9. Nicolas Syz, Banque Syz
The 34-year-old son of Swiss banker Eric Syz had a huge year – as did his older (and equally appealing) brother, Marc Syz. The elder Syz had pegged both Nicolas and Marc for leadership roles in a succession-related revamp last year. Then this year, Nicolas was vaulted to the helm of wealth management at Syz, which his father founded in 1996. The Swiss bank is now a family affair: mother Suzanne Syz, a jewelry designer, joined its board earlier this year amid takeover speculation. Whether Nicolas or Marc – or neither – make the grade to take over from Eric Syz is unclear. Nicolas is playing is cool: «There is no clear road map for succession,» he told a Swiss daily last year.
8. David Schmid, Leonteq
The 37-year-old has quietly advanced to one of the structured product boutique’s most valuable players. Long a close associate of co-founder Jan Schoch, Schmid was part of Leonteq’s go-go years – and survived its fall to earth. He spent two years during Leonteq’s most tumultuous period in Singapore, building up the company’s Asia business. He returned in 2017, just in time to join top management as investment solutions head. His importance to the newly-chastened firm is underscored by his 2.7 million Swiss franc ($2 million) payday last year – more than CEO Lukas Ruflin (a major shareholder, Ruflin also earns dividends) took home.
7. Yves Robert-Charrue, Julius Baer
The 46-year-old has not had a great year: he was passed over when Philipp Rickenbacher shocked the Swiss banking guild by winning the top Julius Baer job last week. The father of two and married to a lawyer, Robert-Charrue has had the somewhat thankless job of running Europe for the last three years. The region accounts for roughly one-quarter of the wealth manager’s assets, but is not exactly a growth market for the bank. The biggest projects launched by Robert-Charrue, a musician who plays guitar and piano, are Germany and the U.K, where he has the go-ahead to pour money into hiring sprees. The payoff is as yet uncertain.
