Panelists 2024 Edition

Wednesday August 20st, 2:10pm | Inspiration
Florian Schweer

Florian Schweer is a certified farmer (EFZ), farm manager at Agriculture Outremont, journalist, and filmmaker.

After completing an apprenticeship as a mediamatician at Swisscom, Florian Schweer pursued a degree in journalism and organizational communication. He then worked for over ten years as managing director and founder of Film Lodge GmbH.

Eight years ago, he fulfilled a childhood dream by completing his apprenticeship as a farmer. Since 2021, he has been running a 50-hectare mountain farm according to Bio Suisse organic standards. The farm raises heritage livestock breeds, slaughters on-site, and markets the meat directly throughout Switzerland.

Wednesday August 20st, 2:30pm | Debate: Ist Innovation in der Berglandwirtschaft möglich?
Jérôme Groebli

Jérôme Groebli is a committed professional with extensive experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, gained at a leading multinational company. A graduate of the University of St. Gallen (HSG), he combines a human approach to organisational development with a strong business focus. A true change agent, he is committed to the sustainable transformation of organisations by focusing on corporate culture and continuous improvement. He has served on several boards of directors of SMEs and start-ups and currently holds the position of Committee Delegate in charge of the management of the L’Etivaz Alpine Cheese Producers’ Cooperative.

Mikael Henchoz

After training as a mechanic, Mikaël Henchoz took over the management of the family cheese dairy Sapalet Sàrl in Rossinière in 2018, together with his two brothers, which was originally founded by their uncle. Sapalet Sàrl processes and sells all the milk produced by the sheep at the Sapalet farm, which Mikaël Henchoz also runs with his father and brothers.
The Sapalet cheese dairy also buys cow’s and goat’s milk, which is also processed by them and distributed throughout French-speaking Switzerland.
They have also set up a company active in related fields such as mechanics and the installation of solar panels.

 

Elise Lanoue

Élise Lanoue is the founder of MOA, a Swiss eco-friendly brand of cleaning products based on wood ash. Driven by her passion for nature and sustainable development, MOA offers a simple, effective and environmentally friendly solution for cleaning without leaving a trace.

 

Roland Müller

Roland Müller is an organic mountain farmer in Geschinen, in the municipality of Goms (Upper Valais), at an altitude of 1,350 metres.
Since 1985, he and his wife have been running a farm Bio Suisse certified. They raise 30 dairy cows and 45 young animals, whose milk is sold to the organic alpine cheese dairy in Goms, which he has been chairing for 25 years.

In summer, his animals graze on various mountain pastures in the region. He also grows rye and potatoes and keeps bees.

In addition to his farming activities, Roland Müller has been head instructor at the Goms/Münster ski school for over 20 years and worked as an inspector for Bio Inspecta for almost two decades.

Daniel Wismer

Daniel Wismer est agriculteur et pionnier de l’élevage de yaks en Suisse depuis 1995. Les habitants de la région ne lui donnaient qu’un an, mais cela fait maintenant 31 ans qu’il persévère. En 1998, il a organisé le premier trek à dos de yak en Europe et a élevé le Yakinger, un croisement unique entre le yak et la race d’Eri. En tant que cofondateur et premier président de l’Association suisse d’élevage de yaks, il a reçu le Prix suisse de l’innovation en agriculture en 2007. En 2020, il a ouvert le deuxième musée du yak au monde.

Holger Schmid

Holger Schmid is co-founder of ReVerde, a start-up that offers biodiversity as a service to farmers. Trained as a biologist, Holger is committed to making nature conservation and restoration an economic activity and source of income. He previously worked in philanthropy for many years and currently advises organisations on nature-based solutions. 

Camille Andrès

Camille Andres is a freelance journalist and a member of the editorial team of the French-speaking Swiss monthly Réformés.
She has notably told the story of Switzerland’s first protected designation of origin (AOP) for a food product, in L’Etivaz, le génie fromager (Heidi News, 2018), and directed a documentary about an agricultural transformation project, Le Pari d’Esther (available on YouTube).
She also heads the Prix Farel, a documentary film festival in Neuchâtel focused on ethical, religious, and spiritual issues.

Wednesday August 20st, 3:30pm | The Musée des Ormonts aims to become the MECOL, the cultural museum of Ormonts-Leysin.
Philippe Nicollier

Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the VD3209 Foundation, member of the Museum Committee

Wednesday August 20st, 4:40pm | Mohair wool from the hills of South Africa under the soles of alpine hikers: the story of Pomoca
Josep Castellet
Josep Castellet was born in Barcelona and spent his childhood near Zurich, where his father was professor at ETHZ. After studying Economics in Barcelona and travelling around the world, he came back to Switzerland in 2009. He is since 2010 the General Manager of POMOCA, the world leading manufacturer of ski touring skins.
POMOCA, as member of the Oberalp Group, has been always sensitive to durability. In 2017 POMOCA developed the first CSR action plan and was the first skin manufacturer to fully eliminate flour from his production 2020.

Ruth Oberauch
Ruth Oberrauch has been Vice President of the Oberalp Group since 2023. The Oberalp Group is an international brand house for six renowned mountain sports brands and is a family-run company with professional management. A member of the Group’s Executive Board, she played a key role in establishing the Sustainability department and various HR strategies for the group. She is still actively involved in the groups Sustainability and HR departments and introduced significant organizational changes. Reflecting her passion for the mountains and aesthetics, she launched LaMunt in 2020. LaMunt is the first women-specific mountain sports brand founded by women for women.

 

Wednesday August 20th, 5:30am | What incentive framework for mountain farming?
Valérie Dittli

Valérie Dittli, born in 1992 in Öberägeri in the canton of Zug, is a Swiss lawyer and politician and member of the Centre Party. She was elected to the Vaud State Council in April 2022, making her the youngest State Councillor in the canton and one of the youngest in Swiss history. Since 1 July 2022, she has headed the Department of Finance and Agriculture.
Coming from a family of farmers, she grew up on a farm and studied law at the University of Lucerne and then at the University of Lausanne, where she obtained a doctorate in inheritance law.
She became involved in politics at a young age, chairing the Young Christian Democrats of Vaud before becoming the first president of the Centre Vaud in 2020, following its merger with the Bourgeois Democratic Party.
Her election to the Vaud government was described as a major surprise, given that her party did not hold any seats in the Grand Council.
Since March 2025, she has headed the Department of Agriculture, Sustainability and Climate, as well as Digital Affairs. 

Thursday August 21st, 9:00 am | Mountain products, short supply chains and high-end positioning: a winning combination?
Pascal Imbs

With 36 years of experience in the field of furnishing fabrics, Pascal Imbs joined the Arpin spinning mill four years ago to help pass on unique expertise inherited from over two centuries of history. Founded in 1817 in Séez-Saint-Bernard, Arpin is one of the last companies in France to master the entire production chain, from raw fleece to finished products, using machines classified as National Heritage.

 Thursday August 21st, 09:20am | Discussion
Anne Chenavard
Anne Chenevard is a farmer and nurse. Committed to professional advocacy and president of the Faireswiss Lait équitable cooperative, she campaigns for sustainable, diversified and profitable agriculture. As a milk producer, she believes in this production chain, which is well suited to our terroirs and topography.
David Delarive
David Delarive is a Swiss entrepreneur born in Lausanne, committed to sustainable development and innovation in the finance, real estate and hospitality sectors. After studying finance and training as a chartered accountant, he gained experience at PwC, co-founded the start-up iRewind and co-directed the hotel group that designed the Whitepod Resort.
He now leads innovative projects such as LLF, an energy financing solution that delivers immediate savings with no initial investment, and Delarive Solution, which specialises in designing inspiring reception areas.
Thursday August 21st, 10:00am | Mountain farming as a solution to social and environmental challenges
Benoît Stadelmann
Dr. Benoît Stadelmann, a biologist and ecologist, has been working for 20 years to reconnect our societies with nature. As head of the ‘Communities and Projects for Nature’ department at WWF Switzerland, he develops collaborative initiatives to promote biodiversity and ecosystem protection, particularly in the field of agriculture. Convinced that the answers to ecological crises are collective, he is committed to systemic change that brings hope and resilience.

 

Aude Jarabo

After graduating with a degree in agricultural engineering, Aude Jarabo worked in research and obtained a PhD in ecology applied to agricultural environments.
She then began her career in public policy (plant protection product reduction plan at the French Ministry of Agriculture). She joined Prométerre to develop the agricultural component of the Vaud climate plan before founding AgroImpact, which she has been managing since December 2023.

Martin Pidoux
Martin Pidoux is director of Prométerre, a Vaud-based association promoting land-based professions. An agricultural engineer who graduated from ETH Zurich, he has worked in the country’s leading agricultural institutions and taught at the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences. Coming from a farming background, he uses his experience to promote dialogue and the future of the agricultural sector.
Photo credit: © Régis Colombo / Prométerre.
Thursday August 21st, 11:00am | Moving Mountains Destination White Paper
Anne Sophie Fioretto
Anne-Sophie Fioretto is a geographer and sustainable tourism expert, currently Associate Professor at the Tourism Institute of the HES-SO Valais-Wallis in Sierre, Switzerland. She has a background in equipment, development and the environment in mountain countries, as well as solid professional experience in project management and strategic planning in tourism (HES-SO Valais-Wallis) (HES-SO).
Anne Sophie has worked in various sectors linked to tourism and regional planning, notably as head of the tourism division for consultancy firms and as co-founder of Pacte3F. Her work focuses on sustainable development, the management (governance) of tourist destinations, and the implementation of innovative (transitional) strategies to limit the negative impact of mass tourism (HES-SO Valais-Wallis) (HES-SO).
It is also active in applied research and training, contributing to territorial foresight and tourism market observation projects. Its expertise enables it to play a key role in the training of future tourism professionals and in the development of sustainable solutions for local authorities and tourism businesses (rts.ch) (HES-SO).

Cléo Tarashev
Cléo Tarashev holds a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences from University College London. Passionate about scientific communication, she uses her skills to promote public understanding and awareness of environmental issues. With this in mind, she was commissioned by the MMF to write a report on how mountain resorts are responding to climate change.

Martin Deburaux

With his love of the region, Martin Deburaux naturally and enthusiastically took over the management of one of Villars’ ski schools in 2007. Eager to make new discoveries and develop a project in the tourism and hotel-restaurant sector, he went on to manage two establishments in the idyllic setting of Solalex. On the strength of his previous experience, the opportunity to combine his passion for skiing and the mountains with modern tourism development projects for the Télé Villars-Gryon-Les Diablerets SA lifts convinced him to commit myself to this company, its staff, its customers and the region.

 

Thursday August 21st, 11:30am | How digital technology can educate and entertain mountain users, both in winter and summer.
Dominique Perret

Voted Best Freerider of the Century at the Board Awards in Paris, Dominique Perret has long been considered a pioneer in the sport.
Beyond his role as an athlete, he is a marketing expert and product developer for the ski industry and the first athlete in the world to become ‘carbon positive’.

He co-founded WEMOUNTAIN, the first international mountain training programme combining E-Learning and T-Learning, and is the driving force behind the start-up, offering the best mountain and avalanche training in the world.

Alexandra Bersier-Balz

Alexandra Bersiez-Baz has been a scientific collaborator in the “School and Family” domain at BPA since 2021. She holds a master’s degree in movement and sports sciences, specializing in adapted physical activities and health. She is also a certified adult educator (FSEA). A former member of the Swiss women’s artistic gymnastics team (1996–2002), she combines scientific expertise with high-level sports experience.

Christian Wittwer