Georg Schubiger and Christel Rendu de Lint will lead Vontobel as Co-CEOs, to succeed Zeno Staub. Another executive is stepping down.

Vontobel's head of Wealth Management Georg Schubiger and Christel Rendu de Lint, head of Investments, will lead Vontobel as Co-CEOs, effective January 1, replacing Zeno Staub who announced earlier this year he is stepping down to become involved in politics, according to an announcement Tuesday.

Rendu de Lint was considered the favorite as an internal candidate for some time, while Schubiger was hardly up for debate. However, Rendu de Lint was also controversial, as her track record as head of Investment has been mixed so far. Having only joined Vontobel in May 2021, she hardly had the same internal support as Schubiger, who has been with the company since 2012.

More Involved in Swiss Civil Society

«Over the coming weeks and months, I look forward to supporting them both as they take on this additional role. I will be at their side in my capacity as CEO until the end of this year and then as a Vontobel employee from January 1, 2024, until the General Meeting of Shareholders,» Staub said of the appointments.

After 22 years at Vontobel, including 20 years as a member of the Executive Committee and 12 years as CEO, Staub is stepping down at the next General Meeting of Shareholders on April 9, to become more actively involved in Swiss civil society.

Another Job for Schubiger

In addition to performing their duties as Co-CEOs, Rendu de Lint and Schubiger will continue to serve as Head of Investments and Head of Wealth Management, respectively. Schubiger also becomes a member of the Executive Committee of Vontobel Holding, effective January 1. All appointments are subject to regulatory approval.

To ensure a smooth transition, Staub remains available to support the Co-CEOs until the General Meeting of Shareholders.

Asset Management Head Stepping Down

Vontobel also announced Marko Roeder, Head of Asset Management will take on a new role next year. He informed the Board of Directors he wanted to step down from his current role for personal reasons and to take on a new role within or outside the Group. Roeder was appointed Head of Asset Management in 2021 after having spent more than 10 years as Head of Sales.

Co-CEOs Bring Broad Experience

Rendu de Lint has been head of Investments and a member of the Executive Committee of Bank Vontobel AG and Vontobel Holding AG since January 13 of this year.  She joined Vontobel as deputy head of Investments in May 2021 from Union Bancaire Privée (UBP), where she built and managed a fixed-income boutique from the end of 2007 to the end of 2020. Before joining UBP, she was a senior fixed-income portfolio manager at Pictet. She began her career in the financial sector in 2000 at Morgan Stanley in London as a Senior Economist in Sell-Side Equity Research. 

Schubiger has been head of Wealth Management and a Member of the Executive Committee of Bank Vontobel, as well as chair of the Board of Vontobel SFA, since August 2012. He joined the firm in 2012 from Danske Bank Group, where he was chief operating officer and a member of the Group Executive Board. Before that, he spent several years as a member of the Executive Board and a Member of the Group's Management Committee of Sampo Bank in Finland. He began his career at McKinsey in Zurich and Helsinki in 1996.