Dr. Gulnaz Partschefeld is Lecturer, Director of the Academic Programme of the Kick-off Days and Head of Events at the University of St.Gallen. In 2006 she moved to Munich and in 2008 to St. Gallen, where she initially researched the concept of authenticity in tourism and completed her PhD at the University of St. Gallen. Gulnaz also teaches courses on cultural aspects of tourism and Russian cultural history at the University of St.Gallen. As an expert on Eastern Europe and Russia, she has been asked by various media for her analyses and statements on the Russian war in Ukraine and has given numerous interviews and written articles.
Prof. Dr. Bernadette Dilger is the chair of business education. Her main research areas are approaches to foster competences and designs of high impact learning environments. At the university of St. Gallen, she is responsible for the teacher education program, the educational faculty development and designed the pedagogical concept for the SQUARE.
Prof Dr. Dietmar Grichnik is Vice-President for Innovation and Quality, Full Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Institute of Technology Management (ITEM-HSG) at the University of St.Gallen. As founder and director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship (Startup@HSG) and the Global Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, he is committed to promoting HSG spin-offs and the Swiss start-up ecosystem. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation Switzerland Innovation and the Board of Directors of Switzerland Innovation Park Ost (SIP Ost). Dietmar Grichnik listed as one of the top 100 leading entrepreneurship professors worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Marcus Schögel is the academic director of the English Master's program in Marketing and Management at the HSG. At the Institute for Marketing and Customer Insight, he conducts research with companies on overcoming the challenges of customer-centric corporate strategies, market-oriented change processes in companies, and the implementation of successful go-to-market and customer experience strategies. He is also president of the board of trustees of the Swiss Marketing Association (GfM) and chairman of the jury for the GfM's Swiss Marketing Award. He is also involved as an advisor to companies (both established and start-ups) in sharpening their specific customer focus and developing appropriate implementation measures.
Patrik Aspers is Chair of sociology at the University of St. Gallen, having previously held a chair at Uppsala University, the Swedish School of Textiles and worked at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne. He holds a Ph.D. (2001) from Stockholm University.
His research explores economic sociology, qualitative methods, sociological theory, uncertainty, and organizational sociology, with a strong foundation in phenomenological thought. His latest book, "Uncertainty: Individual Problems and Public Solutions" (Oxford UP, 2024), examines how uncertainty influences both personal and societal challenges.
Tim Kramer, born in Berlin, trained at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart and the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. He has worked as an actor at leading theaters and festivals including the Burgtheater, Volkstheater and Schauspielhaus Vienna, the Salzburg Festival, and the State Theater Wiesbaden. As a director, he staged productions in Magdeburg, Wiesbaden, Vienna, Klagenfurt, Salzburg, Liechtenstein, Kaiserslautern, and St. Gallen.
He was Director of Drama at Theater St. Gallen and Theater Magdeburg, taught at the Max Reinhardt Seminar and the Vienna Conservatory, and served as Artistic Director of the Bavarian Theater Academy. Since 2010 he has taught at the University of St. Gallen, where he has been Artistic Director of the SQUARE since August 2024.
Monika Wiedemer studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and was subsequently part of the ensemble at Theater Heidelberg. Since 2010, she has worked freelance as an actress and singer at theaters across the German-speaking world, while also contributing to the collectives Bureau and Freie Filiale. She teaches acting and improvisation at HDMK Stuttgart, Folkwang University Bochum, and the Academy of Performing Arts Ludwigsburg.
Romeo Meyer, born 1978 in Basel, is an actor, singer and trained improviser. He studied at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. He performed at several city theaters. From 2007-2012 he was part of the ensemble at Theater St. Gallen.
Since then he focuses on teaching the philosophy of improv - how to imply it in our everyday work and life, how it trains to generate new ideas and to how to develop a strong team spirit.
As part of the Swiss Improv group ”Anundpfirsich” , he is current European Champion in Improvisation.
Hagr Arobei is the Head of Security Days at the HSG Security Policy Forum. Together with her team, she organized one of the first public university panel discussions on the war in the Middle East, drawing over 300 attendees.
Christoph Frei is a political scientist at the University of St. Gallen. He has taught and conducted research in Chile, the USA, France, Japan and beyond. His work focuses on political thought and international relations. He is the author of the intellectual biography of Hans J. Morgenthau, one of the founding figures of the ‘Realist’ school of International Relations in the United States. Christoph Frei studied political science at the University of St. Gallen and later worked as an assistant to Prof. Alois Riklin at the university’s political science institute. He pursued research stays in the US and in Paris, and from 2009 to 2018 he was the Programme Director of the Bachelor and Master of International Affairs. He has received multiple awards, including recognition for excellence in teaching at HSG.
Lt Col GS Bastien Wanner, PhD, Senior Officer at the Swiss Cyber Command, serves as Business Owner Doctrine. With 10+ years in cybersecurity, a PhD on active cyber defence, and experience in NATO/EU exercises, he combines academic expertise with operational practice.
24-year-old student of International Affairs at the University of St. Gallen with strong interests in geopolitics and security policy. He currently serves as Head of Human Resources at the Security Policy Forum St. Gallen.
20 Year old student of International Affairs at the University of St. Gallen, with academic interests in political and global affairs. Currently serving as Head of Marketing at the Security Policy Forum St. Gallen.
Nicolas Montani is a computer science student at the University of St.Gallen with a strong focus on cybersecurity, leadership, and innovation. As former Vice President of the Student Union, he helped shape student life and led award-winning initiatives at the intersection of tech and society.
Felix is Vice President and, as a board member, responsible for START Global’s revenue; this includes B2B partnerships, B2C sales, and marketing.
Nicole is Vice President and as a board member responsible for START Global's Product, including START Summit; Europe's biggest conference for early stage entrepreneurship, START Hack; Europe's most entrepreneurial Hackathons, as well as START Fellowship; our philanthropic incubator and accelerator program for entrepreneurs from LatAm and Africa.
Pascal is President and a board member of START Global. As President, he represents the organization at the highest level.
Enya Eggenberger (Programme Design & Network Manager, St. Gallen Symposium): Enya Eggenberger is Programme Design & Network Manager at the St. Gallen Symposium, designing and curating the conference agenda and its network. Before that, she was part of the 51st International Students' Committee. The Symposium is one of the leading associations at the University of St. Gallen.
Dr. Gunnar Hauptmann is the Deputy CEO and Head of Programme of the Swiss-based St. Gallen Symposium. Founded in 1969, the St. Gallen Symposium is the world’s most longstanding and relevant platform for cross-generational dialogue. The initiative works towards fulfilling the vision for global decision-makers to “Lead with the next generation in mind” through year-round initiatives across the globe and a main conference each May in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Before joining the St. Gallen Symposium, Gunnar Hauptmann worked as a strategy consultant in the automotive and aviation industry and as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Oxford and the University of St. Gallen. He is still currently a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen. Gunnar holds a doctoral degree in strategic management from the University of St. Gallen, a Masters in Business Management from the University of St. Gallen as well as a Bachelor in Economics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Alexander Jossens is Programme Design Manager at the St. Gallen Symposium since 2021. He holds a master’s in Economics at the University of St.Gallen, a master’s in International Relations from Tsinghua and a B.S. in Math/Econ from UCLA.
Vinzenz Eisl (Programme Design & Content Manager, St. Gallen Symposium): Vinzenz Eisl is Programme Design & Content Manager at the St. Gallen Symposium, designing and curating the conference agenda and content. Before that, he was part of the 50th International Students' Committee. The Symposium is one of the leading associations at the University of St. Gallen.
Nico Luchsinger (Executive Director, Asia Society Switzerland): Nico Luchsinger has worked with Asia Society Switzerland since its launch in 2016—first as Head of Programming, then Co-Executive Director, and since 2021 as Executive Director. A trained medieval historian, he also worked for NZZ, co-founded Sandbox, and led business development at startup Mila.
Alexandra Wudel (CEO & Founder, FemAI): Alexandra Wudel is an AI researcher and tech entrepreneur. As CEO of FemAI, she builds a platform certifying AI tools that meet ethical and legal standards. Named 'AI Person of the Year 2024', she advised over 25 bodies on AI ethics, including the EU, UN, and German government
Alexander Schellong is Managing Director Cybersecurity at Schwarz digits, the 5th division of Europe’s largest retailer with offerings in Cloud, AI, retail media or Cybersecurity such as XM Cyber and STACKIT. He has studied and taught at universities including Harvard, Tokyo, and Stanford.
Tim Goudriaan (LL.M.) is a Dutch serious game designer with a focus on educational and geopolitical simulations, who specializes in interactive learning experiences that explore complex international relations topics like the Arab-Israeli conflict and Ukraine-Russia tensions. With an academic background in law, political history, and international relations, he designs training programs for universities, governments, and businesses. Tim is also co-founder of AI-Advies & Training where he trains and advises on (generative) AI.
Diederik is an expert in serious game design. Since 2008 he builds serious games for government leaders, generals, captains of industry and many students. He is the Director of Goldsworthy, Stolk & Associates Ltd. Diederik also works as an expert in modelling and simulation for NATO's Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Center of Excellence. He frequently gives guest lectures on serious gaming and foresight at universities
Next to that Diederik is a founder of AI-Advies & Training. The Netherlands’ fastest growing AI training institute.
Vera is a graduate student in International Affairs and Governance. She works as a Junior Researcher at IMP-HSG, focusing on international trade, and is the Head of Communications at the Institute for Global Negotiation. She has 5+ years of experience in designing and delivering crisis simulations.
Niklas Koch first encountered Serious gaming during his two Bachelor’s degrees in International Affairs and Economics at the HSG, where a course in Crisis Management sparked his interest. Building on this experience, he worked on various serious gaming projects, including the St. Gallen Strategy Days. Currently, he is deepening his expertise through an internship focused on wargaming at NATO.
Sandro Rüegg is Head of Business Development at SQUARE, University of St.Gallen, driving new formats between academia, society, and business. He is Captain in the Swiss militia army and CTO of CESA Watertech, developing global water treatment technologies.