: Novel Approaches to Measuring ESG Firms’ Performance:
A New Story That Resembles the Knowledge Economy Trajectory by Katia Passerini, Arturo Pagan, and Ayman ElTarabishy
Paper #2: Radical Innovation Implementation: A Review and Emerging Framework of Barriers and Drivers by Inês Gouveia Lopes and Philipp Bubenzer
Paper #3: Retaining young workers in VSEs and SMEs in a French engineering and consultancy branch: what are the links with empowerment leadership, balancing life, the image of CSR and job satisfaction? by Michaël Bénédic, Philippe Anton, Raymond Bou Nader, and Christophe Schmitt
Paper #4: Entrepreneurship and Alternative finance models: The potential to increase access to capital for entrepreneurs and small business enterprises in West African Francophone Countries by Pepin Ilonga Nkuoi
Paper #5: Seeking for Effectiveness of Sustainability Entrepreneurial Education Programs: A Multiple Case Analysis from the USA and the UK by Fatimata Ly-Baro, John York, and Orsolya Ihasz
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Coffee Break
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Parallel Breakout sessions (competitive papers, workshops)
Parallel Session Eleven: Fireside Chat: Family Business
Room: Innovation Lab • Session Chair: Jürgen Fritz
Presenters: Joan Plancade (Magazine Bilan), Liliane Kramer (CEO & Owner of Joggi Ltd.), Nicolas Staempfli (Member of the Board Staempfli Ltd.), Fabrice Simonet (Co-owner of the Vinery le petit château), and Louis-Jaques Filion (HEC Montréal)
Parallel Session Twelve: Launch GEM Switzerland Report and Round Table
Room: 2nd floor, No. 426
Session Chair: Raphael Gaudart
Entrepreneurial Framework Condition: Yann Steulet (Director Incubator Fri-up), Juliane Butty (CEO & Co-founder BTRY, Bettina Hirsig (Co-founder Power Coder)
Parallel Session Thirteen: Italy: Nano Valbruna Forum on Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Winners of the Forum Award: B.A.I.T.E Awardees. Italian Start-Ups and Entrepreneurial Firms.
Room: 4th floor, No. 205
Session Chair: Analia Pastran
Speakers: Luca Di Narzio, Nicolas Fernando, Gustavo Gonzalez, Elisabetta Faggiana Whittaker, Savio Losito, and Irene Masante
Parallel Session Fourteen: Ph.D. Consortium Papers, New Research and Online
Room: 3rd floor, No. 306 • Session Chair: Philipp Bubenzer
Paper #1: Understanding Sport Firms’ Survival Through Dynamic Capabilities And Institutional Theory: Cross-Country Evidence by Sylwester Bernacki
Paper #2: Voices of Resilience: Understanding Palestinian Refugee Women Entrepreneurs in European Institutional Contexts by Israa Abushaker
Paper #3: Factors influencing the success of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the Nasinu Town Municipality, Fiji. Seone S. Lolesio, Dr. Ritu Sirivastava, and Dr. Shital Vakhariya
Paper #4: Frugal Innovation from Theory to Practice: Mapping Tools for Supporting Value Creation by Sebastián Cantillo Arce, Manon Enjolras, Ferney Osorio, and Christophe Schmitt (online)
Paper #5: Diversity and inclusion as a strategic focus: the business context in Switzerland by Greta Balliu and Eric McLaren
Parallel Session Fifteen: Competitive Papers: MSMEs and future challenges
Room: 1st floor, No. 101 • Session Chair: Jean-Marie Ayer
Paper #1: Understanding the Evolution of Cleantech Startups in the Green Ecosystem: An Agent-Based Model Simulation by Eva Panetti
Paper #2: Exploring High Growth Firms: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda by Euclides Major
Paper #3: Vaqueros Innovation Platform-VIP Idea Lab: Fostering Creativity, Innovation, and Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Rio Grande Valley by Sylvia Robles
Paper #4: Digitalization and Impact in SMEs by Maurizio Caon and Emanuele Meier
Paper #5: Web-based Internationalization Indicators: Semantic Data Mining in the Service of International Entrepreneurship by Pascal Wild
Parallel Session Sixteen: Cutting-Edge Research in Technological and Entrepreneurial Innovation
Room: Ground floor, No. 015 • Session Chair: Philipp Aerni
Paper #1: A Multi-Level View of Internal Technological Innovation by Russell Seidle
Paper #2: Seeing more clearly with an embedded, intersectional lens: a literature review of Women Entrepreneurship in a Latin American context by Martha Rivera-Pesquera, Peter Moroz, and Daniel De Lury
Paper #3: Comparative Analysis of Data Markets and Patent Systems for Entrepreneurs by Jung Park
Paper #4: Transforming Ideas into Impact – The Power of Academic Entrepreneurship by Unathi Lutshaba
Parallel Session Seventeen: Building Resilient and Thriving Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Room: 4th Floor No. 432 • Session Chair: Alexander Kaiser
Paper #1: From Awareness to Action: Industrial Tours as Catalysts by Magali Dubosson, Samuele Meier and Sabine Emad
Paper #2: Networks as Key Enabler: Insights and Recommendations on how to thrive Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystems by René Zeier
Paper #3: Talent Acquisition: Employer Perceptions, Candidate Experiences and Digital Transformation by Vanmathy Sommer
Paper #4: Framework of trans- and interdisciplinary projects at universities by Danielle Burkhard
4:30 pm – 5:25 pm: Closing Plenary Session
Room: Auditorium BV
Laurent Lecamp, CEO Montblanc Watch Division: “Building a Story Brand in the Luxury Market”
5:15 pm – 5:30 pm: Closing Remarks of forum and Awards
5:45 pm: Walking tour of Old Town Fribourg
6:30 pm: Barbecue reception “Old town Fribourg: Gotteron Valley”
Fribourg is a quaint town nestled in the heart of Switzerland. Bustling with students and innovation, the city thrives on its educational prowess and entrepreneurial mindset.
Home to a renowned university and several specialized schools, Fribourg is a well-known hub of intellectual activity. The city is strategically located between Zurich, Bern, and Geneva and enjoys a central location that not only provides easy access to major Swiss cities but also contributes to its dynamic and cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Beyond academia, Fribourg is fostering innovation with multiple startup incubators and a newly built technology park, Blue Factory, which serves as a nucleus for cutting-edge developments. This blend of academic excellence, entrepreneurial spirit, and a lively social scene creates a unique and energetic ambiance in Fribourg, making it an exciting destination for students, professionals, and creatives alike.
Located on the shores of the beautiful Lake Geneva, the city of the same name stands as a global hub with an international renown. Recognized for its diplomatic significance, Geneva hosts the headquarters of major international organizations, including the European branch of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Health Organization.
Beyond its diplomatic role, Geneva has an enduring legacy in the luxury timepiece industry, with numerous watch companies choosing to establish their headquarters within the city. Its cosmopolitan atmosphere is further enriched by a diverse community, fostering a melting pot of cultures and ideas, thus boosting innovation.
Geneva’s position as a diplomatic and economic powerhouse, coupled with its picturesque setting, creates a unique blend of sophistication and global influence, making it a city that seamlessly merges tradition with modernity.
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