Stephane Garelli

Stéphane Garelli is Professor Emeritus of World Competitiveness at IMD, where he founded the World Competitiveness Centre, and Professor at the University of Lausanne, recognised globally for pioneering how nations and corporations sustain competitive advantage. As Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and Davos Symposium for 13 years, and former Chairman of Le Temps and Sandoz Financial and Banking Holding, he has shaped strategy at the highest levels of business and policy. His IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook remains the definitive reference across 69 economies, whilst his latest book, Are You a Tiger, a Cat or a Dinosaur?, distils decades of insight into practical frameworks. Audiences gain strategic clarity on navigating economic transformation, understanding the unique factors driving success, and responding with confidence to shifting global markets.

For over three decades, Stephane Garelli has pioneered the study of how nations and corporations sustain competitive advantage in rapidly shifting global markets. As Professor Emeritus of World Competitiveness at IMD, where he founded the World Competitiveness Centre, and Professor at the University of Lausanne, he has shaped the frameworks that governments and business leaders worldwide use to measure and achieve prosperity. His research has consistently challenged conventional thinking, revealing that competitiveness is not a universal formula but a unique blend of factors tailored to each nation and company. His latest book, Are You a Tiger, a Cat or a Dinosaur?, distils decades of insight into practical strategies that help leaders understand where they stand and what they must do to thrive in an increasingly complex economic landscape.

Garelli's authority stems from extraordinary breadth of experience across academia, business and global policy. As Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and the Davos Symposium for 13 years, he curated discussions among the world's most influential political, business and academic leaders, shaping dialogue on the forces driving global competitiveness. He spent 12 years as permanent senior adviser to the European management of Hewlett-Packard, applying competitive strategy at the highest corporate level. As Chairman of the Board of Le Temps, the leading French-language Swiss newspaper, and formerly of Sandoz Financial and Banking Holding, he has guided major institutions through periods of transformation. He served on the International Olympic Committee Commission for Sustainability and Legacy and was a member of the Constitutional Assembly of Vaud, Switzerland. His IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, now covering 69 economies, remains the global reference for national competitiveness rankings, whilst his books translate complex economic shifts into actionable insight for leaders worldwide.

Garelli equips audiences with the clarity to navigate profound economic change. He reveals how competitiveness is no longer about a single formula but a unique mix of factors, each nation and company requiring its own blend of ingredients to succeed. His presentations explore the forces reshaping global markets: the shift from consumer technology to compute infrastructure, the fracturing of globalisation, the dangerous temptation of excessive legislation, and the multi-alignment strategies that offer alternatives to rigid geopolitical blocs. Whether addressing the technology revolution, new business models, or what people truly want from their leaders, he combines rigorous analysis with practical application. Delegates leave with a winning mindset, understanding not just what is changing but how to identify their competitive type and respond with confidence and strategic clarity in an increasingly complex world.