Vaud
Olympic HQ, EPFL, and Nestlé in Vevey—Vaud's Lavaux UNESCO vineyards and Swiss hospitality school exports anchor French-speaking Switzerland while BCV ranks third among Swiss banks.
Canton of Vaud stretches along Lake Geneva's northern shore—Lausanne hosting Olympic headquarters, EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), and luxury hospitality schools that export Swiss service standards globally. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise ranks third among Swiss banks.
The canton's watchmaking heritage (part of the Jura arc) complements wine production on Lake Geneva terraces—Lavaux vineyards achieving UNESCO World Heritage status. This dual identity—industrial precision and agricultural tradition—characterizes Vaud.
Nestlé, headquartered in Vevey, represents the canton's corporate anchor—the world's largest food company providing employment and tax revenue that smaller companies cannot match. The food industry's stability differs from finance's volatility or pharma's R&D risks.
Vaud's position in French-speaking Switzerland creates cross-border economic integration with France; the canton's identity differs from German-speaking regions despite shared national framework. This cultural position shapes politics, education, and economic orientation.