Sebastian Friess is the Director of the Office for the Economy of the Canton of Bern (WEU-AWI), a position he has held since 2019. Previously, he led the Bern Economic Development Agency (BEDA) and served as Deputy Director of the Office for Economy and Labour (BECO). From 2010 to 2017, he worked in the Swiss federal administration. He held roles at the former Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology and at the newly established State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. During this time, he developed and led the federal innovation promotion policy. Among his key achievements was serving as the federal Project Lead for the development of the Switzerland Innovation Park structure, including overseeing the site selection process in collaboration with the cantons. Prior to his public service, Friess worked in the private sector in the Zurich Oberland and at Zurich-Kloten Airport. There, he was ultimately responsible as operations manager for the World Economic Forum in Zurich and Davos. He holds a PhD in Chemistry and Instrumental Analytics from ETH Zurich, as well as master’s degrees from ETH Zurich and the London School of Economics.
