Board of Directors

Dr. Thomas Wellauer

Swiss citizen, Chairman of the Board since 15 March 2020, elected until 2026. Education: PhD in Chemical Engineering, ETH Zurich. Master's degree in Business Economics, University of Zurich.

Career

Before he became Chairman of the Board of SIX, Thomas Wellauer was Group COO at Swiss Re from 2010 to 2019. Prior to this, he held executive board positions in multiple industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. Among other roles, Thomas Wellauer served on the executive committees of Winterthur Insurance, Credit Suisse, Novartis, and Swiss Re. During his career, he also joined the boards of directors of several global companies, including Munich Re, Syngenta, and Aegon, as an independent member. He started his career at McKinsey & Company, where he was a senior partner working in Zurich, Tokyo, and New York. 

Further Activities and Mandates

• Member of the Board, Aegon Ltd., Netherlands/Bermuda
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees, University Hospital Zurich (USZ) Foundation, Zurich
• Member of the Board, Economiesuisse, Zurich
• Chairman of the Nomination Committee, Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce,  Zurich
• Member of the Board, SCION Association, Luzern

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Belén Romana García

Spanish citizen, member of the Board since 1 November 2020, elected until 2026. Education: Degree in Economics and Business Administration from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Executive Program on Disruptive Technologies, Singularity University, California. Executive Program Digital Business, The Valley Digital School.

Career

Bélen Romana García was formerly director general for Economic Policy as well as head of the Treasury in the Spanish Ministry of Economy. She also served as a director at the Spanish central bank (Banco de España) and the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). Prior to that, Bélen Romana García was a director at the Instituto de Crédito Oficial and other entities on behalf of the Ministry of Economy in Spain. She served as a non-executive director of Banesto, Ageas NV and Aviva PLC and Aviva Italia Holding S.p.A. and was executive chair of Sociedad de Gestión de Activos Procedentes de la Reestructuración Bancaria, S.A. (SAREB). Other previous commitments include memberships on the board of trustees of the Digital Future Society and on the advisory boards of Inetum and TribalData. Bélen Romana García started her career in consulting and fixed income trading.

Further Activities and Mandates

• Member of the Board of Directors, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME)
• Member of the Board of Directors, Santander Group, Madrid
• Member of the Board of Directors, Inditex, Arteixo
• Member of the Board of Directors, Werfen SA, Barcelona
• Advisor to Artá Capital, Madrid
• Director of the Leadership Hub Program, IE University, Madrid

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Andy Kollegger

Swiss citizen, member of the Board since 26 April 2021, elected until 2026. Education: Swiss Certified Banking Specialist. Stanford Executive Program.

Career

Andy Kollegger has been head Corporate & Institutional Clients (CIC) Institutional & Multinational Banking and a member of the executive management of UBS Switzerland since 2018. He has a track record of multiple managing and leading positions within UBS in different business units. Previous roles include global head Bank for Banks Relationships from 2011 to 2015, global head Platform Distribution Capital Markets from 2010 to 2011, global co-head Client Execution Services from 2005-2010, and head Equity Finance Switzerland from 2000 to 2005. Andy Kollegger started his career at UBS Investment Bank in various positions in Zurich and London.

Further Activities and Mandates

• Member, Bretton Woods Committee
• Member of the Board, Doing Business in the USA Chapter, Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce
• Member of the Board, Statistisch-Volkswirtschaftliche Gesellschaft Basel (SVGBasel)

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Andreas E. F. Utermann

British and German citizen, member of the Board since 8 May 2023, elected until 2026. Education: Master’s degree in Economy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. Bachelor’s degree in Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. ASIP, CFA Society of the UK. Certified Banker, Deutsche Bank AG.

Career

Andreas E.F. Utermann has been chairman of the board of directors of Vontobel Holding AG since 2022 and a member of the board since 2021. He has a strong background in finance, with previous roles including those of CEO and global CIO of Allianz Global Investors Group. Prior to that, he spent 13 years in various positions at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers in London, most recently as global head and chief investment officer for equities.

Further Activities and Mandates

• Governor, Birkbeck, University of London, London UK
• Trustee, FT Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign, London, UK
• Governor, North London Collegiate School for girls, London, UK

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Dr. Jürg Bühlmann

Swiss citizen, member of the Board since 20 May 2016, elected until 2026. Education: PhD in Business Management, University of Zurich. Stanford Executive Program, Stanford University. Senior Executive Programme, London Business School.

Career

Jürg Bühlmann has been with Zürcher Kantonalbank since 1993 and is currently head of the Corporate Clients business unit and a member of the executive board. From 2012 to June 2019, he managed the Logistics business unit as a member of the executive board. Prior to this, he held various positions in different departments within the bank's Logistics, Corporate Real Estate, IT Project Management, and Controlling units.

Further Activities and Mandates

• Member of the Board of Trustees, Swisscanto Anlagestiftungen
• Member of the Board, Venture Incubator AG
• President of the Steering Committee Retail Banking, Swiss Bankers Association
• Member of the Board of the Foundation, Swiss GAAP FER

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André Helfenstein

Swiss and British citizen, member of the Board since 11 May 2020, elected until 2026. Education: Master’s degree in Business, University of St. Gallen, and certificate in Psychology and Sociology, Université de la Sorbonne.

Career

André Helfenstein has many years of national and international management experience in the finance and banking sector. He was CEO of Credit Suisse (Switzerland) Ltd., from 2020 to 2024, overseeing the bank’s business in the Swiss region. Since 2007 André Helfenstein has held various management positions in different areas of the business, both for private clients and for corporate and institutional clients at Credit Suisse. Before joining Credit Suisse, he spent more than ten years with Boston Consulting Group, most recently as a Partner and Managing Director.

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Sven Holstenson

Swiss citizen, member of the Board since 8 May 2023, elected until 2026. Education: Master in Business Administration, INSEAD. Master’s degree in Robotics and Bachelor’s degree in Microengineering, both from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. Certified International Investment Analyst, SFAA.

Career

In 2023, Sven Holstenson is a managing partner at Pictet Group. He has held various positions with Pictet since 2012, most recently as head of Europe, Pictet Wealth Management. Prior to that, he was a consultant for McKinsey & Company for two years and, earlier, a product manager for Procter & Gamble for three years.

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Søren Mose

Danish and Swiss citizen, member of the Board since 16 May 2014, elected until 2026. Education: Master’s degree in Business Administration, Henley Management College in the UK. Bachelor’s degrees in Banking and in Economics, Aarhus Business University in Denmark.

Career

Søren Mose has strong experience in banking and finance. He was CEO of Saxo Bank Switzerland from 2007 to 2014, and CEO of Jyske Bank in Switzerland from 2002 to 2007. From 1992 to 2002, he headed the private banking unit of Jyske Bank Gibraltar and was the subsidiary’s deputy CEO and a member of its board of directors. Prior to this, he was director of the HNWI department and a trader at Jyske Bank Denmark.

Further Activities and Mandates

• Chairman of the Board, SIX Securities Services AG
• Chairman of the Board, SIX X-Clear AG
• Chairman of the Board, SIX SIS AG, Zurich
• Member of the Board, SIX Exchange Regulation
• Chairman of the Board, TWINT AG
• Chairman of the Board, TWINT Acquiring AG
• Member of the Board, BlackRock Asset Management Switzerland AG
• Member of the Board, Tissot Velodrome Suisse AG
• Chairman of the Board of Directors, Altoo AG 

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David Jiménez-Blanco Carrillo de Albornoz

Spanish citizen, member of the Board since 1 November 2020, elected until 2026. Education: Degree in Economics and Business Studies from CUNEF University, Madrid.

Career

Before being elected to the BME Board of Directors in 2018, David Jiménez-Blanco Carrillo de Albornoz held a number of senior executive positions with different companies, among them Abengoa, World Duty Free SpA, and BK Partners. Prior to that, he was an investment banker, with Merrill Lynch from 2006 to 2009 (as chairman and CEO of Spain and Portugal and member of the EMEA operating committee) and with Goldman Sachs International in London and Madrid from 1995 to 2006 (as a managing director from 2000). In addition, he was a non-executive director of several companies, including Atento (a subsidiary of the Telefónica Group) and Axiare Patrimonio. He started his career as an investment analyst and fund manager.

Further Activities and Mandates

• Chairman of the Board, Madrid Stock Exchange (BME Exchange)
• Deputy Chairman of the Board, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles S.A. (BME)
• Chairman of the Board, Member of the Investment Committee, Gawa Capital Partners, SGEIC, S.A.
• Member of the Board of Trustees, Fundación Pablo Horstmann
• Chairman of the Advisory Board, CUNEF University, Madrid
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Fundación Amigos de la Alhambra

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Roger Reist

Swiss citizen, member of the Board since 8 May 2023, elected until 2026. Education: Master’s degree in Banking and Finance, University of Zurich. Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA). Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA).

Career

In 2020, Roger Reist became head of Corporate Clients, Treasury & Markets Division and joined the executive board of Raiffeisen Switzerland. From 2010 to 2020 he held various executive management positions at Zürcher Kantonalbank, most recently as head foreign exchange, banknotes and precious metals. Prior to this, he worked at UBS Investment Bank in various areas including securities lending, repo, and short-term interest rate trading. Roger Reist started his career as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers International and as an execution trader for equities and foreign exchange at Aargauische Kantonalbank.

Further Activities and Mandates

• Guest lecturer, Institute of Banking and Finance, University of Zurich

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Dr. Jürg Gutzwiller

Swiss citizen, member of the Board from 20 May 2019 to 8 May 2023. Education: Licentiate (equivalent to Master’s degree) in German and history, University of Basel, and Ph.D. Postgraduate degree in human resources (SNP-HWV).

Career

1987–1990 Employee then Head of the organizational unit of the Executive Board, Schweizerischer Bankverein. 1990–1993 Project Manager, Management Consulting, KPMG Fides (previously Häusermann AG). 1995–2002 Head Human Resources Management, Member of Management, RBA-Dienste AG. 2002–2007 Member of the Executive Board, RBA-Holding AG, and CEO, RBA Dienste AG. 2007–2009 Member of the Executive Board, RBA-Holding AG, and Deputy CEO, as well as Head Management Services, Entris Banking AG. 2009–2014 Member of the Executive Board, Department Head and Secretary to the Board of Directors, RBA-Holding AG. 2014–2015 Delegate to the Board of Directors and CEO, RGA-Holding AG, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Entris Banking AG. Since 2015 CEO, Entris Holding AG and Entris Banking AG (previously RBA-Holding).

Lorenz von Habsburg Lothringen

Austrian and Belgian citizen, member of the Board from 16 May 2014 to 8 May 2023.  Education: Graduate degree in Business Management from the Universities of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Innsbruck, Austria.

Career

E. Gutzwiller & Cie Banquiers, Basel: Since 1987 Director, since 1990 General Partner with unlimited liability and since 2021 limited Partner of E. Gutzwiller & Cie, Banquiers, Basel.

Herbert J. Scheidt

German and Swiss citizen, member of the Board from 1 January 2008 to 8 May 2023.  Education: MBA, University of New York; BA & MA in Economics, University of Sussex. 

Career

1982–1986 Various management positions at Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt and Essen. 1986–1990 Head of Eurobond Capital Market Team, Vice-President, Deutsche Bank Capital Corporation, New York. 1990–1993 Head of Corporate Finance, Director, Deutsche Bank Italy, Milan. 1993–1996 Head of Distribution, Managing Director, Private Banking division, Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt. 1996–2000 Head of Private Banking Europe and Middle East, Deputy CEO, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) S.A., Geneva. 2000 Head of Private Banking International, Deutsche Bank Group, Geneva, and member of Group Executive Committee, Wealth Management, Frankfurt. 2001 CEO, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) S.A., Geneva. 2002–May 2011 CEO, Vontobel Group, Zurich. Since May 2011 Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Vontobel AG and Vontobel Holding AG, Zurich.

Dr. Romeo Lacher

Swiss citizen, member of the Board from 1 January 2008 to 10 January 2017, Chairman of the Board from 10 January 2017 to 15 March 2020. Education: Graduate degree and Ph.D. in Business Administration, University of St. Gallen; AMP, Harvard Business School, Boston.

Career

From 1990 until 2016 at Credit Suisse in various management roles: 2004–2015 Member of the Private Banking Management Committee; 2004–2011 Global Head of Private Banking Operations; 2012–2014 Head Private Banking Western Europe. 2014–2015 Head Private Banking Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). 2016 Chief Operating Officer of the International Wealth Management Division and Member of the IWM Management Committee. 

Pierre-Olivier Bouée

French citizen, member of the Board from 20 May to 6 December 2019. Education: Master of Science in Finance from École des hautes études commerciales, Paris. Master Corporate Law from Faculté de droit Jean Monnet, Paris. Post-Graduate in civil service at École nationale d’administration, Paris.

Career

1997–2000 Treasury Department, Ministry of Economy and Finance. 2000–2004 Associate Principal, McKinsey & Company. 2004–2008 Director Group Strategy and Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Aviva plc. 2008–2015 Number of executive level positions, including Group Chief Risk Officer and Chief of Staff to CEO, Prudential plc. 2015–2019 Chief Operating Officer Credit Suisse.

Urs Beeler

Swiss citizen, member of the Board from 19 May 2017 to 20 May 2019. Education: Banking Specialist, Commercial School of the Chamber of Commerce, Zurich; various educational programs, including: Studies in Economics and Administration, Institute for Financial Analysis (IFFA), Zurich and Mathematics and Statistics, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences - Institute for Financial Services Zug (IFZ), Zug.

Career

Since 1997 at Credit Suisse AG in Zurich: 1997–2001 Head Asset & Liability Management / Money Market, Business Unit Credit Suisse Retail Banking; 2001–2005 Head Asset & Liability Management / Interest Rate Risk Management, CS Financial Services; 2005–2008 Treasury Mandate as Head Asset & Liability Management and Investment Banking Mandate as Head Short-term Interest Rate & Interest Rate Products Trading Switzerland; 2008–2010 Co-Head Fixed Income Trading Switzerland; 2011–2015 Head Fixed Income Trading Switzerland. 2015–2017: Head Trading Switzerland of Credit Suisse AG, Zurich; 2017–2018 Head International Trading Solutions Switzerland; 2016–2018 Member of the Management Board of Credit Suisse (Switzerland) AG, Zurich. Since 2018 Head Banking Book Oversight.

Dr. Patrick Gisel

Swiss citizen, term of office from 16 May 2014 to 13 November 2018. Education: Business Management and Ph.D. at the University of St. Gallen. 

Career

1987–1993 Swiss Bank Cooperation, Zurich. 1993-1994 Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, Zurich. 1994–1999 Department Head at the Union Bank of Switzerland / UBS, Zurich. Raiffeisen Switzerland Cooperative, St. Gallen: 2000–2005 Head of the Corporate Development, Finance and IT Department, 2002–2015 Vice Chairman of the Executive Board and from 2005 to 2015 Market Department Head. From October 2015 to 12 November 2018 CEO of Raiffeisen Switzerland.

Dr. Barbara Kessler

Swiss national, term of office from 26 May 2011 to 21 May 2016. Education: Graduate degree in Economics from the University of St. Gallen; Ph.D. in Social and Economic Sciences from Vienna University of Economics and Business; federally certified Swiss tax expert.

Career

1979–1993 Tax advisor, partner of the tax department, Arthur Andersen AG, Zurich. 1993–2002 Head of the tax department, Zurich Financial Services, Zurich. 2003–2016 Head of Tax and Insurance, Novartis International AG, Basel.

Dr. Philipp Halbherr

Swiss citizen, term of office from 20 September 2008 to 21 May 2016. Education: Graduate degree and Ph.D. in Economics, University of Zurich.

Career

1983–1987 National research program No. 9 “Econo­mic development,” assistant to head of program. 1984–1987 Lecturer, HWV, Zurich. 1977–2003 Various lec­turing assignments, University of Zurich. 1987–1989 Research grant from Swiss National Science Foundation, Stanford University, USA. Zürcher Kantonalbank, Zurich: 1995–2000 Head of Central Risk Controlling. 1991–2002 Head of Economics. 1999–2004 Head of Treasury. 2002–2005 Head of Financial Management. 2005–2008 Head of the Finance business unit. 2008-2014 Head of Institutionals & Multinationals (formerly Investment Banking).

Hermann Wirz

Swiss citizen, term of office from 27 October 2009 to 21 May 2016. Education: Business Administration. Program for Executive Development, IMD, Lausanne

Career

1968–1969 Financial and Management Accounting, Elektrizitätswerk Luzern, Switzerland. 1969–1971 Management Accounting, Shell Switzerland. 1972 Internship Factory Administration, Nestlé England and Spain. 1973–1979 Head of Factory Administration, Industrial Accounting and Budgeting, Nestlé Venezuela. 1980–1984 Manager Operational Control Latin America, Nestec Switzerland. 1984–1989 Director Financial & Control, Nestlé Peru. 1989–1995 Director Finance & Control, Nestlé Venezuela. 1995–2000 Executive Vice President and CEO, Nestlé Mexico. 2001–2013 Chief Accounting Officer, Nestlé SA, Switzerland. 2014 Group Finance Nestlé SA.  

Dr. Thomas P. Gottstein

Swiss citizen, member of the Board from 11 December 2019 to 12 May 2020. Education:  Degree in Business Administration and Economics, University of Zurich. Ph.D. in Finance and Accounting, University of Zurich.

Career

Prior to 1999 Group Controlling, Zurich and Telecoms Investment Banking and Equity Capital Markets, London, UBS. 1999–2002 Investment Banking Department Switzerland, Credit Suisse. 2002–2005 Head Equity Capital Markets Switzerland, Zurich, Credit Suisse. 2005–2007 Head Equity Capital Markets Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavia, London, Credit Suisse. 2007–2009 Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets EMEA, Credit Suisse. 2010–2013 Head of Investment Banking Coverage Switzerland, Credit Suisse. 2014–2015 Head of Premium Clients Switzerland & Global External Asset Managers, Credit Suisse. 2015–2020 CEO Swiss Universal Bank. 2016–2020 CEO Credit Suisse (Switzerland). Since 2020 Chief Executive Officer Credit Suisse.

Stefan Helfenstein

Swiss citizen, member of the Board from May 2016 until November 2020. Education: Graduate degree in Business Management, University of St. Gallen. Program for Executive Development, IMD Lausanne.

Career

1992–1995 Assistant Finance, Hirz Frischprodukte AG. 1995–1998 International Auditor, Nestec SA. 1999–2000 Corporate Controller, Osem group of companies Israel. 2000–2003 Finance Controller, Shanghai Fuller Foods Co, Ltd, China. 2003–2005 Finance Controller (CFO), Nestlé Taiwan Ltd. 2005–2008 Corporate Controller, Nestlé China Ltd.; 2008–2013 Head of Finance & Control (CFO), Nestlé Greater China Region. Since 2013 Head of Group Accounting & Reporting (Senior Vice President) Nestlé AG Switzerland.

Shannon Thyme Klinger

US citizen, member of the Board from May 2016 until November 2020. Education: University of Notre Dame (USA), B.A. in Psychology; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA), School of Law, J.D. with Honours.

Career

1996–2005 Alston & Bird LLP, Atlanta, GA, and Washington, DC, USA. 2005–2007 Vice‐President, Marketing Compliance and Associate Counsel, Barr Laboratories/Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Washington, DC, USA. 2008–2010 Senior Vice President and General Counsel NAFTA, Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc, Marietta, GA, USA. 2010–2011 Partner Mayer Brown LLP, Washington, DC. 2011–2012 General Counsel North America Sandoz Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA. 2012–2016 Global Legal Head and General Counsel, Sandoz International GmbH, Holzkirchen, Germany. 2016–2018 Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and Head of Litigation Novartis, Basel. Since 1 April 2018 Member of the Executive Committee of Novartis and since 1 June 2018 Group General Counsel of Novartis, Basel.

Dr. Sabine Keller-Busse

Swiss and German citizen, member of the Board from 18 June 2012 until 26 April 2021. Education: Graduate degree in Business Administration, Ph.D. in Economics, University of St. Gallen.

Career

1995–2001 Management Consultant, 2001–2008 Partner, McKinsey & Company, Zurich. 2008–2010 Head Private Clients Region Zurich, Credit Suisse. Since 2010 Group Managing Director, UBS, Zurich: 2010–2014 Chief Operating Officer UBS Switzerland, since 2014 Group Head Human Resources and since January 2016 member of the UBS AG Group and UBS AG Executive Board. Since January 2018 Chief Operating Officer of UBS as well as President of the Executive Board of UBS Business Solutions AG. Since October 2019 additionally President UBS Europe, Middle East and Africa.