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«The more personal that CEOs get on LinkedIn, the better,» said Hess. Rickenbacher’s profile is underpinned with a professional headshot against a sepia-tinted historic snap of Julius Baer’s Bahnhofstrasse headquarters joined with a modern-day one. Tom Naratil, Khan's co-head at UBS, goes even further, not-so-deftly pegging a pitch for financial planning to his daughter's upcoming wedding.

One-Way Blast

To be sure, Rickenbacher, Sergio Ermotti and Tidjane Thiam don’t want to «link up» with you or open their direct messages, or DMs. Most top executives opt for the «follow» button instead of «connected» one in their profiles.

This provides a one-way news blast, sometimes «thought» pieces, frequently posts on visiting far-flung outposts, or parting message like Martin Blessing's flattering homage to UBS staff when he made room for Khan.

Risk of Blunders

Credit Suisse boss Thiam, fresh from an ugly spy scandal involving Khan, is keeping it brief on his profile, which merely lists his current role and an email for his office staff. Top executives like UBS boss Ermotti, Julius Baer’s Rickenbacher, Thiam, or Khan now at UBS is to task someone with their LinkedIn and other social media – which comes at the expense of their authenticity.

Who truly believes that Credit Suisse risk boss Lara Warner refers to herself in the third person, for example? «If the account is managed by a team, the CEO has to be informed and involved. Otherwise they risk embarrassment if asked offline about something they aren’t even aware of,» according to Hess of Kuble.

«Authentic» Stars

Smaller banks have taken to online networking more deftly than their bigger counterparts. Marianne Wildi of Hypothekarbank Lenzburg (pictured below) is given top marks for crafting an authentic profile and regularly engaging with others on technology, cryptocurrency, and other topics.

Marianne Wildi 500 LI

«In terms of credibility, it helps when the CEOs themselves respond to comments on their LinkedIn page – Wildi does this, and she gains in authenticity for it,» Hess said. Other «stars» include top Linth private banker Luc Schuurmanns and Oliver Jaussi, who runs Bank Zimmerberg.

Elegant Handover

Back at UBS, a spokeswoman didn’t comment on Khan’s LinkedIn account (and of course, his DMs are blocked, so we can’t ask him personally). His new boss, CEO Ermotti, illustrates a more elegant method, with the «@UBS_CEO» handle on Twitter in January (pictured below).

When Ermotti leaves, the key to the generic Twitter account will pass on to his successor – hopefully not to replicate Ermotti's blunders.