"Zurich is doing some really good things when it comes to start-ups"

Samuel Mösle and Markus Müller have been jointly managing the Canton of Zurich's location promotion program since the beginning of the year. After around 100 days in office, the two draw their first conclusions in an interview and look to the future.

Your start as co-heads of location promotion has also been accompanied by a change in the structure of the Office of Economic Affairs and Labor. What did this look like?
Markus Müller: At the request of the Department of Economic Affairs, the Zurich cantonal government decided in summer 2022 to transform the AWA into two independent offices as of January 1, 2024. The aim of the transformation was to bundle services and strengthen the focus on the Economic region and the labor market. The creation of an independent Office of Economic Affairs will enable us to give greater weight to location policy issues in future and benefit internally from leaner structures and decision-making channels.

Samuel Mösle: The two offices continue to be closely interlinked and engage in a lively exchange, for example through joint, cross-office projects on the topic of skilled workers.

How are you two positioned as a management duo?
Samuel Mösle: Before we took over, location promotion was managed by our predecessor Fabian Streiff, who is now head of the Office of Economic Affairs. The reasons for introducing a co-head for location promotion lie in the diversity of topics and the size of the division, which is becoming increasingly difficult for a single person to manage with a view to the future. Thanks to our co-management, in addition to our management tasks, we will also be able to manage more of our own projects and topics and be in even closer contact with our customers.

Markus Müller: We currently have three main topics in location promotion: location development, industry diversity and innovation promotion. I am responsible for the topic of innovation promotion. Samuel is responsible for location development, and we are jointly responsible for industry diversity.

Markus Müller (left) and Samuel Mösle have been joint heads of location promotion at the Office of Economic Affairs of the Canton of Zurich since the beginning of the year.

What will be the focus of location promotion in the coming years?

Samuel Mösle: There are various topics that will occupy us in the near and distant future. To name just a few: The shortage of skilled workers has been with us for a while and will continue to occupy us in the future. For example, as already mentioned, we are working together with the employment office on a project that aims to bring more women into the IT professions. We are also addressing the issue of future skills that the Zurich labor market will need. The digitalization of the administration is currently very important and forward-looking. Our aim is to make all of the canton's services accessible to companies online via a single point of contact.

Markus MüllerWe see potential instrengthening the investor environment, in strengthening cooperation between companies and in supporting selected initiatives and lighthouse projects in our key sectors.

What insights have you gained in your first 100 days in office?
Markus Müller: Above all, that the separation of duties has been very well understood. The feedback I have received from partner organizations and stakeholders has been consistently positive. The move to "split" the management of location promotion between two people was also perceived as courageous and modern. Many would describe the Canton of Zurich as rather cumbersome and conservative. Our co-management is a good example to prove the opposite. The canton can act with agility and is prepared to implement modern forms of management.

Samuel Mösle : The situation is similar for me; I have also received a lot of positive feedback. This is mainly because the co-management model allows us to manage our own projects and have a greater presence. In the current phase, however, the first thing we need to do is carry out a good situation analysis. To do this, we are holding a number of discussions. What are the needs of the various partner organizations and steakholders, who are we already working well with and where do we see potential for new projects or networks? This process is ongoing and takes a lot of time.

Speaking of cooperation and networking, how do you rate the cooperation with the various economic centers such as Winterthur so far?
Samuel Mösle: I live in Winterthur and have noticed that this connection has been received very positively by Winterthur's partners. However, there is always the feedback that Winterthur, as the second largest city in the canton of Zurich, is sometimes forgotten. This constant balancing act between Zurich as a major player and the other cities and regions is a daily concern for us. The challenge, of course, is to do justice to everyone.

Markus Müller: Every region has its own requirements, opportunities and challenges, and Winterthur is no exception. In order to meet them all, we maintain close partnerships, for example with the House of Winterthur, the Technopark, the Home of Innovation and the City of Winterthur. This collaboration is already working well, but can be improved in certain areas and consolidated for the future.

What role does the promotion of start-ups and young companies play in the location promotion strategy?
Samuel Mösle : Up to now, our focus has not been too much on the topic of start-ups. We want to change this, as start-ups are of course important for our ecosystem and many of our partner organizations also consider the topic to be important. However, it must also be said that start-ups already have an excellently functioning ecosystem in the canton of Zurich. That's why so many young companies are founded in the canton. The canton of Zurich is already doing some really good things when it comes to promoting start-ups.

Markus Müller: In all our efforts and projects, our primary goal is always to "think along" with the start-ups. One example is our network for autonomous systems. We consciously ensure that we have a good distribution between start-ups, SMEs and large corporations. This creates a win-win situation: the start-ups come into contact with successful large corporations and, at the same time, large corporations benefit from the start-ups' ideas.

In view of the results of our 2023 company survey, price pressure and inflation are the biggest challenges for companies in Winterthur. Can you influence these issues at all through your work?
Markus Müller: Absolutely! Price pressure occurs when you can't differentiate your own products from the competition. That's exactly where innovation helps. With the help of innovative solutions, you can set your own prices again. That's where we help with our programs such as SMEs and Innovation.

Finally, what makesup the Winterthur Economic region for you?
Samuel Mösle : From a purely historical perspective, it is clear what Winterthur stands for. Thanks to the textile and mechanical engineering industries, Winterthur has an enormously rich industrial past. However, structural change means that new focal points need to be created if Winterthur is to remain an attractive place to work. The Valley has successfully transformed a historic area into an area of the future. For me, Winterthur also stands for sustainability in the economy and society - and not just through companies such as WIN GD. The topic is firmly anchored in the population and is lived here. Personally, for example, I am delighted with what has been created in Lokstadt. Former industrial areas have been turned into great residential and commercial areas. In terms of urban development, this is a highlight. However, from our point of view, the preservation of industrial and commercial areas is of course key and former industrial and commercial areas should not be converted into primarily residential areas across the board. We also need development opportunities for our "loud" companies.

Interview: Linda Stratacò, April 24