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“My dream is to see

stronger links between
local Geneva and

International Geneva.”

Interview with

Ivan Slatkine

General Manager of the
Slatkine Publishing House,

and President of Fédération
des entreprises romandes

Mr Slatkine is a familiar face in the media In addition to these mandates, I sit on a number
and a well-known and highly respected of boards of directors, both in companies that
personality in Geneva, wearing several hats are part of the Slatkine ‘group’ and in outside
– either in the political, economic or the companies. Since 2022 I have also been
cultural sphere. In other words, a very busy chairman of a retirement and nursing home,
man, who kindly took of his precious time the Foyer St-Paul in Cologny.
to answer our numerous questions. So, Mr
Slatkine, the floor is yours. You and your brother run the family business,
the Slatkine publishing house, the oldest book
Mr Slatkine, could you tell us a little about your publishing house in Geneva. Could you tell us
background, personal as well as professional? a little how it all started, and why you decided
I’m a native of Geneva. I earned a master’s to work in the family business?
degree in econometrics at the University of The Slatkine saga in the book trade began in
Geneva and then worked for two years in an 1918 when my great-grandfather opened the
American multinational. After that, I went bookshop Slatkine & fils. At the end of the
back to graduate school in international 1950s, my father set up Slatkine Reprints,
studies ( to do an advanced degree (DES) specialising in reprints of rare and out-of-print
in history and international politics. At the works. The target audience was the academic
same time, I joined the family business, first world and public and private libraries. In the
as financial director and then as general early 1980s, my father published the first book
manager from 2022. I’ve been working in the under the label Editions Slatkine, and following
family business for 27 years now, representing on from that, we expanded the publishing
the 4th generation active in the book trade. house in Geneva. In the early 1970s, my
At the same time, from 2001 to 2015 I was a father had bought the Paris publishing house
member of the parliament of the Republic and Honoré Champion, which specialized in
Canton of Geneva. In 2015, I left parliament French scholarly works. Since then, we have
and took over the presidency of the Fédération had an office in Paris to develop our business
des entreprises romandes. in France.

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h