Vontobel to strengthen Board of Directors with family members and independent expertise

 

Representatives of the fourth generation of the owner families put forward for election to the Vontobel Board of Directors – David Cole nominated for election to the Board of Directors – Dominic Brenninkmeyer to stand down from the Board of Directors at the 2016 General Meeting

 

On 15 December 2015, the Board of Directors of Vontobel Holding AG, Zurich, decided to put forward Dr. Maja Baumann, partner at the Zurich law firm REBER, and Björn Wettergren, partner at etventure Holding, Zurich/Berlin, for election to the Board of Directors at the General Meeting on 19 April 2016 as representatives of the major shareholders.

 

Maja Baumann and Björn Wettergren, who have also worked for the company during their careers, represent the fourth generation of the Vontobel and de la Cour families, who have stood behind Vontobel’s independence and Swiss culture for decades. The willingness to take up seats on the Board of Directors underscores the families’ close ties to the company, and their desire to maintain their significant influence on the company going forward in the interests of entrepreneurial freedom.

 

The support of both owner families has been a crucial factor in Vontobel’s development into a dynamic wealth and asset manager, with its operations spanning the globe and with some 1,500 employees in the three business units Private Banking, Asset Management and Investment Banking.

 

A motion will also be put to the General Meeting to elect David Cole, Chief Financial Officer of Swiss Re Ltd, to the Board of Directors. His appointment would strengthen the board by adding an independent member with extensive and long-standing international expertise as a Chief Risk Officer and CFO of major listed companies, and who is well versed in the Zurich financial centre.

 

"We are delighted that we have been able to gain two members from the owner families to serve on the Board of Directors. Maja Baumann and Björn Wettergren will bolster the board with their experience and the fresh impetus they bring. Both these nominations underscore the tradition and ongoing development of the company. One of Vontobel’s key facets is that its owners paved the way at an early stage for the company to be able to benefit from the strengths of being a family business, while also profiting from the possibilities of the capital market, and the transparency and modern governance this entails. David Cole will bring to the board extensive financial market knowledge gained over many years in the business," said Herbert J. Scheidt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vontobel Holding AG.

 

"In Maja Baumann and Björn Wettergren, the next generation of our families is taking on responsibility for the company, which has solid foundations in terms of both its business and the people behind it," said Dr. Hans Vontobel, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vontobel Holding AG.

 

"I am delighted to see representatives of the next generation, who embody our core values of performance and trust, showing their commitment to playing a role in our top management. This step is crucial if Vontobel is to remain a family business," said Dr. Hans-Dieter Vontobel, Chairman of the Vontobel Foundation.

 

With the election of these new members, Dominic Brenninkmeyer will stand down from the Board of Directors. Dominic Brenninkmeyer, who is a member of the Nomination and Compensation Committee, joined the Board of Directors in 2013 and has enhanced it above all with his insights into family-run businesses. Board Chairman Herbert J. Scheidt thanked Dominic Brenninkmeyer for his considerable commitment to Vontobel over the past years.

 

Contacts

Media Relations:	Peter Dietlmaier	+41 (0)58 283 59 30
Investor Relations:	Michel Roserens	+41 (0)58 283 76 97

 

 

Information for editorial staff:

 

Dr. Maja Baumann (Press photo)

 

After completing her studies in Zurich, Tours and New York, Dr. Maja Baumann began her career as a lawyer in New York, Zurich and Geneva with the renowned law firms Covington & Burling LLP and Lenz & Staehelin. She gained further experience at Vontobel, where she worked in the Compliance, Internal Audit and Corporate Finance units. In 2014, she left Lenz & Staehelin to join the law firm REBER as a partner, where she specializes in commercial and corporate law, M&A, real estate law, and banking and capital markets law.
In addition to her work as a lawyer, she lectures and publishes at the SVIT Swiss Real Estate School, among others. She has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of BlicoFinRe AG since 2015 and a member of the Board of Directors of Vontrust AG since 2007. She has been a member of the Foundation Board of the Vontobel Foundation for eight years. Maja Baumann is a Swiss citizen.

 

Björn Wettergren (Press photo)

 

Björn Wettergren is a partner at etventure GmbH. Over the past five years, the company has been successfully shaping the digital revolution of society and industry, creating digital business for renowned German industrial firms and financial services providers, among others. Prior to joining etventure, Björn Wettergren spent five years with Vontobel, working in all three business units as a project manager and as a portfolio manager. At the same time, after graduating from Lund University, Sweden, he successfully completed an MBA programme at the University of St. Gallen.
Björn Wettergren has been a member of the Board of Directors of Vontrust AG since 2011. He holds both Swiss and Swedish citizenship.

 

David Cole

 

David Cole has been a member of the Group Executive Committee of Swiss Re Ltd since 1 March 2011, and Group Chief Financial Officer since 1 May 2014, prior to which he served as its Chief Risk Officer. Before joining Swiss Re, David Cole spent 26 years with ABN AMRO Holding in the Netherlands, Brazil and the US, where he held a range of managerial positions. After graduating in business administration from the University of Georgia, USA, and Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands, David Cole made his career with the Dutch financial services provider, working his way up from trainee to member of the Board of Managing Directors, and also served as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer. David Cole holds both US and Dutch citizenship.

 

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