Google, MSA Safety and Novocure Receive "Tell Awards" for Foreign Direct Investment Projects in Switzerland

NEW YORK, June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 Switzerland Trade & Investment Promotion.  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 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 high-level 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 exciting time for our company, as we celebrated the 100^th 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."

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 and 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)

SOURCE Switzerland Trade & Investment Promotion