Private Banking Executive Moves

Q2 2025

Bank Syz

  • Reto Cueni was appointed Chief Economist as of 1 June 2025, after more than a decade at Vontobel, where he served in the same role for the past 5 years.
  • Gianluca Oderda joined on 1 June 2025 from UBS as Head of Discretionary Portfolio Management.
  • Grégory Diche has been named Head of Advisory as of 1 June 2025, also joining from UBS.

Banque Cantonale de Genève

  • Nicolas Mougeot has been appointed Chief Investment Officer as of 1 August 2025, leaving his position at leading Investment Strategy & Sustainability at Indosuez Wealth Management.

Bergos

  • Simon Wanzenried started as Chief Private Banking on 1 June 2025, also becoming the third member of the firm’s executive committee. He previously held senior roles at Credit Suisse and Julius Bär.

Berner Kantonalbank

  • Simon Wehrli was appointed Chief Information Officer in April 2025. He joins from Twint, where he held various leadership roles since 2017, most recently as Chief Information Officer. In his new role, Wehrli will focus on strengthening collaboration between BEKB and its subsidiary Aity AG and reinforcing the interface between IT and business.
  • In May 2026, Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter will step down as Chairwoman of Berner Kantonalbank’s Board after 12 years and be succeeded by Annelis Lüscher Hämmerli, a financial expert and current board member, who will leave her CFO role at Helvetia Group to ensure leadership continuity.

CV VC

  • Philipp Rickenbacher was named Chairman of the Board on 1 May 2025, succeeding Alex Wassmer, who will remain with the company as Vice Chairman.

Edmond de Rothschild Group

  • Eric de Tessières was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer in April 2025, leading all sustainability efforts across Asset Management and Private Banking. He brings nearly 20 years of experience, formerly COO of the Sustainability Center at BNP Paribas Asset Management.

Goldman Sachs

  • Pascal Meinherz has been appointed General Manager and will lead Private Wealth Management for Swiss and international clients, joining from another leadership role within Goldman Sachs.
  • Dr. Dominique Wohnlich, CEO of Goldman Sachs Switzerland, is leaving the firm after six years. He had been with Goldman Sachs since 2019 and played a key role in expanding the Swiss Private Wealth Management business.

Julius Bär

  • Ivan Ivanic, currently Chief Credit Officer, becomes Chief Risk Officer as of 1 July 2025, succeeding Dr. Oliver M. Bartholet, who is stepping down. The internal appointment is part of CEO Stefan Bollinger’s ongoing leadership restructuring.
  • Luigi Vignola and Rajesh Manwani were appointed Co-Heads of the newly created Global Products & Solutions division in April 2025, formed by merging the Markets and Wealth Management Solutions units; Manwani also joined the Global Wealth Management Committee (GWMC).
  • Yves Bonzon continued as Head of the now standalone CIO Office, reporting directly to CEO Stefan Bollinger and remaining part of the GWMC.
  • Carlos Recoder and Thomas Frauenlob were appointed Co-Heads of the new region Western Markets & Switzerland in April 2025, responsible for Switzerland, Western Europe, the Americas, and Intermediaries/Family Office clients.
  • Nicolas de Skowronski was appointed to the newly created position of Head of Digital Business Transformation as of 1 April 2025, reporting to COO Nic Dreckmann, also becoming Deputy COO and remaining on the GWMC.

LGT Bank

  • Pascal Pernet has been appointed Head of Private Banking, effective 1 November 2025. He succeeds Bruno Piller, who is retiring after more than 25 years with the bank. Pernet currently serves on the Executive Board of Graubündner Kantonalbank and previously worked at LGT Capital Partners.

Luzerner Kantonalbank

  • Beat Hodel will retire from Luzerner Kantonalbank on 1 March 2026; he led Corporate Clients & Private Banking since 2023 and was on the executive board since 2009, stepping down after 15+ years to focus on personal interests.

Migros Bank

  • Alois Schärli joined the Board of Directors on 1 May 2025, succeeding Isabel Stirnimann Schaller, who stepped down due to term limits. Schärli was long-time CFO and Deputy CEO of Berner Kantonalbank.
  • Stephan Hässig will become Head of Corporate Clients on 1 September 2025. He joins from UBS, replacing Olivier Häner, who held the role on an interim basis.

Post Finance

  • Claudio Gaugler will take over as Chief Financial Officer on 1 September 2025, joining from UBS. He succeeds Kurt Fuchs, who stepped down in February. Marc Bonfils will continue as interim CFO until the handover.

Raiffeisen

  • Gabriel Brenna has been named CEO, effective 1 December 2025. He succeeds Heinz Huber, who stepped down in December 2024. Brenna currently serves as Group CEO of Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB).

Schweizer Nationalbank

  • Christoph Ammann has been appointed by the Federal Council as the new Vice President of the Swiss National Bank’s Bank Council, effective from 1 May 2025, succeeding Romeo Lacher who stepped down at the end of April 2025.

Schwyzer Kantonalbank

  • Michel Degen has been formally appointed CEO effective 24 June 2025. He has been leading the bank ad interim since February, when predecessor Susanne Thellung moved to Zürcher Kantonalbank, previously serving as CFO and CRO.

SIX

  • Tomas Kindler became Head of Exchanges on 1 June 2025, succeeding Bjørn Sibberns. He had been in this role ad interim since January and with SIX for well over a decade.
  • Rafael Moral Santiago took over as Head Securities Services on 1 June 2025, succeeding José Manuel Ortiz. Santiago joined from HSBC in Hong Kong, where he was Global Head of Country Management for Securities Services.
  • Thomas Wellauer, Chairman of the Board of SIX Group, will not stand for re-election at the 2026 Annual General Meeting.
  • Patrick Farinato will become Chief Marketing & Communication Officer on 1 September 2025, succeeding Alain Bichsel, who will support the handover and remain involved in communications consulting. He brings extensive experience in marketing and communications, previously holding similar roles at Läderach Chocolatier Suisse, Bank Vontobel, Bosch, SAM Sustainable Asset Management and Man Group.

Smart Wealth Asset Management

  • Manuel Ebner, former Country Executive at Bank of America Switzerland, was appointed Chairman of the Board as of 1 June 2025.

Sygnum Bank

  • Chris Giancarlo, former chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), joined as Senior Policy Advisor on 1 May 2025. Known as "Crypto Dad" for his pro-digital assets stance before the U.S. Congress, he is expected to contribute regulatory expertise and strategic insight as Sygnum explores the U.S. market.
  • Gabriela Maria Payer was formally appointed Chairwoman of the Board after serving in the role ad interim since 1 September 2024, following the resignation of co-founder Luka Müller.
  • Pia Tischhauser, Swiss Re board member, and Vinod Kumar, Vice Chairman of private equity group Everstone, were appointed to the board.

UBS

  • Arezu Moghadam joined UBS as their Head of AI for the Wealth Management division in June 2025. She joined from J.P. Morgan, where she was the Global Head of Data Science for their Asset Management business.
  • Michael Bollinger will assume the role of Chief Investment Officer Switzerland during 2025. From mid-2025, he will start to take over the responsibility for Swiss franc investment strategies and drive the CIO-led value chain in Switzerland, working closely with Advisory & Sales, product specialists, and the investment team. He succeeds Daniel Kalt, who will shift his focus to Chief Economist duties but continue to lead the Swiss Investment Office during the transition until year-end. Bollinger will also retain his current responsibility as CIO for Global Emerging Markets.

Urner Kantonalbank

  • Lucien Berlinger was appointed CEO of Urner Kantonalbank, effective 1 October 2025, succeeding Christoph Bugnon after 15 years in leadership. He joins from Zürcher Kantonalbank, where he led digitalization and growth in private and corporate banking.

Valiant

  • Kathrin Wehrli was appointed Head of Corporate and Institutional Clients and member of the Executive Board at Valiant, effective September 2025. She brings broad leadership experience from UBS, Credit Suisse, and Raiffeisen, with a strong background in private and corporate banking as well as international strategy and transformation roles.

Vontobel

  • Tristan Buffet joined Vontobel on 1 May 2025 as COO for institutional clients, bringing his experience as former Global Head of the CIO Office at UBP to strengthen Vontobel’s asset management team.

Zuger Kantonalbank

  • Marcus Slöör was appointed Head of Wealth Management, effective 1 June 2025. He takes over responsibility for Private Banking, Wealth Services, and the Investment Office. Slöör brings extensive international wealth management experience, leading different Private Banking divisions at Credit Suisse and UBS, covering Europe and Southeast Asia.

 


 

Contact 

Dr. Matthias Oberholzer
Russell Reynolds Associates
Stampfenbachstrasse 5 8001 Zurich
Switzerland
Direct: +41-44-447-30-34
Mobile: +41-79-473-72-68
matthias.oberholzer@russellreynolds.com

Dr. Corrado Menghini
Russell Reynolds Associates
Stampfenbachstrasse 5 8001 Zurich
Switzerland
Direct: +41-44-447-30-33
Mobile: +41-79-261-92-42
corrado.menghini@russellreynolds.com