Hannes Schmid in conversation with...

Here, we will be publishing interesting conversations that Hannes has recorded or will record with guests in the GONG podcast studios at irregular intervals.

Most of these conversations focus on their views of what is happening at the Smiling Gecko Campus. This will be of interest to anyone who has already had the opportunity to visit us in Cambodia. And, of course, to those who have not yet made it here.

We hope you enjoy listening.

Didier Cuche

I don’t know if there is anything else like Smiling Gecko anywhere else in the world.

Didier Cuche is a former Swiss ski racer and one of the most successful downhill and super-G specialists in history. His World Cup career began in 1993, and he made his international breakthrough in the late 1990s. He competed in 369 World Cup races, achieved 67 podium finishes and won 21 races, including five unforgettable downhill victories on the Streif in Kitzbühel, where he remains the sole record holder to this day. He celebrated his greatest triumph at the 2009 World Championships in Val-d’Isère, where he won gold in the super-G. He also won silver at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte dedicated a cover story to his visit to Smiling Gecko.

Freddy Burger

It took me two days to process everything you’ve done here.
Freddy Burger is an influential Swiss music and show producer, concert promoter and entrepreneur. He began his career in the 1960s as a concert organiser and manager before taking over the management of international entertainer Udo Jürgens in 1977. Burger built an entertainment empire over several decades. He is the founder of FBM Entertainment, which operates Theater 11 in Zurich, Musical Theater Basel and the Thunerseespiele, among others. His services to Swiss show business have been recognised with several awards, including the Xaver Award for his life’s work. We had the pleasure of welcoming Freddy Burger on the occasion of his 80th birthday, which he celebrated with us on campus.

Theron Feemster

As we drove through the campus gate, it was like entering a whole new world.
Theron ‘Neff-U’ Feemster is an American music producer and songwriter. He was born in Inglewood, California, and is one of the most influential producers in hip-hop and R&B of the 2000s and 2010s. Feemster has worked with numerous internationally successful artists, including Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Drake, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent. His work has received multiple awards. At the Smiling Gecko Campus, he recorded the Christmas song ‘I am glad, it’s Christmas’ with the Gong Talent Group, among other things.

Christoph Bugnon

Smiling Gecko is not a charity, but a development enterprise.
Christoph Bugnon is a Swiss bank manager who has shaped the Urner Kantonalbank (UKB) for many years. After working for the Luzerner Kantonalbank and the Aargauische Kantonalbank, he joined UKB in 2010 as Head of Market. In 2017, he became its CEO, a position he held until his voluntary departure at the end of 2025. His first official act as an early retiree took him to the Smiling Gecko Campus, among other places.

Petra Fischer

Seeing how people flourish and develop here is the best thing.
Petra Fischer is a marketing specialist with a strong background in banking. Her impressive career includes positions at Swiss private bank Julius Bär and Urner Kantonalbank. She has also worked at the Europa Forum in Lucerne and at FIFA, the world football association. She joined Smiling Gecko during an extended trip to Asia, which took her to Cambodia and Laos.

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