New Economiesuisse Director

Hensch is a lawyer and qualified PR consultant. The 54-year-old worked in the PR industry for seventeen years, including as a partner and member of the management team at Farner PR. In 2003, Hensch moved to the Association of the Swiss Gas Industry as Director. He has been Managing Director of the association for digital Switzerland Swico since 2012. Due to his work for two Economiesuisse member associations, Jean-Marc Hensch is an expert in the association sector and federal politics, Economiesuisse wrote in a press release on Friday. He is also a proven communications expert thanks to his PR work.

Board of Directors decides on Monday

On Monday, November 18, the Board of Directors will now decide on the appointment. If Hensch is elected, he will take up the post of Director on March 1. Since the departure of Pascal Gentinetta in March of this year, the association has been led on an interim basis by Chief Economist Rudolf Minsch. He will concentrate on this position again in future, it is reported. The umbrella organization for the economy has hit a rough patch this year. In particular after the vote on the rip-off initiative, the association slipped into a crisis. Economiesuisse had taken the lead in opposing the initiative, which the electorate approved very clearly with 67.9 percent of votes in favor. Economiesuisse was cast in a negative light when it became known that an advertising agency had paid students for online comments against the initiative.

The worm has been in it for some time

But even before the vote on March 3, the association was already seething. Among other things, the Economiesuisse leadership was at odds with the Swiss Watch Association over the "Swiss Made" label. The watch manufacturers wanted a 60 percent Swiss content in products so that they could be considered "Swiss Made". Economiesuisse was against a binding rule. The watch association then left the association. In mid-March, the association's management drew the consequences. The then President Rudolf Wehrli and Director Pascal Gentinetta jointly announced their resignation. Wehrli was succeeded by the former Axpo boss Heinz Karrer. (SDA)