Garif Yalak
Director Country Digital Acceleration
Country Digitization (CDA)
Named by BILANZ, Handelszeitung, PME, and digitalswitzerland as one of the 100 most influential business personalities shaping Switzerland’s digital transformation, Dr. Garif Yalak operates at the intersection of national sovereignty, deep-tech innovation, and large-scale commercial execution.
As the Lead of Country Digital Acceleration Initiative and Executive Board Member at Cisco Switzerland, he serves as a National Digital Architect, bridging government, academia, and industry to drive Switzerland’s sovereign digital agenda. His work is defined by orchestrating the “Triple Helix” of innovation, aligning public and private stakeholders to deliver strategic initiatives in AI, sovereign solutions, connectivity and innovation.
With a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich, postdoctoral research at Harvard University, and an EMBA from HSG, Garif Yalak brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise and executive business leadership. His background includes advanced research leveraging Switzerland’s national supercomputing infrastructure, enabling a data-driven and systems-level approach to transformation.
Mission: Architecting the technological foundations of a secure, innovative, and digitally sovereign Switzerland with global impact.
Articles
Sharpening Surgical Effectiveness
5 min read
Discover OR-X: a Swiss government-recognized, open-access hub for global surgical research and training.
Exploring the limits of the workplace experience
2 min read
The last three years have seen perhaps the greatest rethink of the modern work environment. The ability for many people to work productively from home has reinvigorated the concept of 'the office'. The Millenium building in Switzerland is one of the best examples of how the modern workplace can be reimagined.
