Recap: Forbes X Start Global „The Team”

6. März 2024

On February 27, START Global and Forbes hosted the third event in their joint event series. This time it was the turn of "The Team". In the imposing "Square" glass building at the University of St.Gallen (HSG), talks were held on leadership models, team building, recruiting and the development of diverse and successful teams.

The opening words from Philipp Boksberger, Managing Director of Forbes Switzerland, and Max Keller, President of START Global, made it clear what the event would be about: teamwork. The first speaker was Tomas Casas Klett, lecturer in international management with a focus on China, who shared his experiences. Ying and Yang as well as the Daoist teachings in today's Chinese organizational structures were not to be missed. Lao-tzu, the founder of Daoism (also known as Taoism according to other transliterations), said: "The best leader is the one nobody knows. Flat hierarchies and small teams that organize themselves still have a major influence on the Chinese economy today," says Casas Klett. His years of experience in the Far East had shown him: "Bottom-up, not top-down, is the key to China's success."

Things then turned entrepreneurial: Under 30 listmaker Nielufar Saffari spoke about her start-up DolmX, which she set up in the middle of the Covid pandemic. The company, based in Baden, enables intercultural interpreting via video. For Saffari, mutual help is important for team success - and yet personal responsibility is a top priority. "I have to recognize that a person has the will to solve a task themselves," says the native Austrian. According to Saffari, this intrinsic motivation comes from recognition from the manager. "It is important to me to give my employees the feeling that they are making a decisive contribution to the success of the company."

Noémi Kmoth, Vice President of Product at START Global, then rounded off the line-up. She addressed the question of how the student start-up network keeps the quality of its staff consistently high, even though the workforce is completely renewed every year. START Summit, the largest student-organized event in the start-up scene, is always led by students, most of whom are in this role for the first time. According to Kmoth, targeted recruiting is the key to success. "Team members are involved in the selection process of their successors for the next year. Because they know exactly what skills are needed," explains Kmoth.

The next event – and also the last in the series – will take place on May 7th. Then it comes to the topic of “The Growth”. Stay tuned!