There is a lot of potential in cooperation between the Estonian and Swiss IT sectors

It was also time to look for common ground in cybersecurity with a view to innovation and the development of skilled workers.

Last week digital pioneers from Estonia and Switzerland had pleasure to meet in order to celebrate 100 years of Swiss-Estonian trade relations and to look for common ground in cybersecurity with a view to innovation and the development of skilled workers.

ITL Estonia delegation met with leading IT organizations in Switzerland in order to discuss how we together can shape the digital future safely and sustainably. Thank you, Digitalswitzerland and swissICT for great meetings and innovative thoughts.

Matchmaking event gave us an opportunity to have insightful discussion about cyber resilience, how it has become the foundation of economic stability. In the panel “Strategic Cyber Resilience: Aligning Industry and National Defence” Mihkel Tikk (Estonian Defence Forces), Florian Schütz (Swiss National Cyber Security Centre), Ralf Schneider (Cybersecurity Think Tank, Allianz), Doris Põld (ITL) and Lukas Mäder (NZZ) discussed how innovation, trust and competitiveness can only be created where digital systems are secure and where companies, authorities and partners act together.

CEO of ITL Doris Põld emphasized in the panel that we have to look cybersecurity and digital services as two sides of the same coin: cybersecurity must be the enabler of digital transformation. Most of the cyber threats such as malware, ransomware, and infrastructure sabotage move across borders, often targeting shared systems and supply chains. That’s why is important for digital minded nations all over Europe to collaborate in order to ensure our digital resilience and secure digital infrastructure.

We appreciate that we could organize in cooperation – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, digitalswitzerland, the Office for Labor of the Canton of Zurich Kanton Zürich, and the Estonian Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland – an excellent possibility for ITL companies Cybernetica, Helmes, MindTitan, Net Group Ltd, NEVERHACK to matchmake and build partnerships. Thank you for that.

The focus of the visit was also a lecture discussion at ETH Zürich between Professor Effy Vayena and Estonian Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta, which offered the audience a fascinating discussion on the treatment of AI in both countries.

As part of the visit, the Estonian delegation also participated as a guest country in the Swiss Digital Economy Award 2025, where our minister presented the award to the winner of the “Digital Excellence NPO & GOV” category for Amt für Wirtschaft, Kanton Zürich.

Key contacts when eExploring the Swiss market
The Estonian Embassy responsible for Switzerland is located in Vienna. However, Estonia maintains an active presence in Switzerland through two honorary consuls:

Photo Credit: Jennifer Widmer
ITL, 19th of November 2025