13.01.2026
The first KMUconnect Forum will take place in Zurich on 19 March 2026. Under the motto "The power of 50plus - indispensable for the future of SMEs", practical solutions will be developed with small and medium-sized companies on how the potential of the 50plus age group can be better utilised.
Claudia Bally, initiator of KMUconnect and Managing Director of the focus50plus employer network, in conversation with Corinne Kuratle.
Claudia Bally: The Kuratle Group is a premium partner of the employer network and you are involved in the business advisory board of focus50plus. Why is this commitment particularly important to you?
Corinne Kuratle: On the one hand, it is an opportunity for me to actively counteract the shortage of skilled labour and, on the other, to take account of the importance of diversity. Intergenerational, respectful coexistence is an important element of a stable society.
What is exciting about focus50plus is the combination of business, science and politics. The exchange with other companies on this topic is very valuable.
The KMUconnect Forum takes place in March. The motto of the event is: "The power of 50plus - indispensable for the future of SMEs". What specific added value do you see in the 50-plus generation and how important is this generation for SMEs?
This generation is hugely important, as a great deal of knowledge is based on experience. If companies don't manage to transfer this knowledge to the next generation, we will lose our innovative and economic strength. In SMEs in particular, it is crucial that older employees remain productive and train the next generation. Absences or even the retirement of a knowledge carrier can quickly cause difficulties for a smaller company.
At the event, you are jointly responsible for a workstation at the World Café on the topic of "Family businesses - planning and organising succession". Can you please explain to us what this interactive workshop is about and who is in charge of this station with you?
We want to work out with the participants what favours successful succession planning in a family business and what does not. We will also take into account the fact that family succession planning has changed due to social developments (fewer offspring, more educational and career options). This workstation will be moderated by three of us, Prof Dr François Höpflinger and Carla Kaufmann, and I am very much looking forward to getting to know the different perspectives on this topic.
What specific effects of the labour shortage are you observing at the Kuratle Group and among your SME customers - particularly with regard to security, personnel planning and growth?
Compared to other industries, the labour shortage has not yet become quite so acute. We have many long-serving employees in our company and many are also part of the baby boomer generation and are increasingly retiring. The most important thing is strategic personnel planning. For example, three years ago we launched a trainee programme to train specialists for such successor positions.
What expectations do you have going into the event and what key messages do you want to convey to the participants?
Respect for all generations. Every generation has its challenges and opportunities. Cooperation only comes about when people are genuinely interested in the other person and don't just look at things through their own eyes. I am more convinced than ever that the complex world we have today cannot be understood through the eyes of just one generation.
About focus50plus:
focus50plus counters demographic change, the shortage of labour and skilled workers and the impending loss of knowledge among experienced employees with a multi-layered platform.
The initiative dispels clichés about older employees, provides impetus to promote labour market fitness and makes the added value of experienced specialists visible.
Through targeted dialogue between business, science and politics, focus50plus develops innovative approaches for a corporate culture with intergenerational teams.
The Swiss Employers' Association (SAV) and the Swiss Trade Association (sgv) are the supporting organisers of the employer network launched in 2021. Together with the focus50plus network, they are committed to creating optimal framework conditions - politically, legally and economically - in order to actively shape demographic change in Switzerland as a business location in a future-oriented manner.
