The recipe for the outperformance of Swiss businesses

Big cheeses from the world of politics, business, academia, media and the arts descended on Davos on May 22nd for the first in-person bash of the World Economic Forum in more than two years. For over half a century the great and the good have used the annual get-together to chew over the world’s most pressing problems. They feel at home in Switzerland. Just as the small mountain village punches far above its weight as a talking-shop, Switzerland has prospered as a haven for businesses far beyond what might be expected of a small, landlocked country with few natural resources. It is home to 13 of the top 100 European firms by market capitalisation and 12 of the top 500 worldwide. What is the secret sauce of the Swiss?