Bellevue CEO Gebhard Giselbrecht appears visibly proud of the new offices at Theaterstrasse 12. «After more than 20 years in Küsnacht, we have returned to the company’s roots,» he said at a media event on Thursday.

«Of course, it’s a completely different dynamic here in the heart of the city, and I believe that this will also affect our work. We want to develop dynamism and have invested in new products.»

More Attractive as an Employer

With the new centrally located offices, the company is more attractive as an employer and also better accessible for clients. «We have gathered all functions across three floors here, and this will improve communication so that we can better implement our expertise,» said Giselbrecht.

The number of employees has not changed with the move, while the office space has slightly shrunk. Soon, the Private Markets Team will also be moving from Zug to Zurich. «The move was, of course, an investment in the future,» the CEO added.

The building at Theaterstrasse 12 in Zurich is now Bellevue’s new headquarters. (Image: finews.com)

The renovated office building, located in a prime spot, was completed last December and has been named «The 12» by its owner, Swiss Prime Site. The ground floor features a deli and dining offerings from Globus. Here, a sandwich for a break costs 12,50 francs. On the first floor, there is a fitness studio, and people can be seen working up a sweat on indoor bikes and treadmills. And if the work in asset management isn’t exciting enough, one can watch the latest blockbuster next door at Corso Cinema.

Outlook for Health Sector and Small-Cap Stocks

However, the media event was primarily an opportunity to provide insights into the experts’ outlook for the health market as well as Swiss and European small-cap stocks for the year ahead.

The pharmaceutical and biotech industry has had a strong start to the new year, emphasized Marcel Fritsch, head of the Healthcare Fund, and Christian Koch, head of the BB Biotech team. The companies’ coffers are well-stocked and they are striving to achieve growth through acquisitions. Although there are still uncertainties about the new US administration’s stance on healthcare, the experts do not expect any fundamental changes regarding the FDA or the Inflation Reduction Act.

«Donald Trump wants to strengthen the US industry. And that includes the pharmaceutical industry,» said Fritsch. Koch also highlighted the importance of the recently presented AI investment project «Stargate.» The capabilities of this project will also benefit pharmaceutical companies. Artificial intelligence is opening up new opportunities in research and development and is democratizing the process with easy accessibility and low costs, according to Fritsch.

Weakness in Europe

For Birgitte Olsen, Bellevue’s portfolio manager for Entrepreneurial Strategies, a more pessimistic picture emerges for her specialty area of Swiss and European small-cap stocks. Much depends on the future trade policies of the US and whether Europe is economically and politically capable of turning things around.

Currently, it’s not enough to simply hope for a general recovery. One must pick out the well-positioned companies, which still exist. «I get the impression that companies are better prepared for Trump 2.0 than the politics,» said Olsen.

She has never seen European purchasing manager indices stay so long below growth levels. «It can only get better.»

There are signs that the EU wants to focus more on investment. «The Draghi report has delivered an important analysis and is pointing in the right direction. Anyone who didn’t hear the signal now must be deaf.»