Maryse Gabbay and Christophe Nicod join ISFB on November 1, 2024, to take charge of the strategic business areas of Continuing Education and Banking and Finance Certifications. We interview these two experts from the world of finance, as well as Managing Director Mathias Baitan.

Christophe, you are joining ISFB as Training Manager. What is the scope of your mission?

ISFB's mission is to support the skills development of all financial players operating in French-speaking Switzerland. Its mission, and therefore mine, will be to meet with its members to analyze and translate their training needs into concrete objectives for maintaining and developing the skills of their specialists. In view of the ever-increasing demands being made on financial professionals, and in order to guarantee the excellence of the Swiss financial center, it is essential for us, as a center of competence for banks and financial institutions, to adapt existing curricula and design tailor-made training programs that meet expectations. In this respect, I am delighted to have this opportunity to support both the institutional members of the ISFB and financial professionals in developing their careers and maintaining their employability.

Maryse, you are joining ISFB as Certifications Manager. What is the scope of your mission?

SAQ certification, launched in 2016, is the Swiss Bankers Association's response to the training requirements set out in the Financial Services Act. It consists of an assessment of technical and behavioral skills, broken down into one or more written exams and an oral exam. As an SAQ-approved sub-contractor, ISFB is the benchmark player in the Swiss-French market for SAQ preparation, examinations and re-certification. My main responsibility at ISFB will therefore be to ensure that this offer is properly developed in line with the needs of market players and the recommendations of the LSFIN, and to provide the best possible support for employees concerned by this certification.

Christophe, can you tell us a little about your background, and what led you to join ISFB?

A native of Geneva, I quickly plunged into the world of finance through an internship with the Swiss Bank Corporation. This was followed by two remarkable and enriching decades, mainly at UBS, which led me to consider myself a banking "nomad" and to gain a thorough understanding of the various business sectors. I was sometimes offered, sometimes taken, the opportunity to navigate between local and international clients, both private and institutional, in various specialist and managerial positions. It was finally when I was in charge of a major local agency that I decided to close this chapter and throw myself fully into training. Throughout my career, I've never stopped training myself and other professionals, and in recent years I've also developed concrete expertise in pedagogical engineering. So it's a natural step for me to join the ISFB, where I'll be able to be part of a team dedicated to developing skills in banking and finance.

Maryse, can you tell us a little about your background, and what led you to join ISFB?

My career path, though varied, follows a coherent logic. After studying Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Geneva, I worked in the print media, then in the fashion industry. As the daughter of a retailer, I wanted to set myself apart from the family way of life. Curious, passionate about travel and endowed with a natural talent for human relations and writing, I briefly explored the world of the written press, but the loneliness in front of the blank pages of this profession quickly steered me towards other business sectors offering more human contact, such as luxury cosmetics or pharmaceuticals, in which I held various positions (buyer, manager, trainer, consultant). This career path revealed my passion for adult training and skills development. For almost 18 years, I enthusiastically pursued this profession at Crédit Suisse, as Senior Training and Development Manager, deepening my knowledge of the banking sector and developing expertise in continuing education and professional certification. Following the acquisition of Crédit Suisse by UBS, I wanted to join a "human-sized" structure, and the ISFB was the ideal place to pursue my mission, supporting professionals in the banking sector. I'm looking forward to being part of its brand new team!

Christophe, what are the challenges in your field of activity, namely continuing professional development?

ISFB is a well-known and recognized brand in French-speaking Switzerland, as a professional association dedicated to its institutional members and employees. The banking training industry is characterized by a high degree of fragmentation: there are many independent trainers, which demonstrates a real need on the part of players to develop the skills of their specialists, but which can lead to confusion when it comes to selecting a partner. In my view, it is vital for the French-speaking financial center to be able to rely on a competence center such as the ISFB, which is committed to selecting the best experts within a harmonized training framework and offering, while taking into account the needs and challenges of the profession, legislative developments and the specific features of member institutions. The ISFB's mission is to support its members in maintaining the employability of their employees.

Maryse, what are the challenges in your field of activity, namely SAQ certification and other Swiss and international certifications?

Professional certification in the banking sector has gained in importance in recent years, offering both challenges and opportunities for certificants. It enables professionals to undergo continuous training and prove their level of competence, which is essential to the practice of financial professions. As part of our initial SAQ CWMA certification, we work closely with a wide network of external experts on an ongoing basis, and make a firm distinction between our trainers and examiners. We also constantly ensure that our certification exams are perfectly in line with the requirements, by regularly revising our exam questions. While the majority of market players hold CWMA SAQ certification, re-certification poses a challenge that banks are not always able to meet effectively. As a benchmark player in French-speaking Switzerland, our priority is to offer attractive re-certification training courses, enabling financial professionals to keep up to date with the SAQ competency framework. We are also planning to expand our offering to include CFA/CAIA online certifications, as well as preparatory programs for federal diplomas tailored to the financial market.

Mathias Baitan, you are the Managing Director of ISFB. Could you tell us a little about ISFB's development over the past 24 months?

As of January 2023, we have launched a new dynamic within the ISFB to meet the evolving needs of our institutional members, specifically in the field of skills development. This new direction is materialized around four areas of activity, each structuring our offer and reinforcing our vocation as a professional association. From now on, the ISFB will be able to respond to all its members' needs in terms of skills development, whether in the technical and managerial skills development phases, career transition support or employability enhancement. One of our strengths lies in our ability to select the best experts in the world of finance. This dynamic has prompted us to thoroughly review our strategy, processes and structure, as well as our range of services. We have also re-examined several of our partnerships to better meet the needs of our members and strengthen our ecosystem in a balanced and solid way over time. Structurally, the ISFB comprises four specialized units (Continuing Education, Certifications, Career Development, Network Outreach), as well as robust support teams to ensure day-to-day operational and administrative quality. A Marketing & Communication unit is in charge of promoting our brand and skills. Each service is supervised by a program committee or director, guaranteeing a state-of-the-art, ethical approach. In this way, our collective brand reassures employers in terms of skills and contributes to the development of talent in the financial marketplace.

Christophe Nicod & Maryse Gabbay

Head of ISFB Training & Head of ISFB Certifications