1 April 2017. On the occasion of the Masters' Graduation Day, a total of 482 graduates were handed their degree certificates in the following programmes: 

• 50 in Business Innovation,
• 46 in Marketing, Service and Communication Management,
• 108 in Accounting and Finance,
• 21 in Strategy and International Management,
• 79 in Business Management,
• 21 in Management, Organization Studies and Cultural Theory,
• 44 in Banking and Finance,
• 21 in Economics,
• 13 in Quantitative Economics and Finance,
• 34 in International Affairs and Governance,
• 15 in Law,
• 19 in Law and Economics,
• 11 in International Law.

Creating added value through interpersonal contacts

The increasing influence of technology did not only have an impact on industry, but also on the economy, said President Thomas Bieger in his address. However, digitalisation was also changing society. By way of examples, Bieger mentioned Uber and Airbnb, which were challenging the very foundations of entire industries. Often, digital providers were driving the legislators forward in many areas. Micro-job online platforms were also changing the whole way in which products and services were generated and how value-creation chains were configured. "Everything is becoming cheaper because there is always someone somewhere who offers a service at purely marginal costs," said Bieger. The age of scarcity was turning into an age of abundance. Therefore it was important that graduates looked for a field of work in which they were above-average good and able to cooperate with the best. They should seek dialogue and reinforce their roots through personal encounters. "After all, interpersonal contact still creates added value, particularly in the age of digitalisation."

Attractive social programme

The musical background to the ceremony was provided by Malcolm Green. HSG Alumni President Urs Landolf congratulated the graduates on their academic degree. He outlined the great advantages of the large HSG Alumni network for new graduates, in particular, and encouraged them to become actively involved in it. Guests were able to go on a guided tour of the HSG's art works, and graduates were able to have their photographs taken with or without a gown, before and after the official ceremony. By way of a souvenir, the HSG Shop sold "Class of 2017" T-shirts. Refreshments were provided by the ad[hoc] coffee bar and the bratwurst sausage stand of the St.Gallen Addiction Assistance Foundation. In the evening, HSG Alumni staged the traditional Graduation party in St.Gallen.