The innovative Visper entrepreneur Daniel Kehl is Valaisan of the Year 2019! The title was awarded for the 11th time on Friday (25 October) by Plenum VS, an economic and cultural network of Valaisans and friends of the Valais. Daniel Kehl and his team were honoured at the ceremony in the Kursaal Bern for their passionate commitment as entrepreneurs and innovators. His company Swissfillon AG has redefined international standards for the sterile filling of complex liquids for the pharmaceutical industry.

The Visper entrepreneur Daniel Kehl, who was awarded with the Valais Prize of the Year by Plenum VS
At the award ceremony for Plenum VS in the Kursaal in Bern, laudator Christoph Schaller (Managing Director of pixon engineering AG) underscored Daniel Kehl’s commitment to implementing his high-tech idea of filling small quantities of valuable complex, sterile pharmaceutical products. It took a whole four years for Swissfillon AG to be officially launched in 2018 as a small company on the premises of BioArk Visp. With the approval of Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory authority for medical products, and the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Upper Valais-based company has become the best contact for fill & finish services of the highest precision and agility for its national and international customers in the pharmaceutical industry.
The young company emerged from the bosom of pixon engineering AG in a well-considered and professionally designed start-up process. It was Daniel Kehl, a trained process engineer with a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, who successfully launched such a company. Swissfillon fills vials, capsules and disposable syringes under sterile conditions and in outstanding quality with a high level of technical know-how.
Under the moderation of Plenum VS President Martin Luggen, the approximately 50 guests experienced a highly informative evening in Bern on Friday with an informative presentation by Swissfillon and an entertaining conversation between SRF correspondent Adrian Arnold and communications consultant Reiny Schnyder. The evening was accompanied by music from the Christine Juon Trio with guitarist Nicolas Fardel and bassist Patrick Perrier, who moved between blues, soul and jazz.
Ambassador for the Valais
The Plenum VS promotes the exchange of information and ideas between its members with several events of its own. The canton of Valais benefits because it wins ambassadors who are committed to the concerns of their canton and actively support it with their knowledge and relationships. The association is an important representative of Valaisan culture in German-speaking Switzerland. The title “Valaisan of the Year”, awarded by an autonomous jury, is not only an honour for the work carried out, but also a motivation for future achievements. The awards have so far gone to Jean-Pierre Roth, President of the Swiss National Bank, Rachel Harnisch, opera singer, Simon Anthamatten, mountaineer, Adrian Margelist, fashion designer, Hermann Biner, entrepreneur, Nadin Borter, advertiser, Pavel Lehky, technician and inventor, Jean-Claude Bregy, entrepreneur, Gampel open-air festival and Nicolas Steiner, film author.

from left to right: Guest speaker Adrian Arnold, Reiny Schnyder (Executive Board Plenum VS), Valaisan of the Year Daniel Kehl, Laudator Christoph Schaller (Managing Director Pixon AG), Martin Luggen (President Plenum VS)