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Press release
17 Oct 2025
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Zurich, Switzerland
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025: Three Swiss business personalities collect awards
- The winners in the three categories of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 award are: Luc Burnier (nu glass), Martin Fengler (Meteomatics) and Béatrice Schaeppi (Schaeppi Grundstücke).
- The awards ceremony, attended by around 400 invited guests, was held on the evening of October 17 as part of a gala event at the Kursaal in Bern.
- This is the 28th time EY Switzerland has staged the extensive support and networking program for entrepreneurs.
Zurich, 17 October 2025 – The auditing and consulting firm EY Switzerland’s Entrepreneur Of The Year Award 2025 – the 28th year of the program – has been presented to Swiss business personalities in recognition of their innovation and commitment. Stefan Rösch-Rütsche, EY Switzerland’s Country Managing Partner, commented: “Entrepreneurs contribute significantly to our country and its prosperity, so it has been an honor for us to recognize them for more than a quarter of a century. As in previous years, we had the privilege of whittling down an array of candidates to a shortlist of outstanding finalists and then selecting the winners in the three categories of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award from that shortlist – our way of showing our appreciation for Swiss entrepreneurship.”
This year’s awards ceremony was held as part of a gala at the Kursaal in Bern. Around 400 distinguished guests who had traveled from all over Switzerland attended the celebrations and witnessed an awards ceremony with outstanding finalists. Located in the heart of the Swiss capital, the Kursaal provided the ideal setting to celebrate entrepreneurship in all its facets. The long-established venue, well known as a meeting place for business, politics and culture, was the focus of an evening that recognized the pioneering spirit of the finalists.
Music also played a prominent role this year: The internationally renowned pianist Ricky Kam from Bern presented classical works and gave them a personality of their own. His performance showed just how much dedication and precision it takes to bring works to life – qualities that the finalists also bring to bear in their entrepreneurial work.
Frédéric Tissot, Head of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Switzerland, said: “In total, 61 exciting business personalities from all over Switzerland applied for the program in 2025. I would like to thank them all hugely for their outstanding applications and congratulate those entrepreneurs who triumphed against such strong competition this evening.”
An independent panel of ten judges is responsible for evaluating all the candidates, selecting the finalists and deciding on the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 award winners. It decides on the winners of the competition autonomously. The three winners this year are:
Luc Burnier, nu glass (VD) in the “Scale-up Leaders” category; sector: Technology and Innovation
Founded by Luc Burnier, nu glass offers a solution for wireless connectivity indoors. The innovative laser technology makes glass permeable to mobile telecommunications frequencies. As a physicist, Burnier worked with an interdisciplinary research team at the EPFL to turn this technology into a marketable solution.
The judges say: “We were impressed by Luc Burnier's drive, pioneering spirit and personal commitment. With nu glass, he stands for a Swiss innovation that redefines wireless connectivity in indoor spaces. The underlying technology has already proven its marketability with major customers and unlocking new opportunities in both the mobility and construction sectors. Particularly noteworthy is the way he inspires and closely involves his team and drives forward implementation with a great deal of personal commitment. This enables him to establish a solution that impresses with its simplicity, functionality and foresight.”
Martin Fengler, Meteomatics (SG) in the “Visionary Entrepreneurs” category; sector: Technology and Innovation
During a turbulent private pilot flight, Martin Fengler, founder of Meteomatics, realized that weather forecasts focused on a very small, precisely defined geographical area offer tremendous benefits and the accuracy of forecasts needed to be drastically improved. This insight gave rise to his mission to revolutionize access to weather data. Today, the company is setting new standards with its innovative Weather API and sustainable Meteoglider system, serving more than 600 customers around the world and promoting informed decisions through precise atmospheric data collection.
The judges say: “From personal experience, Martin Fengler developed the idea of taking weather forecasting to a new level. With Meteomatics, he has succeeded in demonstrating how a clear vision can lead to a company of international importance. The combination of drone technology and its own forecasting engine enables forecasts that open up new perspectives in terms of their accuracy. In doing so, it creates added value for a wide range of industries – from agriculture to shipping – and shows how scientific passion and entrepreneurial vision can interact.”
Béatrice Schaeppi, Schaeppi Real estate (ZH) in the category “Entrepreneurs in Family Business”; sector: Real Estate Management
Founded in 1935, Schaeppi Grundstücke is a family-run real estate company that has specialized in property management, marketing, construction and portfolio management. Now in its fourth generation, under the leadership of Béatrice Schaeppi, the company successfully completed the transition to a public limited company in 2022 after 87 years as a general partnership. In all that time, it has never lost sight of its core values and commitment to sustainable business practices.
The judges say: “We were impressed by Béatrice Schaeppi's tremendous passion as an entrepreneur. She is the fourth generation to manage the family business, doing so with a blend of tradition and openness to new ideas. She conveys values that can be seen in the day-to-day work of the company and at the same time has a clear idea of how the business should develop in the future. Particularly noteworthy is her commitment to use modern technology such as artificial intelligence sensibly, thus setting new standards in a demanding industry. With her quality standards and charisma, she is the embodiment of a business personality who has a lasting impact on both the company and the industry as a whole.”
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – a global network for visionary entrepreneurs
The awards ceremony is the highlight of a year-long program for all the entrepreneurs in the running. However, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is more than just the “Oscars for entrepreneurs”: It is a tight-knit and established network for business personalities that enables and fosters contact and exchanges between all those across the world who have ever been contenders. The global network spans over 70 countries and now comprises more than 50,000 entrepreneurs.
The judges of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Switzerland
The judging panel for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Switzerland consists of ten independent members who autonomously review all the candidates, select the finalists and finally decide on the winners. The panel is made up of the following personalities from the Swiss business scene:
- Adrienne Corboud Fumagalli | Board Chair Unyversal Technologies | Board Member Swiss Life
- Marco Gadola | Board Chair DKSH and Medartis | Board Vice Chair Straumann Group
- Thomas Hanan, Founder and CEO, Webrepublic, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017
- Jan Lichtenberg | CEO and Co-Founder InSphero | EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015
- Didier Maus | Board Chair Maus Frères
- Michael Mueller | Group CEO, Valora and Head Europe FEMSA Proximity & Health
- Piero Poli | Board Chair and CEO Rivopharm
- Jean-Marc Probst | Board Chair Probst Group Holding
- Franziska Tschudi Sauber | Board Chair Weidmann Holding | EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022
- Pascale Vonmont | CEO/Director Gebert Rüf Stiftung
Program partner and sponsors
EY Switzerland is supported in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program by Julius Baer as program partner, as well as Ford Motor Company, Girard-Perregaux, HDI Global and SWISS as sponsors.
About the global EY organization
The global EY organization is a leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. We leverage our experience, knowledge and services to help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies all over the world. We are ideally equipped for this task — with well trained employees, strong teams, excellent services and outstanding client relations. Our global purpose is to drive progress and make a difference by building a better working world — for our people, for our clients and for our communities.
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EY’s organization is represented in Switzerland by Ernst & Young Ltd, Basel, with 10 offices across Switzerland, and in Liechtenstein by Ernst & Young AG, Vaduz. In this publication, “EY” and “we” refer to Ernst & Young Ltd, Basel, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.