Languages: French, German and English.
Christian Barbier is a visionary-achiever, recognized as an expert in strategy and business development with a broad experience of over 30 years in various sectors such as Finance, Information Technology, Luxury and Economic Development.
He is founder and managing partner of cba (Creative Business Acceleration SA) since 2018, an innovation platform offering strategic services, for sustainable value creation. Through cba, Christian Barbier supports the co-development of new business models on a national and international scale. His role includes responsibilities with startups, SMEs and multinationals, in selected markets, aimed at optimising value chains, strengthening governance, facilitating access to new markets and meeting the growth financing needs of partner companies. cba operates in a collaborative approach, where the vision and strategy of partner companies are implemented with the help of a network of experts, partner companies and institutions, while providing support to external innovation teams for companies that are leaders in their field.
Christian Barbier is also an investor, relaying opportunities to targeted investors by supporting selected innovative projects in partnership with his innovation ecosystem. He is a co-founder and shareholder in several promising technology start-ups. Among his most notable achievements is the collaborative project to refurbish the Villa Perret, an iconic site on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, transformed into a 1,000 m2 marketplace for high added-value businesses, combining quality of life and innovation.
Thanks to his leadership and negotiation skills, Christian Barbier made his mark as Director General of the State of Neuchâtel’s economic development support service from 2012 to 2017. He facilitated major investments to create major jobs. With his teams, he redefined the canton’s economic development strategy, unanimously adopted by “Parlement” in 2015, with a visionary positioning for the Neuchâtel economy, making Microcity (regional innovation ecosystem) a territorial brand from 2016. In addition, as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Western Switzerland Investment Promotion Agency (GGBa) in 2016-2017, he strengthened the region’s attractiveness on the international stage.
From 2004 to 2011, Christian Barbier was Vice-President at Parmigiani, an independent Swiss brand in the prestige watchmaking sector, where he succeeded in multiplying business by 500% and developing an exclusive worldwide distribution network with his teams. His skills as Presales – Business Architect at SAP Switzerland from 1997 to 2000 also brought him excellent results. He began his career at UBS Geneva, in a newly-created management control team. He obtained a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Neuchâtel in 1996. Born in 1972, he is married and has two children.
Christian Barbier’s career path has been marked by his strategic vision, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to sustainable business development, making him a leader and influential player in the fields of innovation and economic growth.