Following the impressive performance of Adfinis’s apprentices at the ICTSkills championships in September, Gian Klug from the company’s Internal IT team has been selected to represent Switzerland at the upcoming WorldSkills 2026 Competition in Shanghai.
Gian Klug, who joined Adfinis in 2020 in Basel, has been selected as a member of the Swiss team participating in WorldSkills 2026, which will take place in Shanghai from September 22 to 27. Together with Luc Fisch, a Security Analyst at Clue Security Services AG in Zurich, Gian will represent Switzerland in the competition’s Cyber Security category. The selection of the Swiss team for WorldSkills follows the results of the ICTSkills championships that formed part of SwissSkills 2025, which serves as a national qualifier. In these championships, Gian achieved second place in the Cyber Security category. For Gian, the ability to participate in WorldSkills 2026 is a highlight of his career to date.
“This competition is a huge opportunity for me and my career. I’m very glad that Adfinis is supporting me, both in my apprenticeship and my development along the way. Being able to attend WorldSkills in Shanghai is very exciting and I will try my best to compete for my country!”
– Gian Klug, DevOps Engineer, Adfinis
The WorldSkills Competition, often referred to as the Olympics of Skills, is the largest vocational education and skills excellence event in the world. It aims to promote vocational skills, international collaboration, and workforce development on a global stage. Held once every two years, gathers the best young professionals, typically under the age of 25, from over 80 countries. The participants compete in around 60 different "skills" over six days of competition.
The Cyber Security competition is one of the newer WorldSkills disciplines, introduced in the 2019 competition to reflect the critical importance of digital defence. Competitors typically work together in teams to tackle real-world challenges involving digital forensics, network defence, and penetration testing. Manuel Bürge, coach for the Swiss WorldSkills team 2026, highlighted the relevance of the Cyber Security category.
"Gian has shown an impressive level of precision, perseverance and technical maturity throughout the entire selection phase. He earned his spot through consistent performance under pressure, out-of-the-box thinking. His qualification reflects the high standard we expect from a future world champion. I am confident that Gian will represent Switzerland with the same discipline and excellence he has shown all year."
– Manuel Bürge, Chief Expert Cyber Security, SwissSkills
Adfinis CEO Nicolas Christener also recognized the incredible talent of Gian and other colleagues at Adfinis, where cybersecurity is a key focus of the company’s Security Journey solutions.
“I’m incredibly proud of the outstanding achievements of our Adfinis participants at ICTSkills 2025, which have led to Gian’s selection for the WorldSkills 2026 Swiss team. In addition to Gian’s placing, Arthur Deierlein from our Development team won first place in the Cyber Security category, and Marlon Moser from our Classic IT team achieved sixth place in Cloud Computing. These results are a fantastic testament to the strength of Switzerland’s dual education system, and shows what’s possible when personal ambition, a supportive environment, and top-notch training come together. I couldn’t be more excited to see Gian showcase his skills and expertise on a global stage, addressing such a crucial area as cybersecurity.”
– Nicolas Christener, Chief Executive Officer, Adfinis
Gian Klug completed his apprenticeship at Adfinis as a Computer Scientist, specializing in platform development. He now works as a DevOps Engineer in the Security Team of Adfinis’s Internal IT Department. Adfinis is a strong advocate for open and transparent IT solutions, as part of the company’s purpose to strengthen the digital backbone of society with robust and reliable open source solutions that the world can depend on every day. Transparency is a vital component of cybersecurity, as it builds trust with stakeholders, strengthens security practices, and ensures accountability. Combined with a commitment to excellence, Gian’s growing knowledge in this area further strengthens the depth of security know-how Adfinis brings in delivering robust and reliable solutions across virtually any industry.
We wish Gian, Luc, their fellow participants on the Swiss team, and all other competitors for WorldSkills 2026 the best of luck as they prepare for the global stage in Shanghai!