Corporate Governance Excellence 2021

Eflamm Mordrelle has been a journalist with “Finanz und Wirtschaft” since 2015, covering technology stocks and capital goods while specializing on all aspects of Corporate Governance. Before joining FuW, Eflamm spent a decade in the corporate world as head of thought leadership at the Adecco Group, and in charge of financial and marketing communications at Nobel Biocare, a healthcare company. He started his career in consulting, asset management, and investor relations.

Jan Schwalbe is the Editor-In -Chief of the Swiss Business paper «Finanz und Wirtschaft». He has covered business and the economy for more than 20 years and has conducted countless interviews with international business leaders, economists and strategists. He has been published in Businessweek, Bloomberg News, “Finanz und Wirtschaft” and The Daily Telegraph. Before taking his role as Editor-in Chief he was the Head of the Zurich Bureau of Bloomberg News and was working for CNN Money. Jan Schwalbe was on the Board of the Foreign Press Association in New York and a correspondent in New York and London for over a decade.

Lic oec HSG, Nestlé Inspectorate, Schindler Lifts: CEO of Schindler Schweiz and Group CFO, Sika: CEO, Member of the Board of Directors of Bucher Industries and CRH Dublin, since 2012 Advisory Board CRCI Hong Kong, since 2014 Chair of the Board of Directors of Conzzeta, various roles within advisory boards in Switzerland, Germany, China.

Attila Castiglioni (52) studied business in St. Gallen (Global Executive MBA HSG, University of St. Gallen, SKU Advanced Management Program, Higher College for Business and Administration, St. Gallen). After 18 years in various sales and management roles at IBM Switzerland in Zurich, in 2011 he made the switch to V-ZUG AG, where he initially managed the Sales and marketing Department and, since 2015, has been managing the Sales/Marketing and Service & Support, as a director and member of the management board. Attila Castiglioni lives with his wife and two sons in Uitikon Waldegg, in the Canton of Zurich. His hobbies are jogging, golf and spending time with his family.

Dorothee Deuring is a corporate finance specialist, with deep knowledge of the life science, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. She serves on the Board and Audit Committee of publicly listed Lonza AG (Switzerland, Biopharma), Bilfinger SE (Germany, engineering), and Elementis plc (UK, specialty chemicals), as well as Axpo Holding AG (Switzerland, power generation). Former mandates include the Board of Piqur Therapeutics AG (Switzerland, oncology), and Röchling SE (Germany, high performance polymers). Until 2014 Dorothee was responsible for UBS’ European Corporate Finance Advisory Group. Prior to UBS, Dorothee served at Roche’s Corporate Finance and Business Development, where she analyzed and executed approximately 40 strategic life science transactions.  She started her career at McKinsey’s pharmaceutical practice, and was Managing Director the Austrian family business, K. Deuring & Company, active in the development and production of food ingredients. Dorothee holds a Maîtrise ès Sciences degree in chemistry from Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD.

Kurt Haerri is Senior Vice President, Head New Installation Business Schindler China Ltd. He graduated in 1996 at the University of St. Gallen as an Executive MBA HSG and before in 1990 as Mechanical Engineer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences. Kurt Haerri joined Schindler Switzerland in 1987 as a Sales Engineer for Heavy Freight Elevators. He worked for Schindler in China from 1996 to 2003. Later he served as President of the Top Range Division, the global competence- and profit centre for Schindler’s Skyscraper Business. From 2013 to 2015 he was Head of Global Sales & Marketing of the Schindler Group. Since October 2017, Kurt Haerri is back in China leading Schindler’s New Installation Business in China. From 2006 to 2014, Kurt Haerri was the President of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Since 2012, Kurt Haerri is member of the Board of Directors of Komax Holding, a High-Tech company listed at the Zurich stock exchange. Since 2004 he assumes the responsibility at ETH Zuerich as Head Asia Module of an Executive MBA program. Kurt Haerri was born in 1962 and is living in Shanghai. He is married and a father of a son.

Barbara Heller is a founding and managing partner of SWIPRA Services AG, Zurich, a Swiss corporate governance specialist and consulting company for the executive boards of public companies and institutional investors, in the area of responsible investment. Ms Heller also holds positions as a member of the bank council and strategic committee of the Graubündner Kantonalbank (from 1.4.2021), a member of the investment committee at the Transparenta Collective Foundation for Occupational Pensions, Aesch/BL, Vice President of the CFO Forums Schweiz, the Red Cross, head of the judging panel for the Swiss CFO Awards and as a consultant at Lemongrass Communications AG, Zurich. Until 31.3.2021, Ms Heller also served as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit committee of Bank Cler AG. After completing her studies, from 1991 Barbara Heller was employed in the field of international corporate financing at the Zurich-based Bank Leu (Credit Suisse), eventually serving as head of the Capital Market/Financial Engineering division. Between 1997 and 2005, Ms Heller served as a board member at the Bank Vontobel, in the field of investment banking for capital market, M&A and private equity transactions for companies in various industries, both domestically abroad, and oversaw various investor groups and administrative boards. After her career in banking, Frau Heller served as Chief Financial Officer for Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) until 2012, and as a board member for various subsidiaries. Barbara Heller has a degree in economics from the University of Zurich (MBA) specialising in financial economics, empirical economic research, and Banking & Insurance. She has completed various training courses, both at home and abroad, and at various points has been a speaker at specialist seminars and management seminars in the fields of corporate governance, finance management and corporate finance.

Adrian Hofer has worked for the Adecco Group since May 2017, and since June 2020 has been responsible for the group strategy of the Fortune 500 company; prior to this, as Head of Digital Operations, he managed the development of digital business models. From 2001 until 2017 he held various roles at the Boston Consulting Group, from 2012 serving as Partner & Managing Director with a focus on the consumer goods industry and organisational development. Since 2004 he has been a member of the Board of Directors of Appenzeller Alpenbitter AG, manufacturer of Appenzeller Alpenbitters, which was founded in 1902 and still remains under family ownership.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Lengwiler (1959) studied and graduated from the University of Zurich. Since 1897 he has been a business lecturer at the University of Lucerne, where his achievements include the development of the Zug Institute for Financial Services (Institut für Finanzdienstleistungen Zug, IFZ), which he managed for twenty years. Today, as a visiting lecturer, he heads up the Administrative Board CAS training course at the University of Lucerne and is involved in a practical research project addressing issues of corporate governance. From 2001 until 2016 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the LUKB. Since 2012 he has volunteered on the Bank Council of the Swiss National bank, and since 2016 on the Board of Directors of the BEKB. Since its foundation ten years ago, he has been Vice President of swissVR, an association for executive board members.

Dieter Meier began his professional career as a performance artist and experimental filmmaker. Since 1969, his works have been screened at various film festivals and in private exhibitions (Documenta 5, Kunsthaus Zürich, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Bob Wilsons Watermill Center New York, Kunsthaus Aarau). Together with Boris Blank, in 1979 Dieter Meier founded the musical group YELLO, which is considered a pioneer in electronic pop music and has enjoyed international success. He operates a farming, nut plantation and organic viniculture business (“Ojo de Agua“) in Argentina. In collaboration with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, ZHAW) he developed a cold-extraction method for the manufacture of chocolate, the flavour of which is 100% extracted from the cacao beans. A corresponding factory is to go into production in Freienbach this year.

The former Federal and Government Councillor serves and the president and/or a member of board of directors and volunteers with non-profit organisations and projects. The lawyer and chartered accountant is familiar with government work on various levels of Swiss state system, as well as within an international context. Due to her long-term service within management roles at PWC and Novartis, she possesses diverse experience within the private sector. This ranges from multinational corporations to internationally active SMEs and family companies within the most diverse of sectors, as well as public companies.

Having graduated from the Cantonal College of Schwyz (Kantonsschule des Kollegiums Schwyz), Thomas D. Meyer completed a degree in Business Studies at the University of St. Gallen, acquiring the lic.oec. HSG qualification. He began his career in the corporate consultancy firm, Accenture, where he was employed from 1987-2020, ultimately serving as Country Managing Director and CEO of Accenture Switzerland from 2003 onwards. Between 2012 and 2017 he was Managing Director Insurance Industry Europe, Africa and Latin America. Between 2016 and 2019 he held positions as Managing Director of Accenture Digital Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Russia. Since June 2020, Thomas D. Meyer has been a partner at BLR Partners AG, serving in the areas of Advisory, Investments and Investment Management. He is married, has 5 sons, and lives in Zollikon ZH.

Markus Neuhaus holds positions on the committees of various corporations, such as Barry Callebaut, Galenica, Baloise, Orior and Jacobs Holding. After studying law, he began his career at PwC Switzerland, where he eventually served as chair from 2012-2019. Markus Neuhaus also has considerably extensive professional experience working in numerous top management positions, including on an international level.

Before he came to Quintet, James was Managing Director und Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing at UBS Wealth Management. His career has taken him to positions in London, Hong Kong and Zurich. In 2018 he was selected by the Financial News as one of the “Rising Stars” under 40 within the asset management industry. Under his leadership, UBS was on multiple occasions awarded the title of Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investment by specialist bodies such as Euromoney, Asia Private Banker and the Financial Times. James graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA (Honours) in modern history, and with an MBA (High Honours) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is CFA-certified.

Ines Pöschel is a partner at Kellerhals Carrard Zürich KlG. She stands apart on account of her vast experience within the field of company and capital market law, including corporate governance issues, and she regularly oversees the M&A transactions of private and stock-listed companies, including the settlement of disputes during the implementation phase. Alongside this, she regularly advises companies and management staff in matters relating to employment contracts, and also with regard to liability issues and disputes.

Daniel Staffelbach (born 1966) grew up in the Canton of Bern and graduated from the University of Bern in 1993, with a degree in law. After working as a legal consultant for the insurance company, Zurich, he managed the legal department of the SWICA health organisation. Since 1999 he has been litigating as a lawyer for Walder Wyss and consults in the area of the healthcare and insurance business, primarily within the regulatory segment. Within this context, he also volunteers on various service provider committees within the health sector.

Prior to working at BlackRock, Mirjam Staub-Bisang was CEO and co-founder of Independent Capital Group AG, a Zurich-based investment company specialising in sustainable investments. Mirjam Staub-Bisang also served as a non-executive member of the boards of multiple companies, as well as Chair and member of the investment committees of several institutional investors, such as pension funds and foundations. Prior to this she held management positions in the fields of Asset Management and Private Equity at Commerzbank, Swiss Life and Quadrant, as well as at Merrill Lynch in London and Zürich. She is currently a non-executive board member for the global shoe retailer, Bata. Mirjam Staub-Bisang graduated in law from the University of Zurich and acquired an MBA from INSEAD. She is author of “Sustainable Investing for Institutional Investors: Risks, Regulations, Strategies”, which is considered a reference work, and is co-author of the second edition of “Infrastructure as an Asset Class”. In 2009 she was elected as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and is currently a member of the WEF Global Future Council.

Jakob Stott is Group CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of the Quintet Private Bank. Previously, Stott was Vice-Chair of UBS Wealth Management. In this role he managed the global growth agenda for the company’s asset management, with a head office in Zürich, and simultaneously provided personal consultation to select customers. Prior to this he was head of UBS Wealth Management Europe, responsible for 3,000 employees at 45 locations spread across the entire continent. Between 1982 and 2010, Stott held a series of positions, with increasing levels of responsibility, at J.P. Morgan and climbed to the position of Chief Operating Officer for the EMEA region.

Prof. Dr. Michael Süss was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors of Oerlikon at the 2015 annual general meeting. From 2015 until 2016, he was CEO of the German company, Georgsmarienhütte Holding, a long-established company within the steel industry. Prior to this he was a member of the management board of Siemens AG, and CEO of Siemens Energy Sector. From 2008 until 2011, as CEO, he took on the management of the Fossil Power Generation Division of Siemens Energy Sector, and from October 2006 until December 2007 he served on the board of the Siemens AG Power Generation Group. Having held various positions at BMW, IDRA Presse S.p.A and Porsche AG, in 1999 Prof. Dr. Süss 1999 was elected to the Board of Directors of Mössner AG. Following its acquisition by the Georg Fischer Group, he was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of GF Mössner GmbH. From 2001 until 2006, Prof. Dr. Süss was COO at MTU Aero Engines AG, where he made a significant contribution to the company’s flotation. From May 2009 until July 2018 he was a member of the Herrenknecht AG supervisory board. He completed his degree in mechanical engineering at the Munich Technical University (TU München), and in 1994 he completed a doctorate at the Institute for Ergonomics and Industrial Science/Process Management at the University of Kassel (Dr. rer. pol.). On 29 October 2015, Prof. Dr. Süss was awarded the title of “Honorary Professor at the TU München”.

Dr. Suzanne Thoma has been CEO of the BKW Group since 2013. Suzanne Thoma studies chemical engineering at the ETH Zürich and graduated in this specialist field. Four around 10 years she held management roles, both domestically and abroad, at Ciba Spezialitätenchemie AG (now BASF AG). As CEO of Rolic Technologies AG, she managed a start-up specialising in high-tech materials and technology licences. Prior to switching to BKW, she managed the WICOR Group, an international automotive supply company based in Rapperswil.

Since 2017, Andreas Umbach has been a professional board member, holding various international positions. From 2002 until 2017 he was President and CEO/COO of Landis+Gyr. Prior to his service as CEO, Mr Umbach was President of the Metering Division within the Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution Group. Prior to working in metrology, Mr Umbach held various other positions at Siemens. Mr Umbach has an MBA from the University of Texas in Austin, as well as a Master of Science (Diplom-Ingenieur) in mechanical engineering from the Berlin Technical University (Technischen Universität Berlin).