Dr. David Bosshart is the proprietor of Bosshart & Partners and has served as President of the G. and A. Duttweiler Foundation since 2020. From 1999 to 2020, he was the CEO of the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute for Economic and Social Studies located in Rüschlikon, Zurich.
The Institute operates as an independent European think tank focused on trade and its social context, established in 1962 by European trade pioneer Gottlieb Duttweiler. David Bosshart’s career includes roles in trading companies, consulting, academia, and research. His expertise centers on the future of consumption and social transformation, management and culture, globalization, and political philosophy.
David Bosshart Speaking Topics
- Artificial intelligence: separating hype from reality.
Who benefits and who loses? Are these more than just zero-sum scenarios?
Insights from trends like the metaverse, blockchain, and autonomous driving.
- “Green economy” versus “carbon economy” – who will prevail?
What is required to accelerate progress?
Identifying the key players in the shift to a new economy.
The influence of politics in this transition.
- The three future Internets: ICT – Mobility – Energy.
How mobile will society become, and at what expense?
Who is leading the transformation, and who remains an observer?
- The future of consumption: discount, luxury, and the middle class.
What new desires might emerge among consumers?
Who will still be able to afford what?
The significance of brands and private labels.
- The future of retail: new core competencies – faster, more accurate, more adaptable.
This is the trend direction. Simultaneously, there is also a growing emphasis on slower, more diverse, and more specialized approaches. The digital and physical worlds are merging. The vulnerability of all sales channels is increasing. Customer centricity is being redefined, with convenience and simplicity becoming more crucial than ever.
- The future of success: balancing hope and fear.
Which mindset will dominate amid uncertainty and vulnerability?
Is there a need to revive a “warrior mindset,” similar to Nike or Facebook?
Will cooperation and collaboration prevail, or will confrontation and the power of the strongest dominate?
- Workquake – new demographics and the future labor market.
Demographic shifts, leadership, and employment in a transforming society.
Is Generation Z truly different? What roles do older generations play?
- The future of society: education undergoing transition.
Changing family structures.
What factors make a society prepared for the future?
– Change, Transformation, Disruption
How do organizations and individuals adapt?
What is the capacity for change among people?
The role technology plays in facilitating change.
- Business models in transition: which will endure?
Will there be more consolidation and monopolies?
The evolution of startups.
The impact of technology on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Entangled Life: health, nutrition, and sustainability in a connected world.
With everything interconnected—humans, animals, plants, environment, viruses, bacteria, and fungi—all become equal participants in survival. Viewing the world through the perspectives of these various players. How artificial will future food be? How will health be defined?
- Soft power – smart power – hard power.
Europe exemplifies soft power: a lifestyle featuring beautiful urban spaces, renowned museums, shopping, dining, luxury brands, football as a cultural phenomenon, the Alps and coasts, all within a framework of freedom and democratic institutions. Smart power is represented by the USA and China, with artificial intelligence, platforms, and social media persuasion. Russia demonstrates the resurgence of hard power—military enforcement—in a prosperous world. What implications does this have for the economy, society, and consumption?
David Bosshart is a trained businessman holding a PhD in philosophy and political theory from the University of Zurich. He has furthered his education at institutions including Stanford University and Chicago Booth Business School.
His work concentrates on megatrends and countertrends in business and society, the future of consumption, consumerism, commerce, artificial and human intelligence, data abundance and scarcity, globalization contradictions, political philosophy, management, and social change.
David Bosshart is an author of numerous internationally published papers, a multilingual speaker, and a highly sought-after keynote speaker across Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. His clients include international corporations, national companies in retail, consumer goods, and service sectors, SMEs, associations, public institutions, NGOs, research organizations, and academic institutions.
