Who are we ?

What is APIA SWISS?

Purpose of the association

The APIA Swiss association aims to be the center of excellence in SME governance. Our members, who are company directors, are the key contacts for SME managers.

APIA's mission is to promote and professionalize through his actions and collective work the function of Independent Director.

APIA firmly believes that good governance guided by the social interest contributes to the company's sustainable performance. In our view, the social interest encompasses four aspects: the long-term viability of the company as a legal entity, the interests of the shareholders, their contribution to the company's project, and the creation of value for stakeholders.

We favor a pragmatic approach tailored to the context of SMEs. It is based on the independence and professionalism of our members, whose actions aim to disseminate good governance practices with the ultimate goal of business performance and not just compliance.

Origin

APIA Swiss is a Swiss non-profit association founded in January 2018.

APIA was founded in 2003 in France by business leaders active in Boards of Directors or Supervisory Boards.

APIA France today it has more than 200 active members and more than 30 partner companies.

APIA's motto is "business leaders talking to business leaders".

The members of the association's Steering Committee are:

  • President, Serge Reymond
  • Treasurer, Grégoire Bouille
  • Secretary, Eric Maire 
  • Christophe Marchal
  • Anne-Laure Héritier
  • François Bouteiller
  • José Veloso

Goals

For the coming years, APIA Swiss has set itself the following objectives:

  • Promoting good governance practices in SMEs,
  • To increase its visibility and integration into the SME ecosystem with the ever-increasing support of its partners,
  • To continuously strengthen the competence of its members as independent directors,
  • To grow the number of its members while maintaining a high level of standards.
  • To develop first in French-speaking Switzerland, then gradually throughout Switzerland via regional sections.

APIA hopes in this way to contribute in its own way to the competitiveness of the Swiss economy.

Means

The association is funded by membership fees, support from partner companies and sponsors.

APIA Swiss pursues its goal through the following means:

  • The creation of an ethical and professional framework through collaborative actions involving exchange and synthesis, bringing together members and partner companies.
  • Communication through testimonials of experiences and governance practices relevant to business stakeholders. The association is particularly committed to giving a voice to business leaders whose experiences highlight the importance of professionalizing governance bodies.

Purpose of the association

The APIA Swiss association aims to be the center of excellence in SME governance. Our members, who are company directors, are the preferred partners of SME leaders.

APIA's mission is to promote and professionalize the role of Independent Director through its actions and collective work.

APIA firmly believes that good governance guided by the social interest contributes to the company's sustainable performance. In our view, the social interest encompasses four aspects: the long-term viability of the company as a legal entity, the interests of the shareholders, their contribution to the company's project, and the creation of value for stakeholders.

We favor a pragmatic approach tailored to the context of SMEs. It is based on the independence and professionalism of our members, whose actions aim to disseminate good governance practices with the ultimate goal of business performance and not just compliance.

Origins

APIA Swiss is a non-profit association founded in January 2018.

APIA was founded in 2003 in France by business leaders active in Boards of Directors or Supervisory Boards.

APIA France today it has more than 200 active members and more than 30 partner companies.

APIA's motto is "business leaders talking to business leaders".

 

Organization

The members of the association's Steering Committee are:

  • President, Olivier Bedat
  • Vice-President, Daniel Brandenburger
  • Secretary, Eric Maire
  • Treasurer, Grégoire Bouille
  • Jean-Christophe Barth
  • François Bouteiller
  • Fouad Dadi

Goals

For the coming years, APIA Swiss has set itself the following objectives:

  • Promoting good governance practices in SMEs,
  • To increase its visibility and integration into the SME ecosystem with the ever-increasing support of its partners,
  • To continuously strengthen the competence of its members as independent directors,
  • To grow the number of its members while maintaining a high level of standards.
  • To develop first in French-speaking Switzerland, then gradually throughout Switzerland via regional sections.

APIA hopes in this way to contribute in its own way to the competitiveness of the Swiss economy.

 

Means

The association is funded by membership fees, support from partner companies and sponsors.

APIA Swiss pursues its goal through the following means:

  • The creation of an ethical and professional framework through collaborative actions involving exchange and synthesis, bringing together members and partner companies.
  • Communication through testimonials of experiences and governance practices relevant to business stakeholders. The association is particularly committed to giving a voice to business leaders whose experiences highlight the importance of professionalizing governance bodies.

 

Governance

Governance Governance is a set of processes and rules defining how a company should be managed and controlled to best protect the interests of its stakeholders. While legally mandated for large companies, governance is less prevalent in organizations not required to adopt it. APIA's approach for small and medium-sized enterprises is to move beyond restrictive governance towards positive governance, which creates value for the company and its stakeholders.

The independent administrator must be free from any conflict of interest with respect to the company of which they are a member of the board of directors, supervisory board, or strategic council. They contribute, through their competence, experience, and independent judgment, to ensuring its effective operation. They cannot be in a position likely to impair their judgment and independence of mind, nor can they be in a situation of conflict of interest.

The social interest The company's best interests are those of the corporation, a legal entity, which transcend the personal interests of shareholders or partners. This serves as the independent director's compass: Is a given decision likely to promote or jeopardize the company's long-term viability? Does it serve the interests of the partners? Does it contribute to the company's strategic plan? Does it create value for stakeholders?.

 

The administrator's compass

The term "corporate interest" is often used but rarely defined! It can be presented as the intrinsic interest of the company, a legal entity, thus transcending the interests of shareholders and partners:

It then constitutes the compass for leaders, a form of imperative for conduct that requires respecting an interest greater than one's personal interest.

The Independent Director's Compass: The Company's Social Interest

The term "corporate interest" is often used but rarely defined! It can be presented as the intrinsic interest of the company, a legal entity, thus transcending the interests of shareholders and partners:
 
It then constitutes the compass for leaders, a form of imperative for conduct that requires respecting an interest greater than one's personal interest.
 
Shareholders, the partners with ownership rights, have taken risks by investing their capital and hold the power of ownership. Managers hold executive power and generally have a better understanding of the company. Finally, directors play a key role in overseeing and guiding executive power. Employees are the primary stakeholders. While the law mandates their participation on the Board of Directors of large companies, it is not required in medium-sized businesses. APIA believes it is desirable to foster the trust that is an essential component of the governance system.
 
But other parties are also affected by the company's evolution:
 
customers, who expect to be delivered at the right price and within the right timeframe; ;
suppliers and subcontractors, exposed to cash flow difficulties in the event of payment delays, or even operational difficulties in the event of more serious problems; ;
bankers, faced with the risk posed by the loans they have granted; ;
the State and social organizations, financed by taxes and social security contributions; ;
the region, department or city which houses the company concerned by the repercussions on the local economy; ;
environmental and societal stakeholders…
Reconciling differing viewpoints among shareholders, partners, and management (or between shareholders and partners) requires directors to act as mediators. They may even be called upon to play this role within the Board or the Strategic Committee itself.
 
 

The different roles of the administrator:

Part of the appeal of the role of director lies in the wide variety of situations and stakeholders the director will encounter. Beyond the diverse range of responsibilities, they will be confronted with different phases of the company's life cycle, each requiring a different role. We have identified seven distinct roles that a director may be called upon to fulfill throughout their term, some of them simultaneously.


Mentor, the leader's support
This is the most requested service by executives: members of management committees expect support from board members. This concept, which is relatively difficult to define objectively, should not, in our view, be equated with a simple, more or less formal, validation of executive decisions; supporting executives should be conceived as a genuine partnership in understanding the company's challenges and the resulting decision-making.

Vigie, the permanent watchman
One of the essential missions of governance is risk prevention, ensuring the reliability of current and future information, and prioritizing the control and protection of assets. However, this watchdog role also implies that the director must be fully vigilant in addressing any potential lack of foresight on the part of management or shareholders regarding major issues. This requires that the director be informed of both market developments and competitor activity, and that they have successfully diversified their sources of information, not relying solely on management's perspective.

Scout, the explorer of new frontiers
The administrator's role here is to explore new horizons, propose strategic alternatives, and broaden the scope of possibilities. By illuminating the future paths the company will take, the administrator also helps reassure shareholders and management about the soundness of the implemented strategy. Only extensive experience combined with a thorough understanding of the company and its environment allows someone to fulfill this role.

Catalyst, the accelerator of development
This role may involve accelerating the company's development or making the best use of the organization's internal resources. The administrator's objective is to foster the best possible combination of skills, expertise, and financial and technical resources to maximize value creation.

Mediator, the solutions facilitator
Reconciling differing viewpoints between shareholders and management (or indeed among shareholders themselves) requires directors to act as mediators. They may even be called upon to play this role within the Board itself.

Challenger
The recurring tendency of organizations to err on the side of conservatism, the establishment of operational routines, and the excessive power of long-established management make the challenger role played by the administrator indispensable. Conducted with moderation, without aggression, and always with a constructive rather than individualistic mindset, strategic questioning must be continuous: what strategy, what changes, what objectives, what resources, what leaders…?
 
Tutor, the preparer of a transition
While the administrator must sometimes be able to challenge the status quo, they also know how to act as a mentor to the manager(s). This situation arises, for example, in the event of a change of manager during a planned succession between two generations or a sudden departure; the administrator's role then becomes to strengthen the manager's legitimacy within the company.
For :
  • Become a member or partner of APIA,
  • Or perhaps you are considering the presence of an Independent Director in your company's governance,
Don't hesitate to contact us contact for more information.