The Swiss Bankers Association has named a new CEO who brings regulatory and economics experience to the role.
The Board of Directors of the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) unanimously appoints Roman Studer as CEO effective August 1, replacing August Benz who took over on an interim basis from Joerg Gasser in January, according to a statement Wednesday.
Studer headed Governmental Affairs Switzerland at UBS since 2018, overseeing all regulatory and economic policy developments in Switzerland relevant to the bank. From 2012 to 2017, he was managing director of the UBS Center for Economics in Society, at the University of Zurich. The research center promotes economic research and exchanges between academia, politics, and society.
Building Bridges and Consensus
Studer appears to be at home in both the private sector and academia. He started his career in the former at Boston Consulting Group, advising multinational financial institutions. He was also an assistant professor at the London School of Economics and has been lecturing at the University of St. Gallen since 2013.
«The Board of Directors is convinced that Roman can build bridges and, through dialogue with the various stakeholders, achieve a consensus from which our sector, our economy, and every one of us in Switzerland will benefit», said SBA chairman Marcel Rohner of the appointment.
New Leadership by a Banker
With Studer's selection, a bank executive is once again taking over the leadership of the association. Gasser was previously State Secretary at the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) and Secretary General at the Federal Department of Finance (FDF). Rohner was also formerly with UBS, most recently as CEO from 2007 to 2009.
