Annual GALA DINNER
The American Swiss Foundation’s Annual Gala Dinner is held every spring in New York, continuing the mission to connect and engage American and Swiss citizens through distinguished speakers. The 2024 Gala honored Mario Greco, CEO of Zurich Insurance Group, for his outstanding contributions to strengthening the bilateral relationship between Switzerland and the United States. Previous speakers include Dr. Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis; Hon. Mike Pompeo, 70th U.S. Secretary of State; Silvio Napoli, CEO of Schindler Group; Christian Mumenthaler (YL 2003), then CEO, Swiss Re; Christoph Franz, then Chairman, Roche; and Sergio Ermotti, then CEO, UBS.
From left: Dr. Vas Narasimhan and Robert J. Giuffra, Jr.
Stratton Prize Dinner
The Stratton Prize was founded by Dr. Freddy Homburger, who served as Honorary Consul for Switzerland in Boston for two decades from 1966-1986, to honor significant career achievement in the intercultural landscape between Switzerland and America. The Prize was first awarded to Julius Adams Stratton, former President of MIT and later Chair of the Ford Foundation in 1966. Dr. Stratton was honored for inspiring the integration of the humanities at MIT, this following his earlier advanced education at ETH Zürich and exposure to Swiss humanistic thinking.
The Stratton Laureate Prize has been awarded to a distinguished list of Swiss or Americans across a wide range of disciplines in the fields of diplomacy, business, science and medicine, the visual arts, music, academics, and more. Five Stratton Laureates were at one time, or still are, Board members of the ASF. The Stratton Prize was awarded to the late Ambassador Faith Whittlesey, who founded the American Swiss Foundation’s flagship Young Leaders Conference and served as Chair Emeritus. Former ASF Board Members Doug Sears, Ambassador Suzi LeVine, and Eric LeVine; and current ASF Chair Emeritus Steven G. Hoch (YL 1990).
From left: Dr. Srishti Gupta, Prof. Dr. Thomas H. Zurbuchen, and Mike Lake
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Young Leaders Alumni Dinner
The American Swiss Foundation’s Young Leaders Alumni Dinner is held during the Young Leaders Conference, bringing together multiple generations of alumni and introducing the current class to the broader Young Leaders community.
Founded in 1990 by the late Ambassador Faith Whittlesey, the Foundation’s flagship Young Leaders Conference is a leadership program that connects and engages young Swiss and American leaders. The Conference provides an opportunity for Young Leaders to make meaningful connections, engage in discussions, and grow their understanding and commitment to the friendship between the two sister republics. The historic friendship reaches back over two centuries to the time when Switzerland and the United States were called the “Sister Republics,” with shared democratic values.
From left: Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin,The Honorable Callista L. Gingrich, and Robert J. Giuffra, Jr.
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