Credit Suisse's figurehead banker for small- and medium-sized Swiss firms is leaving the bank after nearly four decades. The well-known Swiss banker is striking out on his own.
Hans-Ulrich Mueller has worked for Credit Suisse for the past 36 years, most recently as head of Swiss partnership for the Zurich-based bank. The 67-year-old is now leaving the bank in order to become an entrepreneur, «Berner Zeitung» (in German) reported on Monday, without specifying details.
Mueller has been instrumental in promoting the countless small- and mid-sized firms in Switzerland, which are referred to as the backbone of the country's economy. He founded the Swiss Venture Club, or SVC, 17 years ago as a platform for smaller firms, with Credit Suisse as a strategic partner. Mueller became widely known outside of banking as «Mister SME» for small- and mid-sized enterprises.
The Swiss banker, who is past retirement age, handed over the reins of the SVC last year, though he is still honorary president. The SVC counts Swiss economics minister Johann Schneider-Ammann among its high-profile patrons.
