insights.

What’s the key to unlocking eco-friendly food production and consumption? We examine the ambitious pioneers who aspire to meet the growing demands of a burgeoning population in their own unique way. Beginning in Taiwan’s S Café, we discover a new fabric comprised of leftover coffee ground; we then move to Berlin where Infarm has developed leading-edge technology to control vertical farms in the city centre; and we finish in Lisbon with the Muita Fruta app where locals and tourists can map, harvest and care for fruit trees and even make jam to help finance the project.

What’s the key to unlocking eco-friendly food production and consumption? We examine the ambitious pioneers who aspire to meet the growing demands of a burgeoning population in their own unique way. Beginning in Taiwan’s S Café, we discover a new fabric comprised of leftover coffee ground; we then move to Berlin where Infarm has developed leading-edge technology to control vertical farms in the city centre; and we finish in Lisbon with the Muita Fruta app where locals and tourists can map, harvest and care for fruit trees and even make jam to help finance the project.

Lombard Odier and its guests had a private viewing of stunning Impressionist and Modern Art masterpieces from the 20th century, at Christie’s auction house.

Avec leurs 70 milliards de francs de capital, les fondations suisses injectent chaque année entre 1 et 2 milliards de francs dans des causes d’intérêt public.

Article publié dans Le Temps du 18 juin 2017
Par Patrick Odier, Associé Senior du Groupe Lombard Odier

By 2050, 70 per cent of the global population will live in cities. The need to feed so many mouths and reduce our carbon footprint will become crucial to city sustainability. In collaboration with Monocle, this year’s Quality of Life Survey examines novel ways to grow, rear and distribute food. Part of our Rethink Everything philosophy centres on re-imagining and re-evaluating the world around us. In this survey, we aim to explore the self-sufficient cities of the future.

The Fondation Lombard Odier awarded the 18th Extraordinary Voyages Prize at L’Abri – a cultural space for young talent in Geneva. Five travel-oriented projects submitted by seven secondary school seniors were rewarded by the jury.

Before founding Connecterra, Yasir has held various roles with Microsoft across technology and business management overseeing annual revenues in excess of $700M. Starting in 1997, he co-founded his first company that provided e-commerce development consulting to international customers. His second venture, Interactive Software Ltd built content management systems for the broadcast industry. He later joined Microsoft in the Middle East overseeing the technology architecture of large regional technology projects.

Lombard Odier has a leadership role in foundations. An interview with Patrick Odier in le Temps coincides with the publication of the annual report of SwissFoundations. Read more about the foundations landscape in Switzerland.

By 2050, there will be over 9 billion people living on Earth. That’s an increase of more than 20% from today’s 7.5 billion, but, according to the FAO, (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), food production will have to go up by 60% to meet the growing demand associated with another 1.5 billion inhabitants.

Lombard Odier was honoured with two awards at the annual WealthBriefing European Awards 2017 last night, winning ‘Best Marketing/PR Campaign,’ and ‘Best Customer Facing Digital Capabilities’ for the UK private bank.

Lombard Odier was awarded the ‘Private Bank of the Year - Boutique’ award at the annual Citywealth Magic Circle Awards held in London on Wednesday 10 May.

Many of the world’s most pressing challenges are environmental. Around the world, wealthy individuals are engaged in helping solve challenges in areas such as biodiversity and species preservation, clean energy, sustainable agriculture and food systems, coastal and marine ecosystems. The environment is an area where our “rethink everything” approach can add exceptional value to our clients’ endeavours.

Rethinking China – a leader in trade and climate action
Sometimes, the most powerful forms of leadership come from the least expected places. As the US takes a more protectionist line, pulling away from its leadership position in trade and climate change, an unlikely new leader is taking its place.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to spark the next industrial revolution. While the benefits of AI in the workplace are obvious, the impact on employment in the short term is predicted, almost universally, to be dire. But this picture is too simplistic, and it needs a fresh look. Here's why the evolution of employment and the workplace over the next half century could be much more gentle, and much more interesting, than you thought.

Lombard Odier Group has decided to build its new headquarters on a 27,400 m2 plot in Bellevue (Geneva) in order to bring all its staff together under one roof.

Agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to climate change through deforestation, water consumption and methane emissions. How will the industry evolve to maintain growth while easing its environmental impact?

While many fear the rise of a robot population that is inherently smarter than us, artificial intelligence could be the most liberating technology humans have ever devised. Perhaps we just need to prepare for it.

Present-day abundance of financial information has created a complex world for investors. Some of the facts and data might not be based on truth. While the markets have always had to deal with misinformation, the growing use of technology has allowed for an exponential diffusion of contentious stories.

Rethinking impact investment: the third dimension
By Bertrand Gacon, Head of Impact Investing

Does Brexit really signal the end for globalisation?
By John Arlidge

Rethinking the Fix for Income Returns
By Salman Ahmed, Chief Investment Strategist Lombard Odier Investment Managers

There is a new status quo in the world of power and ambition. Millennial entrepreneurs lead the charge in innovation and investment, and there are more millionaires under the age of 21 than ever before. But as bedrooms become boardrooms and university assignments become the next tech start-ups, how will this new generation change the face of wealth?

The race to space is on (again). But will the new frontier for private investment in Space deliver returns?
By Andrew Pemberton

Are The Stars Aligning For Emerging Market Investments?
By Salman Ahmed, Chief Investment Strategist Lombard Odier Investment Managers

Last week’s conviction of two former aides to President Donald Trump make it more urgent to look at the US mid-term Congressional elections, scheduled for 6 November. We see three possible scenarios and look at the investment implications for each.

Article published in Le Temps, July 9, 2018
Patrick Odier, Senior Managing Partner, Lombard Odier Group

The increasing digitisation of every facet of our lives has made everyone increasingly exposed to the threat of cyber theft. So what are the steps to be taken to ensure that you and your family's online lives remain safe and behind closed doors?

Next year will mark the 50^th anniversary of Neil Armstrong becoming the first man to walk on the moon, making history before an audience of some 530 million people. Since then, and even by those remarkable standards, space exploration has come a long way. Countless satellites and unmanned probes have been launched into orbit, NASA's Curiosity rover vehicle has been sending back images from Mars and the idea of space tourism is increasingly realistic.

Personalised learning technology can liberate students from a one-size-fits-all curriculum, but what role can investment play in building the new era of education?

According to Jean-Claude Junker, President of the European Commission, we would need around four planets to maintain our current lifestyle. Unfortunately, we only have one. And when you consider that the global population is expected to grow by another three billion people over the next thirty years, we clearly have a very big problem.

The age of radical digital personalisation is here, and it’s changing the way we consume. But don’t bet your house on it.

In terms of capital, millennials are coming of age, and with them comes different attitudes, philosophies and priorities. How can the investment universe adapt to their needs, and what kind of opportunities will millennials themselves offer?

Established in 1971, The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (also known as Davos) is a place where influencers, world leaders, great businessmen and societal rethinkers gather together to innovate, problem solve and discuss topical issues, in interests of global society. To discover more about the role our Senior Managing Partner, Patrick Odier, plays at Davos, read the daily blog below and view our live Twitter feed.

I was a lot younger when I first started coming to the World Economic Forum at Davos, which transforms from a small village into a global centre for a short period every year. Much has changed over the last 30 years. What strikes me most is how much the global context has changed. We find ourselves today in a ‘new normal’ characterised by geopolitical, social, economic and financial market fractures.

My first post from Davos looked at the growing contradictions we are seeing in the world today, which made me question whether we are in a ‘dangerous’ new normal or not.  I have since heard a few things here at Davos that reinforce this question in my mind.

Yesterday evening I went back to school. I sat in on a session hosted by the University of Chicago, where I studied, which raised some very interesting questions about how to shape the digital world so it develops in a safe, inclusive way, and how to teach tomorrow’s thinkers to adapt.

When it comes to buying clothes, we are spoilt for choice. Gone are the days when we only bought new garments as the weather changed. Today, clothes shopping is as much about expressing our individual style and tracking trends as it is about dressing for the elements

The big topic so far at this year’s World Economic Forum is the ‘Fourth Revolution’, essentially the digitalisation of our world. Whether it’s Narendra Modi’s comments that data is the biggest asset today, and that it creates the biggest challenges and the biggest opportunities, or Anne Richards’ suggestion that information infrastructure could be the source of the next systemic crisis, all eyes are focussed on the impact digitalisation is likely to have on our societies and our economies.

The most stretching ideas in education are those that address gaps we feel exist but find hard to fill from our existing stock of answers

Wedged in between a toasted brioche bun with thick slices of red onion and tomato, the Beyond Meat burger looks like a respectable staple at a diner. Likewise Gardein's Crispy Tenders have the look and feel of breaded crispy chicken, golden brown on the outside with a crunch to the bite.

The World Economic Forum wrapped up last Friday. The annual gathering is always a source of reflection, stimulation and inspiration and this year was certainly an opportunity to Create a Shared Future in a Fractured World. With over 400 sessions on the official programme, it would be impossible to provide you with a comprehensive recap of everything that happened.

I’m very pleased to see and hear that the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being adopted as a standard by political, economic and societal stakeholders. This is important not just because it enables a commonality of language and understanding, but also because that, in turn, can be a powerful force for change. 

Jack Ma’s comments yesterday struck an interesting chord. Ma, who is Executive Chairman of Alibaba said: “If trade stops, war starts.”

By 2050 the global population is projected to reach 9.7 billion, which means that we need to rethink how we’re treating and distributing our resources. Food and water scarcities are already a reality in many parts of the world; in future it will become essential for countries to produce, recycle and distribute these resources in innovative ways

Patrick Odier, our Senior Managing Partner, warmly welcomed and praised Pierre de Meuron, one of the chief architects at Herzog & de Meuron, on the inspiring design of our new head office

Technology is not just a disruptor. It’s now forming the foundation of our society and changing the worldwide landscape 

We have to rethink our fashion industry because it has a direct impact on our ecosystem. Microplastic pollution puts marine life in danger as they end up absorbing microfibers found on our clothes. A whole industry must be changed.