She has found a second home

The work led her to Zug, she stayed because of her love of sailing: Alison Hinde from Great Britain has found a second home.

At first glance, she is a very typical expat. English-born Alison Hinde has lived in Paris and Antwerp, and loves travelling. "I like it when there’s something going on, so I often make decisions instinctively," says Hinde, who has lived in Zug for about four years.

She first came into contact with Switzerland in England, when her family took in two Swiss language students in the south coast town of Bournemouth. The family lived in a large house directly on the water, and owned sailing dinghies. Hinde had to temporarily give up her favourite hobby – sailing - when she came to Switzerland six years ago because of her husband's company. The family initially lived in Wengen, where their two children went to the local school and the 50-year-old worked as a ski instructor. She was also a member of the DHO There, the "Downhill only Ski Club", which runs the longest amateur downhill race in the world in Murren every January.

Her Zug start-up helps in the crisis

The family moved to Zug shortly afterwards due to professional commitments, and the children were soon attending a boarding school in Dublin. "Zug became more and more important, until I founded my start-up here two years ago," explains Alison Hinde. Her eight-person Proactively GmbH provides companies with a mobile reporting app that is used for process optimisation and data analysis. The former EHS manager specialises in environmental management, the protection of health and safety at work. The safety of people who are returning to work after the Corona crisis currently plays a major role in their software solution. "We use best practices to make simple, practical checklists that can be used in the workplace," she explains. Alison Hinde now lives in the city of Zug, and finds this very valuable:

"I love being in the middle of everything. In two minutes I can be at the lake and see the mountains."

Alison Hinde is visibly at ease at the harbour of Zug, where she now has her own dinghy.

"Because I work a lot in home office, I like to take a walk outside several times a day." The lively Englishwoman likes to exchange ideas with others, and has therefore founded the IOSH Swiss Network, a platform for health and safety professionals. Although Alison Hinde speaks German, she feels more comfortable in her mother tongue. She has recently joined the Yacht Club Zug, and sees this as a way to improve her German. Above all, it is a return to her beloved hobby. With shining eyes, Hinde tells of her 420 dinghy, which is kept in the harbour of Zug.

Reunited thanks to the virus

The family has now been together again for two months. This is because the prevailing uncertainty due to the corona virus makes a return to boarding school in Dublin difficult for Hindes's children Alex (15) and Emma (16). For this reason, they will attend the International School in Zug from August. "Having the family back is incredibly valuable," says Alison Hinde.

She and her family have radically changed their lifestyle. Instead of living in a big house in the south of England, the family now lives in a small-town apartment in Zug, and travels by public transport instead of by car. "Our values have changed. We are happy and need less than we used to. The apartment and the dinghy on the lake make us happy." The former expat has found a second home in Zug.

In the series "New in Zug", the "Zuger Zeitung" portrays expats and newcomers. The contacts were made by Sandra Herzog, founder of the meet-up group "Meeting new friends in Zug".