Garif Yalak – ETH CIRCLE

Garif Yalak
Head of Digital Transformation Healthcare and Education
CISCO Systems

My dream when I was young was to be a soccer player. It taught me that you can achieve more when you are part of a team. This is something I also learnt at ETH Zurich: you can do big things when you surround yourself with people who have a common goal.

I spent many years at ETH, and today I still have many contacts with whom I meet to exchange – both at ETH and in industry. I also come back for many events, and I enjoy being a part of this community.

However, the culture in Switzerland when it comes to alumni is different to what I have experienced in the US. I enjoy being connected to my universities, and I see benefits for both sides. I believe ETH can do more to use this network, and as ETH has given me so much, I like having the opportunity to give back. Through the ETH Circle, I can create linkages to my own business area, IT. For example, I am happy to share my own experience with students, and I could see myself mentoring some of them.

I would suggest there are two big areas for the ETH Circle to focus on: leveraging the community in Switzerland, and the community abroad. The international aspect is probably even more important, as the local community is already big and active; but when I was in the US, barely anyone knew about ETH. I recommend we connect with other alumni organisations to learn from them, and tap into their best practices. In addition, I would like to see ETH much more strongly connected to industry, and leading opinion-making at a societal level. I have also made useful contacts with other members in the ETH Circle that I want to develop, so I look forward to continuing my interactions with the group.