Dr. David Bosshart is owner of Bosshart & Partners and since 2020 President of the G. and A. Duttweiler Foundation. He was CEO of the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute for Economic and Social Studies in Rüschlikon, Zurich, from 1999 to 2020.

The Institute is an independent European think tank on trade and its social environment (founded in 1962 by European trade pioneer Gottlieb Duttweiler). David Bosshart’s previous jobs were in trading companies, consulting, teaching and academic research. His work focuses on the future of consumption and social change, management and culture, globalization and political philosophy.

David Bosshart Speaking Topics

• Artificial intelligence: between hype and reality.

Who wins, who loses? More than just zero-sum games?
What we can learn from trends such as the metaverse, blockchain, self-driving, etc.

• “Green economy” vs. “carbon economy” – who wins?

What we need to make faster progress
Who are the real players in the transition to the new economy?
What role does politics play?

• The three Internets of the future: ICT – Mobility – Energy.

How mobile will we be tomorrow, and at what cost?
Who is driving the change, who is a spectator?

• The future of consumption: discount, luxury and the middle class

What new desires can we expect people to have?
Who can still afford what?
The role of brands and private labels?

• The future of retail: The new core competencies – faster, more precise, more flexible.

That is the direction. But at the same time, more and more is also true: slower, more diverse, more specific. The digital and analog worlds are becoming one. The vulnerability of all sales channels is increasing. Customer centricity is being redefined. Convenience and simplicity more important than ever.

• The future of success: between hope and fear.

Which mindset wins when uncertainty and vulnerability dominate?
Do we need a “warrior mindset” again, like Nike or Facebook?
Cooperation and collaboration or confrontation? Power of the strongest?

• Workquake – New demographics and the labor market of the future.

Demography, leadership and employment in a changing society
Is GenZ really different? What are the old people doing?

• The future of society: education in transition.

Changing family structures.
What makes a society fit for the future?

– Change, Transformation, Disruption

How do organizations and people change?
How much change can people cope with?
What role does technology play in change?

• Business models in transition: what will prevail?

More consolidation and monopolies?
Start ups in transition
What role does technology play for SMEs?

• Entangled Life: Health, nutrition and sustainability in the networked world.

When everything is entangled with everything else, humans, animals, plants and the environment, viruses, bacteria and fungi become equal players in the game of survival. We see the world through the new eyes of the various players. How artificial will food be in the future? How do we define health?

• Soft power – smart power – hard power.

Europe is above all soft power: a lifestyle with beautiful urban spaces, great museums, shopping and restaurants, all the major luxury brands, football as a religion, the Alps and coasts, and everything in freedom and secured by democratic institutions. But smart power is the USA and China: artificial intelligence, platforms, persuasion through social media. And Russia is teaching us that hard power – military enforcement – is returning to the world of prosperity. What does this mean for the economy, society and consumption?

David Bosshart is a trained businessman who graduated with a PhD in philosophy and political theory from the University of Zurich. He continues his education at Stanford University and Chicago Booth Business School, among others.

David Bosshart’s work focuses on megatrends and countertrends in business and society, the future of consumption, consumerism, and commerce, artificial and human intelligence, data abundance/poverty, contradictions of globalization, and political philosophy, management, and social change.

David Bosshart is the author of numerous internationally published papers, a multilingual speaker, and a sought-after keynote speaker in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. Clients of his analyses and lectures are international corporations and national companies from the retail, consumer goods and service industries, SMEs as well as associations, public institutions, NGOs, research and academia.