EXPERTsuisse is characterised by its multidisciplinary nature, bringing together a wide range of expertise under one roof to effectively shape audit, assurance and advisory in Switzerland. This is achieved not only through our own employees, but also thanks in particular to our far-reaching “army of experts” with well over 100 committee members and subject-specific partnerships.
Take-Outs
- EXPERTsuisse has represented the fields of auditing, taxes and fiduciary for many years.
- What is often covered by three separate associations in other countries is brought together under one roof in Switzerland.
- EXPERTsuisse is in equal measure a specialist, professional and industry association.
- The fiduciary/business consultancy area has recently been strengthened and expanded thanks to the co-operation with ASCO, the Association of Management Consultants Switzerland. This represents a further step towards our “triple A” target: audit, assurance, advisory.
- Consequently, we have to develop advisory content/formats (e.g. for Finance 4.0), build up professional profiles and expertise and represent the profession towards the federal authorities in Berne.
- Together, ASCO and EXPERTsuisse represent the audit and advisory industry in Switzerland.
Co-operation between industry associations ASCO & EXPERTsuisse: two associations join forces for a strong Swiss economy.
ASCO, the Association of Management Consultants Switzerland, and EXPERTsuisse, Swiss Expert Association for Audit, Tax and Fiduciary, have decided to closely collaborate in future. The co-operation will initially involve working together at content level and in the area of training. On 1 January 2021, ASCO’s offices will also be relocated to EXPERTsuisse’s head office. Other types of co-operation are also possible in the future.
The corona crisis has made it abundantly clear that the economy and society are highly complex and there is no such thing as 100% certainty. However, it is important to be able to maintain an entrepreneurial approach to navigating even in difficult times. In the Swiss economy, most companies are supported in this area by audit and advisory firms that are members of ASCO or EXPERTsuisse. These two associations have now entered into close co-operation to make a joint contribution to the current priority of reinvigorating the Swiss economy.
Innovation over tradition
The two associations have a strong history, but innovation trumps tradition for both of them. Consequently, they have been campaigning for the modernisation of Switzerland’s outdated labour law along with other organisations for the last four years. The corona crisis has shown again that more independent ways of working – in the interest of work/life balance, for instance – have to be facilitated through a sound legal basis. The common ground between the two associations extends well beyond shared political interests, however Both associations have a duty to quality and expertise and together represent the Swiss audit and advisory industry. Accordingly, they share the aim of furthering the promotion of new talent and offering continuous professional development opportunities alongside education and training in the framework of a qualification system, while leveraging synergies. Their co-operation therefore pertains to both strategic and operational matters. At operational level, starting from 1 January 2021, ASCO’s office will move to EXPERTsuisse’s premises at Stauffacher 1 in Zurich.
The two industry associations also intend to work more closely together on events and training. ASCO will therefore partner with EXPERTsuisse at the “EXPERTsuisse Annual Conference” on 15 September 2020, where the topic will be “Certainty in uncertain times”. In turn, ASCO will also invite EXPERTsuisse members to its events.
Professionalisation in the provision of advisory expertise – with recognised training as a Computer Audit Specialist (CAS) and international qualification as a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) – will in future open up a structured route into consulting for members of both associations, particularly younger professionals.
ASCO and EXPERTsuisse will together pursue innovation in consulting both with regard to procedures (new advisory and co-operation models) and content (digital transformation, digitisation, data analytics, robotics, industry and Finance 4.0 etc.). ASCO and EXPERTsuisse will use these innovative approaches to help the Swiss economy to remain entrepreneurial and effectively navigate uncertain times – during the corona crisis, on the way to a “new normal” and beyond.
ASCO is convinced that this step will generate significant value for both sides and, in particular, for the management consulting profession.
“Several major consulting firms are already members of both associations – the potential for synergies is very high,” says Daniela Zimmermann, Co-Chair of ASCO and CEO of Concreda AG.
“Established formats such as the Management Consulting Switzerland Market Report and the ASCO Award for the best company transformation and most innovative young consulting projects will have a wider reach and also be accessible to EXPERTsuisse members in future,” says Jürg Hodel, Co-Chair of ASCO and CEO of Staufen.Inova AG.
For its part, EXPERTsuisse believes that this strong co-operation will enable the audit and advisory industry to develop in a way that results in the successful transformation of the different sectors of the Swiss economy based on innovative and productive companies.
“EXPERTsuisse represents professional services in the areas of audit, assurance and advisory. Consulting has always been an important aspect for us, albeit with a strong focus on tax, legal and financial advisory. The co-operation with ASCO is the perfect complement to this,” says Peter Ritter, President of EXPERTsuisse and Managing Partner of Curia AG.
“The synergies between ASCO and EXPERTsuisse will enable members of both associations to offer management consulting services at a high level. At a time of significant uncertainty and in light of the digital transformation, this is crucial for the Swiss economy,” says Marius Klauser, Board Member & CEO of EXPERTsuisse and Managing Director of allianz denkplatz schweiz.
Initial talks regarding this new co-operation have demonstrated that there is broad consensus on how the expertise of the two associations can feed into solutions for the future. In this spirit, the integration and co-operation work will now begin – and start contributing to the revival of the Swiss economy
ASCO, the Association of Management Consultants Switzerland
ASCO (the Association of Management Consultants Switzerland) has been representing qualified, professional management consulting in Switzerland for more than 60 years. ASCO was founded in 1958 to give a face to the industry and guarantee a quality standard for its members through rules of professional conduct. The association has around 100 member companies, including international consulting firms. Since 1997, consultants have been certified under the international CMC (Certified Management Consultant) standard by an expert committee.
EXPERTsuisse, Swiss Expert Association for Audit, Tax and Fiduciary
EXPERTsuisse has been a representative and driving force of the auditing and management consulting industry since 1925. It supports the profession through the provision of services (standards, training, quality assurance) and makes an important contribution towards the attractiveness of the industry and of Switzerland as a business location.
The Swiss economy relies on the services of EXPERTsuisse’s 10,000 members – more than 9,000 individual members and 800 member companies. All listed companies and countless SMEs are audited by these members. Members also provide management consulting services to companies through all stages of their life cycle (foundation, restructuring, succession etc.).