ISFB and SPHERE are joining forces to offer independent asset managers short, targeted training courses that are directly applicable in their day-to-day professional lives. This partnership marks a new stage in the strategy of the ISFB, which is broadening its scope of action and strengthening its commitment to the key players in the financial centre in French-speaking Switzerland, with the same ambition: to support them as they develop their skills.
What is the logic behind the recently announced collaboration between the ISFB and Sphere?
The ISFB is a professional association dedicated exclusively to the banking and finance sector in French-speaking Switzerland. For nearly forty years, we have been helping a large number of financial institutions to develop their skills, and we have built up real relationships of trust with them over the years. As it happens, ISFB and SPHERE share the ambition of supporting independent asset managers in developing their skills, so that they can better adapt to an increasingly complex environment. ISFB's commitment to SPHERE is to offer independent asset managers a specific, short and pragmatic continuing education programme that complements their current offerings.
What strategic direction have you wanted to give ISFB in recent years?
At the beginning of 2023, we repositioned the Institute to make it a key player in skills development and employability in the banking and finance sector. In this way, we are putting ourselves at the service of ISFB member establishments or professionals who need to develop or change direction in their careers. In concrete terms, this has meant overhauling our offering, strengthening our academic and institutional partnerships, and opening up to new professions in the sector.
What have been the most significant developments at ISFB since you took over the helm?
Among the most significant developments, I would mention first and foremost the strategic repositioning undertaken by ISFB in 2023. This has led to the launch of new specialised training courses: risk management and internal control, data management, staff and support functions, risk governance for boards of directors, and management and adaptability. We have also structured a comprehensive range of HR services for smaller organisations: management of training requests, assessment, coaching, skills assessments, outplacement and recruitment.
Another significant step forward is the creation of a scientific committee made up of programme directors, all of whom are experienced senior managers in financial institutions. Their first-hand knowledge of the field enables us to adjust our offering on an ongoing basis, with a high degree of relevance.
Finally, we have consolidated our processes and management tools to meet industry standards for continuing education, notably EduQua: 2021, ISO and SAQ.
In terms of skills management, the financial sector is facing a threefold tension: regulatory, technological and generational. These upheavals call for continuous upgrading of skills, reinforcement of soft skills and the ability to reinvent oneself on an ongoing basis. Training has always been - and will continue to be - a strategic competitive factor, but this is becoming even more important today.
How has ISFB structured its offer to adapt to the new needs of the market?
It has been structured around four axes. The first is continuing education, which leads to a specialist qualification. Secondly, preparation for Swiss and international certifications, in particular the SAQ, which has become the market standard in the consulting field. Thirdly, support for career development and talent management. And fourthly, promoting the professional network by hosting conferences and conducting surveys.
This integrated approach enables us to meet the needs of both institutions and individuals. We combine inter-bank and customised training, face-to-face and distance learning sessions, and technical and behavioural approaches.
Our added value? An in-depth understanding of the market, the ability to adapt quickly, and a close working relationship with our members.
Why this particular interest in independent asset managers?
Since 2025, the ISFB has broadened its scope by offering independent asset managers the opportunity to join the association. Our aim is to fully reflect the diversity of the financial centre in French-speaking Switzerland. This interest is part of our broader mission to serve the banking and financial ecosystem. For many years, ISFB has been offering them certification in high-level specialisations; more recently, it has been providing them with tailor-made HR support to attract and retain their talent; and now, through the SPHERE-ISFB partnership, it is offering them privileged access to short training courses that are rooted in their operational practices.
If you were to carry out a skills assessment for them, what would it look like?
We wouldn't presume to do it for them. Managers know best where they are and what they need. Rather, our role is to support them in their own reflection on the specific subject of skills development within their organisation. To do this, we provide them with methods and an external perspective based on extensive knowledge of the practices of other players in the sector, numerous HR tools and a very extensive network of specialist contributors. We help them to identify areas for development, without adopting a prescriptive stance.
What are their specific needs, according to the feedback you receive?
The discussions we have with independent managers highlight some very concrete needs. They want to stay up to date in a complex regulatory environment, structure their development without giving up their entrepreneurial agility, while keeping control of their costs. They also frequently mention the need to exchange ideas with their peers, and to have access to targeted, short and immediately useful forms of support.
Where do you want to take ISFB in the long term?
In the long term, I want ISFB to fully embody its mission as a collective brand serving the entire banking and financial sector in French-speaking Switzerland. We are therefore going to continue our commitment to structured, recognised skills development that is truly connected to the needs of the field.
We must continue to innovate, to strengthen our role as a catalyst between institutions, experts and talent, and to defend a demanding approach based on local roots, Swiss quality and proximity.
More than an institute, the ISFB must be a reliable benchmark for skills, an accelerator of career paths, and a strategic player within the financial ecosystem of French-speaking Switzerland, in synergy with the economic umbrella organisations, the universities and colleges of French-speaking Switzerland, as well as public partners.