‘Symposium in Town brings important discussions to the heart of society’

‘At ‘Symposium in Town’, I gain insights into the thoughts and strategies of globally active entrepreneurs. This inspires me in my own work,‘ says Hassan Hjaij. The 28-year-old from St. Gallen is a regular visitor to the ’Symposium in Town' event series. During the St.Gallen Symposium 2025, nine public and free events took place in venues in St. Gallen city centre. ‘We stimulate public dialogue and connect the region with international issues,’ writes the St.Gallen Symposium about SGS in Town. The panelists included former footballer Beni Huggel, former Federal Councillor Ruth Metzler, Florence Gaub, Head of Research at the NATO Military Academy, and Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration.

Hjaij attended the opening session, in which Nespresso CEO Philipp Navratil discussed success factors and challenges in the coffee business with HSG marketing professor Johanna Gollnhofer. ‘Navratil talked, for example, about how investments in sustainability projects pay off for companies and should not be viewed as pure costs,’ said Hjaij. This is in line with his own view, says Hjaij, who is an independent consultant and coach for SMEs in the field of employee retention and corporate culture. ‘With this series, the Symposium and HSG are establishing contact with people who previously had little connection to the university. And it brings important discussions to the forefront of society,’ says the young entrepreneur.

NATO Research Director in St. Gallen's old town

SGS in Town also covers a wide range of topics, but here too, the symposium's main theme of global power shifts dominated. On Thursday afternoon, for example, Florence Gaub, futurologist and research director at the NATO Military Academy, spoke with SRF presenter Michael Rauchenstein at the Altstadtrestaurant National zum goldenen Leuen. The restaurant was packed, probably because Gaub was talking about European rearmament – a topic that has been widely discussed in the media.

Commenting on the current peace negotiations surrounding Ukraine, she noted that fragile ceasefires and protracted talks have been part of ending wars. ‘Such negotiations take months or even years.’ With regard to European rearmament, she emphasised that, in addition to obvious things such as drones and tanks, other aspects of warfare are becoming increasingly important. ‘Russia and China, for example, are greatly expanding their maritime capabilities and, at the same time, increasingly resorting to acts of sabotage. They are also focusing on space, with the aim of disrupting or taking over enemy satellites.’ She also said that she did not believe the US would withdraw from NATO. “In future, we should listen less to what Trump says and look more at what the US does,” said Gaub.

How AI influences public media

Technological upheavals and how they shape politics and society were also topics at SGS in Town. On Wednesday afternoon, three media representatives spoke at the wine bar ‘1733’ under the title ‘Who Controls the News? Public Media, Big Tech, and the Battle for Trust.’ Katherine Maher is CEO of National Public Radio (NPR), a non-commercial group of radio stations in the US that is largely funded by sponsorship and donations. She was joined by Severine Schori-Vogt, Head of Development and Offerings at the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, with questions from Barnaby Skinner, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the NZZ.

Both NPR and SRG are under pressure from various sides: in 2026, Switzerland is likely to vote on a massive reduction in SRG fees. And Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that would cut off all government funding for the radio network. However, Maher emphasised that the legality of this is controversial. Another driver of change is AI: both news organisations are losing online visitors because they are getting their information from AI chatbots that use SRG and NPR content.

Both Maher and Schori-Vogt reported on AI applications that their organisations are currently developing themselves, but admitted that they lag behind AI companies. ‘Since ChatGPT was launched, so much has happened in this field that we can hardly react. Every idea is outdated after a few months,’ says Schori-Vogt. However, both media managers also said that AI offers opportunities for journalism, for example by enabling extensive data research.

At the same time, the market entry of AI offerings has further diversified the media landscape, leading, among other things, to a loss of trust in traditional media. ‘The coronavirus pandemic was a turning point in this regard,’ said Schori-Vogt. Maher diagnosed a general decline in trust in democratic institutions. She sees the challenge for public service media in responding to developments such as AI while maintaining a media infrastructure that is not exclusively market-driven. ‘It's a real balancing act – and we have to master it if we want to remain relevant for the next few decades,’ said Maher.