Author: Aren Chiu
Dear PMI Switzerland Community,
I hope you all had a wonderful summer — sun‑soaked, well‑rested, and filled with just enough ice cream to justify the extra steps on your fitness tracker. As we ease into September, the holidays wind down, the inboxes wake up, and Switzerland starts showing those first hints of autumn colours. The air gets cooler, the days get shorter, and yes… it’s officially cardigan season. Time to swap the beach towels for meeting notes and get ready for a line‑up of events that will carry us straight into the heart of project leadership, transformation, and learning.
We begin on 17 September with the Program Managers Roundtable in Geneva — a session designed to unpack what program management really means beyond the usual “big projects” stereotype. Through stories, peer insights, and open discussion, this event is perfect for project managers curious about stepping into program leadership. It may also reveal whether you’re genuinely ready for program thinking… or whether you’re simply curious to learn more beyond project management and explore what program management really is.
Next, on 23 September, we move online for the AI Governance Masterclass led by Markus Kopko of the PMI AI Standard Core Team. This session explores why traditional project management often breaks when applied to AI initiatives, and introduces three governance questions you can use immediately in your work. It’s free for PMI Switzerland members and earns 1 PDU — so please, claim it afterwards. Let’s not add another lonely PDU to the great forgotten pile.
On 29 October, Zurich hosts the PM Conference 2026, themed “Swiss Iconic Projects & Innovations – The Future of Project Leadership.” With over 200 attendees expected and speakers from Nestlé, UBS, IOC, Holcim, CERN, Sunrise, SIX Group, PMI, and more, this conference brings together the best of Swiss innovation and leadership thinking. It’s a full day of insights on AI, transformation, and the evolving role of project leaders — and it comes with 10 PDUs, which is practically a certification spa day. Go, learn, network, and make sure you claim your PDUs so the day counts fully toward your professional growth.
We wrap up the season on 5 November in Geneva with a deep dive into practical change management using the ACAEM model — Analyse, Connect, Align, Engage, Measure. Led by Grégoire Willommet, this workshop focuses on making change actually happen rather than simply talking about it. If your organisation loves announcing transformation but struggles to execute it, this session will feel like a much‑needed crash course in turning intention into action.
Applications are now open for the PMI Switzerland Chapter Elections for the 2027–2028 term, with a deadline of 30 September 2026. The chapter is seeking candidates for three Board of Directors positions, one Election Committee Member, and one Financial Auditor Committee Member. Ideal candidates embody PMI values, show initiative, collaborate effectively, and navigate complexity with confidence. And if you’ve ever said, “I wish PMI would do X,” this is your chance to be the person who actually makes X happen. For questions or submissions, contact
As we move into autumn, this month’s articles point to a clear evolution in our profession: project managers are no longer defined by delivery alone — we are increasingly responsible for creating value that lasts. The five articles in this edition highlight the capabilities shaping that shift. AI literacy is becoming essential, not as a buzzword but as a practical governance skill that helps us make better decisions. Program thinking pushes us to look beyond tasks and milestones toward benefits, alignment, and long‑term outcomes. Change leadership reminds us that transformation only succeeds when people adopt it, not when slides announce it. And sustainability reframes everyday choices — suppliers, risks, timelines, technology — as drivers of future resilience. Together, these perspectives show that modern project managers are stepping into a broader role: leaders of transformation, stewards of value, and architects of outcomes that endure well beyond project closure.
As you explore this edition, I invite you to look beyond what we deliver and consider what we make possible — for our teams, our organisations, and the communities we serve. Project management is evolving, and so are we.
Here’s to what we make possible next,
Aren CHIU, Newsletter Copy Editor