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Empowering Transitions through Social Impact Project Management as a Bridge: PMI Switzerland & Bevel ON Partnership

Oxana Herzog

Author: Oxana Herzog, PMP

Empowering Transitions through Social Impact 

Project Management as a Bridge : PMI Switzerland & Bevel ON Partnership

 Bevel On

 

Restarting a career in a new country takes more than ambition. It takes resilience, clarity and the right community. Many expatriates and displaced professionals in Switzerland face the daunting challenge of rebuilding their careers: navigating a new job market, proving their experience in unfamiliar systems and building a network from scratch.

 

Since 2022, as part of our social responsibility program, PMI Switzerland has proudly partnered with Bevel ON, a Switzerland-based non-profit dedicated to empowering professionals in career transition. Through this collaboration, we leverage project management fundamentals not just as a discipline, but as a bridge to international career advancement, social integration and community contribution.

 

Together, we support the Bevel ON Capacity Building Programme, a unique initiative that combines career strategy development, entrepreneurship training and mentorship. Its participants gain the confidence, clarity and tools to re-enter the workforce, launch new ventures or take the next step in their careers.

Many graduates also choose to continue to give back, including by becoming active volunteers in PMI Switzerland, further enriching our community with their global experience and diverse perspectives.

What We have Achieved Together

Since its launch, the Capacity Building Programme has proven measurable success in supporting professionals through career transitions, by: 

  • Delivering 9 Programmes, supporting over 250 participants 
  • Achieving a consistent Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 100, signaling outstanding participant satisfaction
  • Supporting 54% of graduates to achieve tangible outcomes, including employment, entrepreneurship, continued education and volunteer engagement

We are excited to announce the 10th Capacity Building Programme in February 2026. The upcoming cohort is open to new participants seeking to:

  • rebuild their careers after migration through modules on job search strategy and entrepreneurship 
  • invest in self-development through upskilling trainings, coaching and tailored mentorship
  • join a vibrant community of international peers, professional trainers and mentors

Voices from the Community

“Bevel ON made me discover insights I could immediately apply to my career, such as preparation for interviews, effective networking techniques and project management methodologies.”

“What truly sets Capacity Building Program apart is its power to inspire. It gave me a renewed sense of purpose and hope when I felt like giving up, and that is simply invaluable.”

Join Us in Making a Difference

This partnership embodies our belief that project management is more than a profession, it's a tool for transformation. 

Whether you are looking to participate, support, or refer someone to the programme, your engagement contributes to a more inclusive and empowered professional community in Europe. 

 

To learn more and apply to the 10th Capacity Building Programme cohort, visit https://www.bevelon.ch/our-programme

Editorial - PMI Switzerland Newsletter December 2025

Daniel Rodellar

Author: Daniel Rodellar, PMP

Editorial - PMI Switzerland Newsletter, December 2025

Dear PMI Switzerland Community and newsletter readers,

As this year draws to a close, and we stand on the turning point of another, it is a natural time to pause, reflect, and celebrate. This edition of the PMI Switzerland Chapter newsletter marks not just the final issue of 2025 but also the culmination of a year filled with growth, collaboration, and remarkable achievements.

From vibrant networking events to transformative learning sessions, and from celebrating International Project Management Day to unveiling new opportunities for professional development, this year has been nothing short of impactful. Your contributions, as members, volunteers, and leaders in the project management community, have fueled this success.

As we release this December issue, it’s also a season of gratitude and festivity. We send you warm wishes for a joyous Christmas season filled with peace, laughter, and the company of those who matter most. May your holidays be a time to recharge and reflect on the successes of the past year while envisioning the opportunities of the next. In this issue, you will find inspiring stories of our members' achievements, exciting event highlights, and tools to help shape your career in 2026. The new year promises to bring even greater opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, solidified by our community’s shared commitment to excellence in project management.

As we bid farewell to 2025, we wish you a restful holiday season and look forward to continuing this incredible journey together in the year ahead. See you in 2026!

Warm regards,
Daniel Rodellar and the full PMI Switzerland Chapter Newsletter team

[Curator’s Pick] – Shape Your Career in 2026: Top PMI Tools to Stay Ahead

Mirjam Nufer

Author: Mirjam Nufer, PMP, DASM

[Curator’s Pick] – Shape Your Career in 2026: Top PMI Tools to Stay Ahead

As the year wraps up, we take a moment to pause and reflect, and to look back at the progress we made over the year. It’s the perfect moment to ask: What do I want my career to look like next year?

PMI offers an enormous range of learning resources. But with so much available, it’s easy to spend more time searching than learning. We’ve collected three tools to help you stay focused, navigate your career as a project manager, and easily collect the PDUs you need.

🔹 projectmanagement.com -> practitioner-led learning

PMI’s global online community is a rich hub of webinars, blogs, templates, and articles contributed by practitioners around the world. A highlight worth subscribing to: PM Insider, a newsletter offering a curated view of trends, debates, and updates in the PM profession. Perfect for staying in the loop without getting overwhelmed.

🔹 PMI Picks (members only) -> on-the-Go learning

Short, focused learning units designed for busy project managers.
Whether you prefer videos, articles or case studies. You can select learning packages or filter for individual content. This makes continuous learning easy and digestible.

🔹 Career Navigator -> an in-depth learning journey

A powerful tool that turns your goals into a personalized development plan. After a quick assessment, it provides you a clear growth path that includes recommended PMI resources, milestones and goals. If you truly want to grow your skills and knowledge, this tool will help you get there.

career navigator

Our favorite? Definitely the PM Insider newsletter—a bi-weekly dose of insights to stay aligned with the latest trends and practices.

What are your career goals for 2026?



Note: PMI members get full access to these resources and many others. If you’re curious about what else a membership includes, you can find a detailed overview on PMI.org or contact the PMI Switzerland team for more information here.

IPMD 2025: Switzerland’s Project Managers Unite in SimulTrain® Showdowns Across Four Cities

Jiaying Guan, PMP

Author: Jia-Ying Guan, PMP

IPMD 2025: Switzerland’s Project Managers Unite in SimulTrain® Showdowns Across Four Cities

On October 29, 2025, International Project Management Day came alive across Switzerland with a burst of energy, collaboration, and friendly competition. For the second consecutive year together with STS, the PMI Switzerland Chapter delivered simultaneous SimulTrain® Ultimate PM Challenges in Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich, hosted respectively by Roche, skyguide, STS, and SIX.

More than 75 project professionals, from seasoned PMPs to emerging talents, stepped into an immersive SimulTrain® simulation that compressed months of project decision-making into just two hours. All teams across Switzerland worked through the same scenario, facing identical challenges: a flawed starting plan, shifting priorities, resource constraints, morale fluctuations, and cascading stakeholder demands.

What began as four parallel challenges became a national celebration of project leadership, proving once again that Switzerland’s PM community thrives when diverse regions connect, collaborate, and learn together.

Inside the Simulation: When Chaos Becomes Clarity

Across all four locations, the atmosphere was electric:
• spirited debate over coffee,
• cheers as KPIs climbed,
• newly formed teams bonding under pressure,
• and apéros filled with shared insights and laughter.

SimulTrain® pushed every team through the same intense project journey: from reworking the flawed baseline plan to managing execution, mitigating risks, adapting to surprises, and stabilizing performance under pressure. With decisions instantly impacting KPIs, motivation, and stakeholder satisfaction, one insight became universal:

Project management is ultimately about people: alignment, communication, and decisiveness under pressure.

Picture 1 Jiaying Guan

Key Insights From the Frontlines

Teams across Switzerland highlighted recurring lessons:

  • Fix the flawed plan early—stabilize before optimizing.
  • Delegate wisely—don’t overload your strongest contributors.
  • Motivation drives performance—engaged teams outperform stressed ones.
  • Silence is also a decision—rarely the right one.
  • Stakeholder clarity outranks firefighting.
  • Adaptive leadership emerges under stress.

These shared takeaways demonstrate the significant impact of a single, unified simulation experience.

Celebrating the Champions

After an intensive competition, Basel’s team claimed Swiss-wide victory, demonstrating strong strategic thinking, stakeholder alignment, and teamwork.

National Champions

Basel: Gabriele Schindl, Aljoscha Börsch, and Lamia Chikhaoui

Regional Winners

Geneva: Radu Costache, Sadya Salami Omyale, and Sébastien Garel

Lausanne: Zareen Cheema and Andrea Zimara

Zurich: Anna Chleboun and Claire Thu

These achievements reflect the strength and diversity of PM talent across Switzerland.

Stories from the Four Venues

Lausanne: Leadership, Learning, and Community

The Lausanne event brought together a highly engaged group of participants who embraced the shared SimulTrain® scenario with energy and curiosity. The session combined focused gameplay, insightful discussions, and strong teamwork.

Member of the Lausanne organizing team, Bianca Alves, reflected on how the simulation highlighted teamwork, communication, and adaptability under pressure.

Regional winners Zareen Cheema and Andrea Zimara shared that staying calm, aligning early, and making deliberate decisions helped them navigate the scenario successfully.

Zurich: High Energy at SIX ConventionPoint

Reflections from Ethel Mendocilla Sato, Mafalda Amaro, Wolfgang Steindl, and others showcased Zurich’s dynamic spirit.
The Zurich champions, Team Turtles, formed by Anna Chleboun and Claire Thu, emphasized the importance of perseverance even when their project initially lagged behind schedule in the shared scenario.

Geneva: Multicultural Collaboration at Skyguide

 In Geneva, participants dove into the same national scenario: stabilizing an off-track baseline, addressing resource conflicts, restoring team motivation, and calming stakeholders.

Regional winners Radu Costache, Sadya Salami Omyale and Sébastien Garel noted that their focus on early plan correction was key.

As an organizer and participant myself, the simulation felt strikingly real. It showed how essential delegation, team empowerment, and decisive communication are in project work.

Basel: Intensity and Insight at Roche

Basel participants, including Shahidah Foster and Gabriele Schindl, described the challenge as “intense and incredibly real,” especially with the shared scenario’s rapid-fire messages and competing demands.
The Basel team’s alignment and adaptability ultimately carried them to first place nationally.

Picture 2 Jiaying Guan

Looking Ahead: Switzerland’s PM Community Moves Toward Biel

As the excitement of IPMD 2025 settles, PMI Switzerland is already looking ahead to its 25th Anniversary Event on March 6, 2026, in Biel.

This milestone will bring the community together once more. We will be elebrating progress, strengthening networks, and reflecting on the journey that has shaped PMI Switzerland into what it is today.

Continue the Journey

Explore more perspectives and impressions from:

Curious about the simulation behind it all? Visit SimulTrain.swiss.

Questions? Reach out to PMI Switzerland anytime.