Author: Linda Vasquez

Let us Celebrate 25 Years of Positive Impact and Community Growth

Dear PMI Switzerland Chapter Community

For 25 years, the PMI Switzerland Chapter has brought together passionate professionals, growing from a small group of pioneers into a nationwide community built on learning, collaboration, and shared achievements. This anniversary celebration is our moment to honour everything we have created together — every project delivered, every lesson exchanged, and every meaningful connection that has shaped our journey.

This evening will be full of magic… but what kind of magic could it be? Come celebrate with us and let the surprises unfold. You will sense the magic long before you understand it.

On 6 March 2026, we will gather for an evening filled with reflection, inspiration, and togetherness. Members, volunteers, partners, and friends will come together to revisit our shared milestones and to look ahead at the future we are ready to build.

Date and Time: 6 March 2026, 17:00 CET
Location: Congress House, Biel/Bienne

Early Bird deadline: 28 January 2026
Registration closes: 26 February 2026

Find all the details and register on our registration page. Spaces are limited, and this anniversary celebration will be an experience that you will not want to miss!

We cannot wait to celebrate with you — because this milestone belongs to all of us.

Linda Vasquez

25th Anniversary Team

Author: Philip SPRINGUEL, PMP

Dear PMI Switzerland members and friends,

Elections are crucial to the growth and sustainability of PMI Switzerland. This month’s newsletter features key reasons why, and when you’ll shortly be invited to vote to make your impact felt. 

A highlight of your newsletter this month is an interview with PMI Switzerland’s first president, Dr. Andrea Behrends, who reflects on how it all began, as we prepare to celebrate our 25th anniversary next year. Another highlight to illustrate how far PMI Switzerland has come, is described in an article this month relating our collaboration with Doctors Without Borders.

PMI Switzerland welcomes 6 new members, who are profiled in this month’s newsletter. Of the many benefits associated with membership is high level meetings, workshops and training. Read in this month’s newsletter about our 29 September event featuring Sarah Gadd’s talk on AI, Data & Ethics, where she expounded on the project manager’s responsibility to act as a guardian of responsible innovation. 

Read further about PMI Switzerland’s November 25 event at Regus Lausanne, where you will learn about the most common Intellectual Property-related risks in projects, and how to mitigate them. More events, including one hosted by PMI France Agile (PIAF) that is also highlighted in this newsletter, can be found on PMI Switzerland’s events page on the website. Join us on our social media platforms and join your peers at future events.

Philip SPRINGUEL, Newsletter Copy Editor

Author: Mariia Fufaieva and Isabelle Noverraz, PMP

The PMI Switzerland Chapter, together with Project Managers Without Borders (PMWB), actively supports social impact projects through professional volunteerism. 

Through the Hours for Impact Program aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), project professionals volunteer their time and expertise for meaningful causes. 

As part of this commitment, PMI Switzerland partnered with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - a medical humanitarian NGO active in over 70 countries - to strengthen project management capabilities within its teams. A dedicated group of PMI volunteers - Cristina Has, PMP®, Claudio Wüst, Isabelle Noverraz, PMP®, Koloina Kremer, and Mariia Fufaieva delivered project management training to 40 MSF participants from 17 countries. The sessions gave MSF teams practical tools to manage humanitarian projects more effectively, thereby increasing their operational efficiency and impact.

Building on this achievement, Fabio Bonanni, PMP®, continues to lead a mentoring program for more senior MSF project professionals. This ongoing effort provides continuous guidance, supports knowledge sharing, and strengthens MSF’s capacity to deliver humanitarian aid efficiently and effectively.

Behind the scenes, Mariia Fufaieva played a pivotal role in the preparation, coordination, and follow-up of this initiative. Her leadership ensured smooth collaboration between PMI Switzerland and MSF, aligning efforts across multiple stakeholders and maintaining clear communication throughout the project’s lifecycle.

PMI Switzerland is proud to collaborate with MSF and remains committed to deepening this partnership to strengthen communities applying project management skills.

Through initiatives like this, the PMI Switzerland Chapter shows how project management skills, when driven by purpose, can help build a better, more equitable and sustainable world.

Mariia Fufaieva and Isabelle Noverraz

Author: Anna Sinkevich, PMP

Do I deal with intellectual property (IP) at work? In my projects, am I using someone else’s products without adhering to IP rights? Or maybe my company and I are the creators of a work subject to IP protection?

If you are not entirely confident replying to these questions, our upcoming “Intellectual Property Challenges in Projects: Useful Tips for Risk Management” event is the right fit for you!

Join us on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, for an evening talk in Lausanne with Said Azimov, Program Officer at the IP for Business Division at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

This session will highlight the role IP plays in business and innovation, and explores the challenges and opportunities that IP rights might present in a project, regardless of its scale and field.

You will learn about:

• What is IP and how to recognize it in everyday life.
• Most common IP-related risks in projects and strategies to mitigate them.
• Practical tools and resources for businesses and professionals.
• The intersection of IP and AI. 

Whether you work in a small company or part of a huge corporation with its own legal department, participants will gain useful and practical insights on how to mitigate IP threats in your projects and escalate opportunities that IP may bring.

Along with practical insights from the speaker and networking opportunity with other PM professionals after the presentation, participants will also receive 0.5 PDUs in Ways of Working and 0.5 PDUs in Business Acumen. 

About the Speaker – Saidakhmad (Said) Azimov

Said is the Program Officer, IP for Business Division, IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector, at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Passionate about intellectual property, he has built an 18-year career in the field, with the past 7 years dedicated to working at WIPO with businesses from around the globe to help leverage their intellectual property for growth and innovation.

Register here

Anna Sinkevich, PMP