Hans Vontobel, honorary chairman of Vontobel Holding, died on January 3rd, 2016 at the age of 100.
Hans Vontobel joined the then J. Vontobel & Co. in 1943, and under his leadership it became one of the leading internationally active investment advisory firms. He took over as chairman of the board of directors in 1981, and had served as honorary chairman since 1991, the company said in a statement today.
For many years, he was chairman of the Zurich stock exchange, a member of the board of directors of the Swiss Bankers Association and Neue Zuercher Zeitung, as well as chairman of the German-Swiss Chamber of Commerce.
Author and Publicist
A father of two daughters and a son, he was not only a passionate banker, he was also an author and publicist. He had an acute sense of civic awareness, and was a keen observer of his time. His life was greatly influenced by his love of nature, and by his commitment to a wide range of charitable causes.
As a philanthropist, Hans Vontobel will be remembered, among other things, for having set up the Vontobel Foundation, the Kreatives Alter Foundation, and the Lyra Foundation, which supports highly gifted young musicians.
Remaining Independent
As a prudent and far-sighted entrepreneur, he soon put his stamp on the house and also addressed his own transience with the transfer of significant stakes to the Vontobel Foundation and the family-controlled Vontrust AG. Ensuring that the company would remain independent after his death was a matter of great importance to him.
«Hans Vontobel was one of the most important bankers in our country, but beyond that he was a convinced humanist, who put people at the heart of everything he did,» said Herbert J. Scheidt, chairman of the board of directors of Vontobel. «He will remain an example to us all, as a source of considered, far-sighted advice, and with his cosmopolitan outlook and thirst for knowledge.»
