Analytics Pros: Taking digital to the next level

Why execution over expenditure defines 2026 readiness, as future-ready companies design adaptable supply chains and operating models for rapid regulation shifts.

Why the way you leave a company can shape your legacy as much as your tenure. Explore how to successfully exit a business.

ZURICH (SWITZERLAND), 14 JUNE 2024. The sustainability team at On had been on high alert as TV journalists were once again investigating some of its sustainability claims. Founded in 2010 by former Swiss Ironman champion Olivier Bernhard, the company rapidly gained a reputation among professional athletes, in particular triathletes, for its proprietary cushioning technology. On’s sales grew exponentially, as did its reputation, particularly when Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer became a significant shareholder and company advocate in 2019. Listed on the NYSE, the company reported CHF 1.79 billion in revenues in 2023. Its impact reports vaunted its ambition to “be the thought and action leader on sustainability in the sportswear industry.” The TV program tore apart the sustainability claims of the Cloudneo Cyclon, On’s first running shoe with a circular claim and 100% recyclability. Having investigated the firm’s supply chain, the journalists identified high risk manufacturing practices in the heart of Marseille (France), underpaid Vietnamese workers and recyclability that was still a distant dream. The sustainability team now has to enter crisis management mode and craft a proper response to journalists’ serious allegations.

Cement is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize. Holcim’s Ram Muthu explains why execution, policy, and infrastructure matter most.

Standard Chartered’s Tanuj Kapilashrami oversaw a fundamental workforce transformation from a jobs-based to a skills-powered model. Here she shares five key steps to make the transition.

IMD’s David Bach and Julia Binder reflect on WEF 2026, global power shifts, values-based realism, and quiet corporate activism behind the scenes.

Davos 2026 laid bare transatlantic cracks, AI’s reality check, and sustainability’s reset—urging leaders to embrace values-based pragmatism.

The case describes Hilti's transformation from a premium tool maker to a solution provider in commercial construction, while keeping its innovation leadership. Confronting industry pain points such as lost tools, downtime, safety risks and thin margins, Hilti created Fleet Management FM. This subscription bundles NURON tools, repairs, loaners, theft coverage, and Hilti's ON!Track asset management system into predictable monthly payments. IoT connectivity delivers real-time insights on utilization, battery health and maintenance. Moving towards end-to-end optimization E2E, FM digitally connects warehouses, vans and administrative processes, unlocking measurable productivity and margin improvement. FM also operationalizes circularity: productivity analyses right-size tool parks often by 2030 fewer assets, tools are refurbished or donated for a second life, and non-usable materials are recycled via a global network of local partners. The case illustrates how business model innovations with global coverage necessitate fundamental organizational transformations that can take many years. It allows students to develop concise, concrete and convincing value propositions in a B2B market environment. It also facilitates a discussion on solution readiness offering, supplier, contract, and customer and the identification of a sustainable competitive advantage based on the VRIO framework.

There is another entrepreneurial world that is born not from opportunity but from necessity, and it has much to teach us.

For the team at Oculis, the announcement of the new USD 100 million fundraising could not have come at a more opportune moment. The biopharmaceutical startup was founded in 2017 to transform ophthalmology by developing not only original delivery mechanisms but also groundbreaking treatments for eye diseases like Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). Established by seasoned industry experts, Oculis aimed to replace invasive eye treatments with more accessible, patient-friendly solutions such as topical eye drops. The initial research conducted in a laboratory in Iceland led to a pipeline of drug candidates, now at various stages of clinical testing. The firm continued to ramp up thanks to successive rounds of financing from top investors and partners, totaling more than USD 500 million at the end of 2024. However, it also faced some dramatic events, including the sudden death in early 2024 of its CTO. The company continued to scale, strategically balancing clinical advancements with regulatory milestones. The recent secondary offering on Nasdaq would accelerate the clinical development pipeline, in particular its novel neuroprotective candidate Prisosegtor (OCS-05), OCS-01, a topical eye drop for DME, and OCS-02, a topical biologic eye drop candidate for dry eye disease. Oculis now grappled with a number of strategic decisions, with two questions in particular concerning the team. Should it rely mostly on outsourcing production to a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) or develop its own in-house manufacturing capabilities? There were strong benefits and drawbacks to both approaches. It faced a related dilemma with its product pipeline. Should it continue to rely on its own R&D, as in the past, or should it consider acquiring technologies outside, through M&A activities?