Past events

John McCarthy has been invited to take part in this year’s “Salon des auteurs” on May 16th at the prestigious Société de Lecture (founded in 1818) in Geneva. The event takes place between 17:00 and 20:00 at the organization’s town house in Grand-Rue 11 and brings together members who have written and published a book within the past three years in order to introduce themselves and their books to other members and guests. Each author is allowed time to make a brief formal presentation and to sell the books.

John will describe how he came to write the three volume “Hanna’s Diaries - Coming of Age in the Land of the Cedars” in both Arabic only and Arabic/English versions.

The event is open to the public and admission is free. Ahlan wa sahlan to all “Lebanon Lovers” and Hanna Fans!

I just wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who attended my book signing this morning at SEP Carouge boutique. It was truly a beautiful moment that I will cherish forever.

Your presence there meant the world to me, and I was so touched by the kind words, warm smiles, and genuine enthusiasm that you all brought to the event. It was a joy to meet and chat with each of you, and to share in the excitement of this new book!

Copies of the books are now available at Librairie l’Olivier in Geneva and at both Librairie Antoine in Beirut and antoineonline.

The Geneva chapter of the Harvard Club of Switzerland featured James Breiding, author of “SWISS MADE - the untold story behind Switzerland’s success,” and John McCarthy, publisher of the Arabic edition, at their January 11 luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues. Breiding and McCarthy told the audience of Harvard alumni how Breiding, who holds a Master’s degree from the Kennedy School at Harvard, came to write the book while a Fellow at Harvard’s Center for International Development, and McCarthy persuaded Breiding to let him publish and distribute the Arabic version in 2018.

Breiding went on to present his new book entitled “Too Small To Fail” about how eight particular small countries, including Switzerland, outperform the big countries in many respects.

Adriana Mumenthaler, Director of the Geneva Red Cross Cultural Integration Center, welcomed “Hanna’s Diary” author John McCarthy to her iconic library serving the canton’s foreign communities and asylum seekers for a “Meet the Author” session in Arabic and French on November 19th.

McCarthy made a brief opening statement and then answered questions from the participants - including Arabs - about how he became a student of Arabic, transitioned into an author and poet thanks to his teacher Besma Al Jouini, and invented the Lebanese-American teenage hero of his stories, Hanna. McCarthy also read aloud passages from the book including a poem by Nizar Qabbani. The ladies present laughed joyfully over the story of “women’s secret passion” for shoes.

McCarthy inscribed gift copies of the books - Arabic only and Arabic/English - for every participant. He also donated several copies to the library so that they can be loaned to Arabic readers and others interested in Lebanon.

Princess Dina Murad of Jordan, president of the Geneva-based Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), is shown holding a gift copy of the Arabic edition of SWISS MADE inscribed by publisher John McCarthy. Standing beside her is the UICC Chief Executive Officer, Cary Adams.

The Geneva launch of the Arabic and English/Arabic editions of “Yawmiat Hanna” (“Hanna’s Diaries - Coming of Age in the Land of the Cedars”) took place at the iconic L’Olivier bookstore on October 11 from 18:00 to 20:00.

Author John McCarthy inscribed 50 copies of the books in an hour and a half.

Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations Office, HE Salim Baddoura, took part and acquired copies of the bilingual version for each of his four children. He had previously read the Arabic edition.

Nadine Nuwayid said, “The bilingual book is ideal for Lebanese expats who want to help their children learn to read Arabic.”

Carole Haddad, Managing Director of One Million Claps, organized the event and thrilled the over 70 visitors with the sight of a hologram making the book appear to float in the air with photos, text and objects from the stories twirling out and up from it.

ZURICH. STARMUS -- described as "a global festival of science communication and art that brings together the most brilliant minds on the planet" -- awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal to Elon Musk this year and saluted legendary moonwalker Buzz Aldrin.

The Swiss Society of Virtual and Augmented Reality (SSVAR) showcased their animations in virtual reality related to space and presented a demo of their application which uses augmented reality to make the SWISS MADE - Arabic edition come alive. When the reader passes a smartphone over the photo of Nicolas Hayek, for example, up pops all the latest news about the Swatch Group, thus greatly enhancing the reading experience.

Companies featured in the SWISS MADE - Arabic edition will soon be able to use this application to enhance their presence in this best selling economic history describing Switzerland's successful rise to global Number One in competitiveness and innovation.

AMMAN. Switzerland's Head of Diplomatic Affairs in Jordan, Ms Alexandra Haefliger, delivered the keynote speech at Readers Bookstore in Amman on April 8 during an event marking the launch of the Arabic edition of SWISS MADE in the Kingdom. Haefliger referred to the book's focus on the "entrepreneurial qualities of Swiss individuals and companies" over the past three centuries and the crucial role of talented and ambitious immigrants in creating world class Swiss companies like Nestle and Swatch. (Speech)

SWISS MADE author James Breiding greeted the audience by video with a hearty "Marhaba Amman!" and described how his friend John McCarthy persuaded him to add an Arabic edition to the book's six translated versions, and how much he had learned about the Arab World while helping McCarthy promote the book in Lebanon, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. (Video)

McCarthy concluded by making a short speech in Arabic thanking Ms Haefliger, General Manager Imad Al Bukhari of THE Group (which owns Readers Bookstore), store manager Ali Al Khateeb, business manager Jinan Dalloul and her team, and Riham Najia who had introduced McCarthy to Readers.

In the hour following the speeches, McCarthy inscribed in Arabic copies of the book for the store's clients and guests including HE Adnan Talhouni, former Ambassador of Jordan to Switzerland and Head of the Swiss Jordanian Business Club; Ghaleb Masoud, Chief Librarian of the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation; and Riad al Khouri, Principal of Discover Studies.

The "Jordan Times" published a story about the SWISS MADE launch the following day. (Story)

SWISS MADE - Arabic edition publisher John McCarthy spoke about the book and Swiss achievement to dozens of influential leaders from throughout the MENA region during the World Economic Forum summit held at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan, April 5-7.

The program featured opening speeches by HM King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Dr Klaus Schwab. They all stressed the importance of innovation as the key to a country's prosperity. This exhortation fit well with Switzerland's ranking as the world leader in innovation, competitiveness and talent.

McCarthy discussed the usefulness of the Swiss economic model for Arab university students with Professor Tony Chan, President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), at a private meeting and inscribed a gift copy of the book for him. McCarthy also inscribed the book for Dr Asma Siddiki, Interim Dean of the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College for Business & Entrepreneurship (MBSC).

The success of the Swiss model also resonated with several WEF "Global Shapers", in this case young entrepreneurs from Saudi Arabia and Iraq whom McCarthy met with over dinner.

Journalists from several newspapers and magazines in the Arab World showed interest in the book's theme including "Al-Iktissad Wal-Amal", "Al Bayan Magazine", "Harvard Business Review Arabia" and "Anbaalwatan" along with business leaders from companies and banks operating throughout the region such as Tamer Group, Johnson Controls, IBM, wamda capital, Bejlian Health Foods, LAMA HOURANI Jewelry, Russell Reynolds Associates, Citibank, BLOM, and startups such as SynergyMed, Blossom MENA, elvesapp, and Let's be Friends.

McCarthy summarized the conference as "An incredible opportunity for both planned and impromptu meetings with extraordinary and accomplished individuals from throughout the MENA region. Everyone holds Swiss achievement in high regard and is eager to discuss what lessons can be learned from the Swiss model."

Riyadh. Mohamad Abdul Salam, Senior Buyer - Arabic Books at Jarir Bookstore, announced today that Jarir has placed the first 100 copies of the SWISS MADE - Arabic edition on sale in its three markets: Saudi Arabia (44 stores), United Arab Emirates (2), and Kuwait (4). Publisher John McCarthy stated, "My firm is proud to be collaborating with the largest and most prestigious bookseller in the Kingdom and delighted that this arrangement enables us to be present in Kuwait and the Emirates too. We trust that readers in these countries will soon enjoy discovering the secrets to Switzerland's extraordinary success."

The Swiss Society for Virtual & Augmented Reality (SSVAR) hosted a "Spatial Computing & Mixed Reality Night" in Geneva on February 13, 2019 featuring presentations from Swiss and American experts describing how Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality technologies will soon become part of daily life in shopping, teaching, entertainment, health care and publishing.

Jean-Philippe Sangare, CEO of the SSVAR, and Anis Ben Khammasi, Board Member, introduced McCarthy who presented the SWISS MADE story to the group and Sangare demonstrated how the book could become much more than a good reading experience by adding Augmented Reality: invisible markers on the cover and inside pages can reveal personalized video messages to the reader when swiped with a smart phone and up to date information on companies and topics mentioned in the book can be obtained the same way.

Later, McCarthy offered gift copies of the SWISS MADE - Arabic edition to Arab participants including venture capitalist Taha Ben Mrad, founder of the Seed4equity fund and Chairman of Spooklight Studio in Geneva, and Issam Chehab, founder and CEO of Urban Seller.

The Swiss Arab Network hosted an invitation-only reception during the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 23, 2019 to promote economic and cultural exchanges between Switzerland and the Moslem world. 150 elite personalities from all over the globe attended, one-third of them Arabs.

This year's Swiss Arab Nights raised money for the Hand In Hand International not-for-profit which fights poverty and gender inequality with job training. John McCarthy Publishing supported the cause by donating 50 copies of the SWISS MADE - Arabic edition for the Tombola. Author James Breiding attended the event and inscribed copies of the book.

HE Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates & Bahrain, hosted a reception for SWISS MADE author James Breiding and publisher of the Arabic edition John McCarthy at her residence in Abu Dhabi on November 18. First Abu Dhabi Private Banking head Rudy Guillemyn co-hosted the occasion which was sponsored by the bank.

The guests included FAB clients and friends of the Swiss embassy. Vincent Pasquier, the Swiss Chargé d'affaires, made the opening speech welcoming the attendees. He praised the book for its in-depth description of Swiss economic history and analysis of the Swiss values which have enabled the country to achieve peace and remarkable prosperity.

John McCarthy then made a short speech in Arabic (click here) addressed to the Emiratis present and including a startling surprise: that he had met HH Sheikh Zayed on the occasion of the first anniversary of his accession to power (Eid Al Jalous) in 1967 while McCarthy was a student in Lebanon and on his first visit to the Gulf.

James Breiding presented a summary of the book's themes illustrated with slides on an electronic screen, and then answered questions including one about the importance of punctuality to the Swiss. Breiding stated, "When two people agree to meet at a certain time, it is a contract. Honoring that contract builds trust. When the Chairman of Novartis, one of the most important men in Switzerland, was fifteen minutes late for a meeting with me, a lowly writer, he spent the first ten minutes apologizing!"

Following the presentation, Breiding and McCarthy inscribed copies of the Arabic edition for the guests. Each attendee parted with a gift copy of the book, courtesy of FAB and the embassy. McCarthy informed everyone that the book will soon be available for purchase at the Jarir Bookstore in the Nation Galleria next door to the Hilton Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

SWISS MADE author James Breiding and publisher of the Arabic edition John McCarthy paid a visit to the Jarir Bookstore in the Nation Galleria next door to the Hilton Hotel in Abu Dhabi on November 18. Jarir will carry the book once government formalities are completed.

Jarir Bookstores in Saudi Arabia has agreed to distribute the Arabic edition in the Kingdom. They are the largest bookseller in Saudi Arabia with 44 stores.

SWISS MADE author James Breiding and Arabic edition publisher John McCarthy showcased the book at the Swiss Business Council - Dubai & Northern Emirates Gala Dinner held at the Westin Mina Seyahi Hotel in Dubai on November 16 in the presence of Swiss Ambassador to the UAE & Bahrain Maya Tissafi, Chargé d'affaires Vincent Pasquier and Consul General & Director of the Swiss Business Hub Middle East, Chris Watts.

A SWISS MADE rollup banner in Arabic and English greeted the 250 guests upon arrival at the outdoor party. Breiding and McCarthy posed for photos with the event's honoree, Dr Manal Mohammad Omran Taryam Al Shamsi, MD, board member and CEO of the Nour Dubai Foundation and CEO of the Dubai Primary Health Care Sector, and presented her with an inscribed copy of the Arabic edition. Later in the evening, Dr Al Shamsi was given the "Lady of the Matterhorn" award by SBC-D Chairman Peter Harradine in recognition of her achievements.

John McCarthy Publishing purchased a table for ten at the Gala and made a copy of the book its centerpiece. The guests included Michael Penniman, co-founder of Alcazar Capital in Dubai, Breiding, Tahir Bebayev of SOCAR Trading, Mary McCarthy and Sylviane Walker.

In the middle of the dinner, Rifaat Aboa Assaf, a reporter for Al Bayan newspaper, pulled Breiding and McCarthy aside for a brief interview about the book, which will soon be on sale at the Jarir Bookstore in the Nation Galleria in Abu Dhabi.

John McCarthy Publishing owes a great deal of appreciation to Mr Tony Jashanmal for bringing JMP together with the Swiss Business Council - Dubai and to the Council's Executive Director, Michelle Gebert, for her assistance with all the Gala arrangements including the placement of the rollup banner and the distribution of gift copies of the book at the registration desk.

SWISS MADE - Arabic edition publisher John McCarthy paid a visit to the Dubai Digital Library on November 15. The DDL is part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum Knowledge Foundation which promotes literacy and reading in Arabic in the UAE and globally.

McCarthy met with Prof Khaled Abdelfatah Mohamed, Director of the DDL Knowledge Solutions, and his colleagues Christina Magdy Guirguis, Content and Web Developer, and AbdAllah Khashaba, DDL Engineer, to discuss the possible digitization and dissemination of both an abridged version and the full content of the SWISS MADE - Arabic edition. More information about this exciting initiative to follow!

 Event Highlights

April 27, 2018

• Lebanon's ambassador to Switzerland, HE Rola Noureddine, visited the SM stand to talk about the book and pose for photos.

• Former Swiss ambassador to Lebanon, HE Francois Barras, brought several VIPs to meet John, Besma, Carole and Anis. John always credits Ambassador Barras as being the "godfather" of the Arabic edition of SWISS MADE since he provided encouragement to John and James Breiding during their visit to Lebanon in 2015.
• John inscribed a book for Maya Arida Mermoud, co-owner with her husband of two Lebanese bistros in Lausanne.
• Carole hosted John and Besma on stage at the CIAM pavilion for a half hour discussion in French about how the Arabic edition came into being and the theme of the book. Members of the audience asked questions directly to Besma and John.

April 28, 2018

The SWISS MADE banner continued to attract scores of bibliophiles curious to know about "the most widely read book about Switzerland". Among the visitors today were:

• Celebrated Tunisian ud soloist and teacher Yousra Dhabi who performed several "maqamat" at the ICAM pavilion. She and her husband Abdel Latif "Gaby" Dhabi stopped by afterwards and John inscribed their copy of the book.
• Journalist and founder of "L'Arzillier - Maison du dialogue" in Lausanne Mustapha Habes informed us that Switzerland's many laurels also include winning the "Religious Tolerance Prize" in 2015 for its annual "Week of Religions". He will write a story about the SWISS MADE Arabic edition for "El Hiwa DZ", "El Basair" and "Akhbar Al Youm".
• Khadija Ben Haddej, President of the Association of the Tunisian Community in Switzerland (CTS), and her daughter Yasmine expressed great interest in the SWISS MADE Arabic edition as a source of information for Tunisians living in Switzerland and Tunisians in Tunis seeking to invest in Switzerland. She offered to hold a conference about the themes in the book.

April 29, 2018

• Georges Mougeot from Tunisia acquired a copy of the book to place in the leading bookstore in Sfax (صفاقس) in the south of the country.
• Brothers Abdel Karim and Mohamed Azouag joined forces to buy the book. Mohamed, a lawyer and Chargé d'instruction à l'Université de Savoie" based in Chambéry, promised to follow and share the JMP Facebook page with his Arab network.

John is posing with Ms Nadia Karmous, Director of the Institut Culturel Musulman Suisse (ICMS), and her team at the Salon du Livre de Geneve today. ICMS' slogan is "Mieux se connaître pour mieux se comprendre". She is holding an inscribed copy of the book which will go into the ICMS library in La Chaux-de-Fonds and is bound to help readers integrate more easily into the Swiss culture. Ms Karmous has promised to hand deliver a second copy to a high ranking official in Qatar next week and to send a photo of the presentation.

Through the good offices of the Swiss embassy in Cairo, SWISS MADE author James Breiding and publisher of the Arabic edition John McCarthy were invited to address American University in Cairo MBA students, alumni, faculty and guests at the AUC School of Business on March 21.

Sally Mahmoud Abbas, Associate Director, EMBA and MBA Program, welcomed the SWISS MADE visitors to the campus in New Cairo.

Professor Dr Ibrahim A Hegazy, Head of the Marketing Faculty and a Member of the Egypt Parliament, moderated the event in Abdul Latif Jameel Building. He praised the initiative of producing an Arabic language edition of Breiding's best seller "SWISS MADE - the untold story behind Switzerland's success" entitled "SWISS MADE - القصة غير المروية عن سر نجاح سويسرا."

Breiding delivered a 45 minute illustrated presentation on the topic "How Switzerland became the global Number One in competitiveness and innovation."

McCarthy followed with a 15 minute talk entitled "My personal journey as a venture capital investor in Switzerland, the Silicon Valley of Europe."

Following half an hour of Q&A, Dr Hegazy and Dr Nizar Becheikh, Associate Dean, School of Business, presented Breiding with an AUC Certificate of Appreciation.

Swiss Ambassador to Egypt Paul Garnier lauded SWISS MADE author James Breiding and publisher of the Arabic edition John McCarthy as "formidable ambassadors of Switzerland" in his speech to the proprietor, managers and guests at the official launch of the book at Diwan Bookstore in Zamalek, Cairo on March 20.

Diwan, is a leading bookseller in Egypt. Co-owner Nihal Schawky, Manager Amal Mahmoud, and Marketing and Communications Director Layal Rustom, hosted the launch and book signing event.

The Swiss embassy was represented by Ambassador Garnier, Deputy Head of Mission Adrian Hauri, Second Secretary Sabina Laederach and Cultural and Administrative Assistant Salwa El Sheikh.

Marwa Taher, Executive Director of the Swiss Egyptian Business Association (SEBA), represented the Swiss companies active in Egypt, many of which are featured in the book. It was Taher who introduced John McCarthy Publishing to Diwan.

Rustom welcomed the visitors and guests to Diwan and introduced Ambassador Garnier who spoke about how so many Swiss success stories could be traced to immigrant entrepreneurs such as Nicolas Hayek of Swatch who is of Lebanese origin. (speech here). McCarthy followed with a brief speech in Arabic which expressed his pleasure in introducing the Arabic edition in "Egypt, mother of the Earth, and Cairo, the cultural capital of the Arab world." He announced that John McCarthy Publishing had signed an exclusive distribution agreement for Egypt with Diwan.

Breiding then took the floor to make a 15 minute speech summarizing the essential aspects behind Switzerland's remarkable success as the world's leader in competitiveness and innovation, and then responded to questions from the audience.

Once the formal proceedings were over, Breiding and McCarthy inscribed copies of the Arabic edition for the book's first customers in Egypt. Later, Ambassador Garnier announced that the Swiss embassy will order 40 copies to offer as official gifts.

The Institut des cultures arabes et Méditerranéennes (ICAM)'s chairman, Ambassador François Barras, and proprietor Alain Bittar, hosted a SWISS MADE - Arabic edition launch and book signing on March 1 at "L'Olivier" bookstore in Geneva.

The book's author, James Breiding, travelled from Zurich to take part in the event, as did Chahine Nemr, who edited, designed and oversaw the production of the Arabic edition.

Some 50 people braved the snow and ice to take part. Following a reception on the main floor of the store which included Lebanese canapés from Chez Fouad, the group assembled in the basement auditorium.

The Arabic edition's publisher, John McCarthy, thanked the hosts and introduced the guest of honor, Nicholas Niggli, Director General of the Department of Economic Development, Research, and Innovation in the Geneva Cantonal Government. In his speech, Niggli praised Breiding's extraordinary achievement in describing the Swiss values which have made the country the global Number One in competitiveness and innovation.

Niggli also expressed his delight that the Canton of Geneva may now boast of its first ever Arabic-language book publishing house. He saluted the book's Geneva-based Arabic translator, Besma Al Jouini, and the publisher, John McCarthy.

The following are excerpts from Nicholas Niggli's speech:

"It is amazing to team up with James Breiding again here in Geneva at this mythical bookstore, L'Olivier.

The original SWISS MADE has not lost any of its pertinence. Far from it! The Arabic version which we celebrate tonight is extremely timely. SWISS MADE is full of inspiring stories depicting what is at the heart of the Swiss success story...

Inclusiveness, Institutions, Innovation (my three I's), entrepreneurial drive, stability, liberal economic policies, strong emphasis on education have all been key elements behind Switzerland's success. Some elements which were originally perceived as disadvantages (cultural, linguistic, religious and political heterogeneity) have in time led to more tolerance and liberalism in our country. This is certainly interesting and very relevant for the Arab World.

While each and every nation's trajectory is unique, there are nevertheless quite a few things that can be reciprocated. There are roughly 250 million Arabic speakers in the world. I hope that many will read the Arabic version of SWISS MADE. At a time when so many jobs need to be created throughout the Arab World to give new perspectives to the rising generations, it is my humble hope that one or the other lesson of SWISS MADE may serve as an inspiration and help entrepreneurs and policy makers to make a positive difference.

I am obviously very proud that this Arabic edition of SWISS MADE has a very strong Geneva footprint! Geneva and the Arab World enjoy a long lasting and close relationship. May this new contribution add to the many previous ones and strengthen this relationship even further!"

Librairie "L'Olivier" -- the only Arabic-language bookstore in Geneva -- is located at Rue de Fribourg 5 and has a good stock of "SWISS MADE - القصة غير المروية عن سر نجاح سويسرا".

JMP donated three copies of the Arabic edition to the Tombola of the Gala Dinner held in Geneva on February 3, 2018 to celebrate the Feast of St Maroun. The Lebanese ambassador to Switzerland, HE Ms Rola Noureddine, and the Lebanese ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, HE Mr Salem Baddouri, attended along with over 150 other guests.

In Beirut, Emile Tyan, CEO of Hachette-Antoine, hosted a book signing and launch event at the Librairie Antoine flagship store in Beirut Souq. The Swiss ambassador to Lebanon, HE Monika Schmutz Kirgoez, attended along with over fifty other distinguished guests including former Swiss ambassador to Lebanon and current President of the Swiss Business Council- Lebanon, HE Francois Barras, International College president Dr Don Bergman, publisher of HOME Magazine Patricia Cherfan, and Shahina Osseiran, daughter of Lebanese poet Jawdat Haydar.

In Beirut, James Breiding addressed forty undergraduate business students at Beirut Arab University about "The secrets to Switzerland's success" in terms of competitiveness and innovation.

In Geneva, the Arab-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a launch and book signing at the Hotel Beau-Rivage, which provided the venue gratis as sponsors of the Arabic edition. ASCC Secretary General Bahaa Elattar welcomed author James Breiding from Zurich and praised the achievement of producing such an important book in Arabic.

Publisher John McCarthy donated five copies of the SWISS MADE - Arabic edition to the Tombola at an American University of Beirut gala fundraising dinner in Geneva on November 11, 2017 held in the presence of AUB President Fadlo R Khuri, MD. The event was organized and hosted by Muwaffak Bibi, chairman of the AUB Alumni Association in Switzerland. Besma Al Jouini represented John McCarthy Publishing Sarl at the dinner.