SDAV – Schweizerischer Demokratischer Arbeitgeberverband Swiss Democratic Employers’ Association

Independent. Non-partisan. Verein Baar, Switzerland

Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.

Founded 2024 · Baar, Canton of Zug

An independent Swiss employers’ association with an international vocation.

SDAV connects entrepreneurs, institutions and international networks — and helps businesses understand the transformations shaping the next decade.

Wirtschaft stärken. Kooperation fördern. Chancen eröffnen.

Strengthen the economy. Foster cooperation. Create opportunities.

Become a memberLatest analysis
Participants seated along a U-shaped table at the SDAV networking evening in Egerkingen; the SDAV logo is projected on the screen while two speakers address the room.
Egerkingen, 12 May 2024. Networking evening organised by SDAV at the Mövenpick Hotel — entrepreneurs and guests from various professional and institutional backgrounds.

Why SDAV exists

Beyond traditional business networking: connect businesses, institutions and expertise — and explain the forces that are changing them.

SDAV exists to contribute to sustainable economic development. It does so by connecting entrepreneurs, employers, institutions and experts across borders, by representing economic interests and by publishing analysis of the forces reshaping the economy, with every source named — so that companies can prepare for what comes next.

Switzerland is our institutional base. Our perspective is international.

“What does this mean, in practice, for entrepreneurs and businesses?”

The question behind every SDAV analysis.

Editorial methodResearch  understand  explain  contextualise  translate into business implications.

What SDAV does

Five lines of activity, one mandate.

Two members of the SDAV delegation standing in front of the AKEE banner in the hotel foyer in Königswinter.
Königswinter, 28 March 2026. The SDAV delegation at the 11th General Assembly of AKEE, where SDAV contributed as a speaker.

  1. Connect

    A network of entrepreneurs, employers, institutions and international partners.

    Membership

  2. Inform

    SDAV Insights, published most days, and the monthly SDAV OUTLOOK report.

    Insights

  3. Convene

    Professional and institutional events in Switzerland and abroad.

    Events

  4. Enable

    Education and scholarships for people with limited financial resources.

    Scholarships

  5. Cooperate

    Relationships with employers’ associations, chambers of commerce and international organisations.

    Cooperation

Insights

Sourced analysis of the forces changing business — published most days, in English. Not the news: what it means for entrepreneurs.

Series Insight Global Policy Explains Outlook

SDAV Global

Swiss exports to China: from half to 99.8% duty-free.

A Swiss machine builder shipping to Shanghai pays duty on part of its catalogue and nothing on the rest; which part depends on tariff lines negotiated in 2013. The optimisation concluded in Bern on 20 August 2026 is set to remove that distinction — in stages, and only for goods that can prove their origin.

Read the analysis

Sources State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) · SECO · EAER / Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China

Latest

All insights

  1. SDAV Insight

    More businesses are closing. Fewer new ones are opening.

    EU bankruptcy declarations rose 5.7% in Q2 2026 to their highest level since early 2019, while new business registrations fell for the second quarter in a row.

  2. SDAV Insight

    Freight demand is growing faster than capacity.

    Which number will actually shape your freight costs next quarter: global trade growth, or the growth of the corridor you ship on?

  3. SDAV Insight

    Every AI model you run has a retirement date.

    Anthropic commits to 60 days' notice before retiring a model and OpenAI to six months for generally available ones — and both are executing published shutdown calendars that run into 2027.

  4. SDAV Policy

    EU Data Act — the access-by-design obligation (Article 3(1)) starts applying to connected products placed on the EU market after 12 September 2026.

    From 12 September 2026 the Data Act requires connected products to make their data available by design — and the Commission reads the deadline as attaching to each individual unit placed on the EU market, not to each product type.

  5. SDAV Global

    North America’s trade rules now renew year by year.

    On 1 July, nothing in North America’s trade rules changed. The horizon behind them changed completely.

Events

Bringing business, institutions and technology into the same room — in Switzerland and abroad.

Save the date

SDAV × AKEE — Egerkingen, Switzerland

Register your interest Programme and details

A joint event on economy, entrepreneurship, digitalisation, data, AI, innovation and international cooperation. Around 50–60 participants: entrepreneurs and employers, SME leaders, AI engineers and data specialists, economic experts, employers’ associations and chambers of commerce, institutional representatives.

Programme
  1. Reception and breakfast welcome
  2. Official opening
  3. Short interventions, 10 to 15 minutes each
  4. Shared meal from around 16:00
  5. Close at around 17:00

Details to follow.

Three participants seated at the table during the talks, listening, with SDAV name cards in front of them.
Egerkingen, 12 May 2024. The networking evening at the Mövenpick Hotel, around a U-shaped table.

Networking evening in Egerkingen

Networking evening organised by SDAV at the Mövenpick Hotel Egerkingen (Canton of Solothurn): entrepreneurs, institutional guests and international business relations.

Date
12 May 2024
Place
Mövenpick Hotel Egerkingen
SDAV role
Organiser

All events

Opportunities

Three ways to engage — as a member, as a scholarship applicant, as an institutional partner.

For entrepreneurs, employers and companies

Membership

Network, information, events, cooperation. Membership of SDAV connects your company to entrepreneurs, institutions and international partners — and gives it access to the association’s analysis and reports.

Become a member

For people with limited financial resources

Scholarships

Education as an economic opportunity enabler. SDAV supports people who lack the financial means for education or professional development.

Applications open until

Apply

For institutions and international partners

Cooperation

For employers’ associations, chambers of commerce, institutions and international organisations: relationships built on dialogue, shared events and joint work on the questions that matter to entrepreneurs.

Get in touch

Board

The people who carry the association — and the legal identity behind it.

  • Portrait of Jordi Alvarez.

    Jordi Alvarez

    President of the BoardJordi Alvarez is an entrepreneur and business leader specialising in group and holding structures.

  • Portrait of Heinz Fuchs.

    Heinz Fuchs

    Vice President of the BoardHeinz Fuchs is a certified public accountant with a career in finance, controlling and audit.

  • Portrait of Eyyüp Kavak.

    Eyyüp Kavak

    Board Member · Corporate Strategy & Financial AdvisorEyyüp Kavak advises companies on corporate strategy and financial planning.

  • Portrait of Markus Dormann.

    Markus Dormann

    Board Member · lic. iur., attorney and notaryMarkus Dormann is an attorney and notary specialising in business law.

  • Portrait of Cem Haligür.

    Cem Haligür

    Board Member · Business-oriented AI EngineerCem Haligür is a scientific computing engineer working on data and artificial intelligence in companies.

About SDAV

Legal identity

Legal form
Verein Swiss association
Registered
3 May 2024 Canton of Zug
Seat
Blegistrasse 9 6340 Baar, Switzerland
UID
CHE-316.277.218 Statutes available on request

Contact

One address for membership, cooperation and press enquiries — and a newsletter a few times a year.

Write to us

Get in touch.

info@sdav.ch
SDAV – Schweizerischer Demokratischer Arbeitgeberverband
Blegistrasse 9, 6340 Baar, Switzerland
SDAV on LinkedIn

Newsletter

Stay informed about our activities.

Events, publications and association news — a few times a year, in the language of your choice.