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No Big Names Left?

Karin Oertli

Candidates floated by headhunters and insiders bypass the frequently-touted names: ex-UBS Swiss head Lukas Gaehwiler, for example, would fit the CEO profile perfectly, but would hardly agree to report to a chairman such as Lachappelle, who is roughly the same age, far less experienced with a big lender, and has yet to prove how deftly he transfers from an executive role into a strategic one.

Instead, focus has shifted to bankers such as UBS’ Karin Oertle (pictured above), a politically savvy «Ms. Fixit», as well as Peter Hinder, a former UBS banker who had a mixed tenure running Thurgauer Kantonalbank and is currently in a wealth management role at Deutsche Bank.

Public Scrutiny as "Bonus"

The Raiffeisen CEO job is a tough sell to bankers at major firms like UBS and Credit Suisse, simply because it translates into much more public scrutiny and criticism for dramatically less money and almost no prestige.

Luzerner Kantonalbank boss Daniel Salzmann and Valiant boss Markus Gygax are likely to make it onto the CEO shortlist, according to sources, though neither have experience with a too-big-to-fail lender. John Haefelfinger (pictured below) is also likely to be on headhunters’ tip sheet: the former Credit Suisse banker has a short but tidy track record from the past two years running Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, a regional lender.

John haefelfinger

Hard-Pressed Headhunters

Gisel couldn’t escape his long-time ties with Vincenz, and will leave at year-end. The Swiss banker may be willing to stay until a new CEO is in his seat, but he has effectively ruled himself out by reportedly conducting an affair with a board member.

After the added fuel to the garbage fire that is corporate governance at Raiffeisen, current Chairman Pascal Gantenbein and his headhunters are hard-pressed to make a credible effort at renewing the bank’s leadership.