About
Swiss Management Training
Our comprehensive range of services
Swiss Management Training, born in 1964 as GAF, Gesellschaft zur Ausbildung von Führungskräften AG, has been committed to providing professional management training at all levels and across industries for over six decades. Our range of services encompasses:
- Public training programmes for individual attendees
- In-house training, seminars, workshops, major events
- Project management certification preparation
- Communication, negotiation, presentation, meeting moderation
- Leadership
- One-to-one coaching, coaching for core teams and management
- Team development
- Implementation of new strategies or new leadership culture
- Simulations (project management, leadership, team development)
- e-learning
Specialised and appropriately experienced in conducting large workshops and conferences, i.e. 50 to 500 attendees. We also handle organisation and logistics. You can count on our long-standing experience!
We are a general contractor and readily provide complete management training solutions, from concept and structure to logistics and execution.
Our History
1964 – Establishment of the GAF Foundation, Gesellschaft zur Ausbildung von Führungskräften, in Zurich, Switzerland, by the IFB Institute of Business Administration at the University of St. Gallen, together with Switzerland’s leading employers’ associations, including the Swiss Employers’ Association and the Chambers of Commerce of Zurich, Bern and Lausanne.
1967 – Peter F. Drucker, the father of MbO, Management by Objectives, entrusts GAF with the European rights to develop a seminar version of The Effective Executive, his bestseller at the time.
1972 – Effective Speaking and Presenting by Dr. Giorgio Helbling is launched.
Dr. Helbling served as Director of GAF from 1969 to 1985.
1978 – Project Management is added to the training portfolio.
1988 – Il Trenino, a Project Management simulation developed by Alberto Lenz, is launched.
Alberto Lenz served as Director of GAF from 1985 to 2001.
1995 – The Communication program is expanded with the introduction of PowerSpeech, DynamicSpeech, Dynamic Negotiation and DynamicMeeting.
2002 – Alberto Lenz hands over the management of GAF to Erik Leibundgut.
2003 – GAF becomes a joint stock company, AG, with Erik Leibundgut acquiring the majority of the shares.
2004 – proPM P is established as a subsidiary dedicated to all seminars preparing participants for PMP certification. It is created as a joint venture between GAF and VIRAK, Christine Petersen.
2005 – GAF and Dr. Roland Sauter act as general contractors for the pilot version of the Project Management/PMP program for approximately 700 engineers working in gas turbine development across Switzerland, Sweden and the USA.
2008 – Targeted Development of Social Competencies by Judith Wirth is added to the Leadership program.
2010 – The Helicopter simulation is developed by Dr. Patrick Wissling and his team. From 2010 onward, different versions of the simulation are used in both Project Management and Leadership programs.
2010 – 1,000 participants have undergone preparation for PMP certification.
2011 – A Strategy Implementation concept is developed and delivered for more than 1,500 employees of a leading energy company.
2017 – While keeping it historical name as legal name, the company starts trading with a more “international friendly” name of Swiss Management Training.
2018 – Dr. Claudia Winkler takes responsibility for the Psychology in the Workplace area.
2019 – The Pick up simulation is created and incorporated into the training portfolio, particularly within Project Management programs.
2020 – 2,200 participants have undergone preparation for PMP certification.
2021 – Massimiliano, Max, Langosco joins GAF as a seminar expert and partner.
2023 – proPM P, the brand originally established in 2004, is repositioned by VIRAK and Swiss Management Training.
2026 – Swiss Management Training decides to expand its existing portfolio. PMR2 and the Project Management simulation VOLTA are added to the portfolio.