Olivier Calloud, you are CEO of Banque Piguet Galland & Cie. How important is continuing education in your company?

We have been B Corp certified since 2023. As part of our commitment to the Swiss Triple Impact (STI) program, we have set ourselves the target of having 100% of our employees attend at least one day of training per year, whether professional or for personal development. This initiative aims to ensure their employability and autonomy, while guaranteeing a better distribution of training within the company. It goes without saying, then, that training occupies a central place in our organization, as we firmly believe that training is essential to fostering one's own development and, by extension, that of the company.

In your opinion, what are the challenges facing the French-speaking financial center in terms of skills development? Could AI change or even revolutionize your profession?

As a Swiss private bank operating in French-speaking Switzerland, we face several key challenges in terms of skills development. Digital transformation requires our employees to be trained in emerging technologies to remain competitive. In wealth management, it is crucial to develop skills in investment strategies and personalized advice. Compliance and regulation require ongoing training in local and international regulations. We must also instill a culture of excellence and impeccable customer service.

The development of soft skills, such as leadership and collaboration, is essential for a harmonious working environment. The rise of remote working requires skills in time management and the use of collaboration tools. In terms of sustainable development, our employees need to be trained in the principles of responsible investment. Finally, attracting and retaining talent requires attractive professional development programs. These initiatives are crucial to maintaining our competitiveness and meeting the expectations of our customers and the future challenges of the financial sector.

It's clear that the integration of artificial intelligence in banking, as in other industries, is underway and will transform business processes while revolutionizing the approach to skills development and application. AI can automate administrative tasks and analyze financial data, improving investment advice and ensuring regulatory compliance. It can also improve customer service through chatbots and virtual assistants. In fact, we are currently working intensively on the digitalization of the customer experience. Soft skills can be developed through interactive learning tools, while AI can help identify responsible investment opportunities by analyzing ESG data. Finally, it can optimize recruitment and offer attractive professional development programs, boosting the attractiveness of the institution and its long-term competitiveness.

How are you approaching the topic of AI within your establishment?

We have organized workshops led by our IT Manager, who is perfectly familiar with the subject, to raise staff awareness of the use of these tools, which are authorized in our establishment subject to the application of certain rules. Further training courses on this topic are planned in the near future.

Your company calls on the ISFB for various continuing education projects. Could you tell us about some of your most recent experiences?

The last training course we took with ISFB was a course entitled "Art and inspiration". Twenty of our key managers, as well as myself, had the opportunity to take part in this inspiring module which tackled management flexibility and time management.

This course marked the conclusion of a series of management workshops attended by participants between April 2023 and April 2024. The speaker was able to adapt the content of his course to align it with the topics already covered by our managers with another provider. Initially scheduled for a full day, he condensed the topics to offer a complete course in half a day, demonstrating remarkable flexibility and attention to our specific needs.

Another example of our fruitful collaboration with the ISFB is the training course on the Swiss banking sector, which will shortly be held on our premises. The course has been specially designed for five of our recently recruited employees from non-banking sectors. ISFB has designed a completely customized course, taking into account the expectations and needs of these people, who work in a variety of departments. The content, duration and cost of the course have been adapted specifically for us.

It's the ISFB's ability to respond to our needs in a personalized and flexible way that makes our collaboration so pleasant and productive.

Olivier Calloud

CEO

Piguet Galland & Cie SA