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Interview with David Narr, Director of GENILEM
Mr. Narr, you are a lecturer at ISFB, where you teach the ISFB Wealth Planning Certificate. What is the scope of the module you teach?
I speak specifically on the subject of business start-ups as part of the ISFB Wealth Planning Certificate, designed for future wealth planners. My role is to give students a good understanding of the challenges and realities faced by entrepreneurs when they embark on their adventure.
Thanks to my experience at GENILEM, where I've had the opportunity to meet and coach hundreds of entrepreneurs, I'm able to offer a comprehensive overview of what's involved in setting up a business: the obstacles they encounter, their mindset, their specific needs, and what they're looking for to succeed. The aim is to develop in learners not only an empathy for these entrepreneurs, but also an ability to identify what is crucial for their future clients in the context of wealth planning.
My expertise is based on a deep understanding of the needs of entrepreneurs, which enables me to bring a realistic and practical perspective to this module, enriching learners' skills in their future professional practice.
Can you tell us about your academic and professional background?
My academic career began at HEC Lausanne. After graduating, I set up my own company, an experience that was to prove decisive for my career. This company was subsequently bought out by a communications agency, which gave me an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of company growth and value enhancement.
I then joined GENILEM, first as a coach, then as a director. These roles enabled me to accompany hundreds of entrepreneurs, support them in their daily challenges, and help them transform their ideas into viable projects. This experience gives me a global vision of entrepreneurship, both from the point of view of those who create, manage and develop a company, and from that of those who coach and advise.
Could you introduce us to your association, GENILEM?
GENILEM is a non-profit association dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in the creation of viable and responsible businesses. Our mission is to offer them personalized coaching to help them overcome the challenges inherent in creating and growing a business.
We are a public-private partnership, supported by the cantons of Vaud and Geneva, as well as over 40 private companies.
Every year, we meet over 500 project leaders for an initial diagnosis of their ideas. We then select between 15 and 20 to offer them a three-year coaching program. Since our creation in 1995, we have supported over 300 companies, helping to create over 3,000 jobs in the Lake Geneva region.
GENILEM stands out for its approach focused on long-term accompaniment and its emphasis on the sustainability of the projects we support. We are committed to strengthening the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by offering concrete support tailored to the specific needs of each project holder.
What are the advantages for an association like yours of working with the ISFB?
GENILEM has positioned itself as a specialist in business creation, with in-depth expertise in the dynamics of start-up and growth. So it's only natural for us to pass on this knowledge, especially if it can help learners to better guide their customers.
By sharing our experience, we hope that future wealth planners trained at ISFB will be able to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of business creation, so that they can better guide their own customers. This partnership also enables us to make these professionals more aware of the reality of entrepreneurship, and to offer them tools to better understand the specific needs of this segment of the population.
Our collaboration with ISFB is an opportunity to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing a concrete perspective on business creation, while expanding the support network around the entrepreneurs we accompany.
Strategic Business Area 1
Continuing Education
The Institute aims to maximize the collective and individual skills of the banking ecosystem in French-speaking Switzerland. It trains specialists in technical fields as well as in managerial and interactional skills.
The training program offers different types of training in Wealth Management, Asset Management, Retail & Corporate Banking, Support & Back-Office, Legal, Risk & Compliance and Management.
