User:HenriAebischer

Henri Aebischer was born in Switzerland when the transistor was being invented and earned a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich the year the Intel 4004 was launched. His experience spans over 30 years in the IT industry, from mainframes to PCs and handheld PDAs; from sales and marketing to research and development; from Switzerland and France to California and England. He started his career in sales with Honeywell Bull where he then became marketing manager for the Level 6 minicomputer product line. In 1977, he joined Data General Europe to launch the NOVA 4 and all early Eclipse systems, including the firm’s first 32-bit minicomputer (the centrepiece of Tracy Kidder’s book “The Soul of a New Machine”). From 1981, he spent 15 years at Apple Computer Inc. where he held several management positions within Apple Europe in Paris and Apple Products in California. In the early 1980s he participated in the creation of Apple Europe and launched the Lisa system, the predecessor of the Macintosh, in all European markets. In 1985, he moved to California where he first orchestrated, as Apple International VP’s right hand, the creation and execution of business plans and major product launches for subsidiaries outside of the US. Then, as manager of Corporate Technology Services, he significantly increased the productivity of Apple's Cray supercomputer by running development applications on top of just research, and by introducing preventive maintenance on the attached 3000-node R&D network. In 1988, he became worldwide director of marketing for Apple’s networking products. Within less that a year, his team introduced over new 20 products in one event (first ever Apple corporate event in New York), drove the definition of 20 additional products, and integrated N&C functions within the Mac OS, including the first Internet connection. In 1990 he came back to Europe as general manager of the Paris-based European R&D Centre with a mission to develop Apple’s presence in the European telecom sector. With a team of about fifty people, he delivered key products at the leading edge of the modem and wireless technologies and increased Apple Europe sales in mobile computing by over 20%. Apple Europe earned the responsibility to develop worldwide modems for all PowerBook laptops. In wireless, the R&D centre had several firsts leveraging CT-2 and GSM networks in co-operation with major telecom manufacturers and operators. Teaming up with Nokia and Cellnet, Apple launched the first laptop system able to communicate over the GSM network. In 1996 he left Apple to start his own marketing consulting company, IC3 Ltd., focussing on helping companies ranging from start-ups in the pre-product stage to large corporations to develop their marketing strategy and to implement specific market development programmes. His clients are mainly in high-tech (semiconductors, telecommunications, computers, application and system software, system integration and web integration), but also in sectors such as creative design, manufacturing and financials services.

IC3’s achievements include the development of the initial marketing plan and the implementation of key programmes for an enterprise software start-up that reached #28 in Deloitte & Touche’s Fast 50 for the London area. For a Paris-based €3M publisher of system software, IC3 developed a formal marketing strategy; implemented specific plans including the creation of a multilingual website, products briefs and white papers; managed the creation of a new logo with associated graphics standards, the selection of a PR agency, and the planning of further programmes. In partnership with TJL Inc., IC3 implemented business development programmes to introduce various Silicon Valley-based start-ups into the main European computer and telecom systems manufacturers and to develop beachheads in the main European markets. In the UK, IC3 helps several hi-tech companies to define strategic and tactical programmes for market and business development.

In 2007, Henri joined Sales Force Europe (SFE) as Partner in charge of Marketing and of Business Development in the IT sector. His responsibilities include the development of marketing materials, of the SFE website and of SFE’s main processes. He is also in charge of launching and coordinating SFE sales programs for major clients across the world.

Henri is an accredited associate of the Institute for Independent Business, a member of the OSEC Pool of Experts that forms part of the support provided by Business Network Switzerland, and a member of the Usability Professionals' Association.