The longtime head of Credit Suisse's wealthiest clients business is stepping down from his role at the end of April. However, the veteran private banker will not be completely lost to the bank.
Felix Baumgartner has headed Credit Suisse's Premium Clients Switzerland division for Swiss-domiciled ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) with at least 50 million Swiss francs in assets ($56.2 million) since 2016.
He is stepping down as head of the unit at the end of April, finews.com has learned. He expressed a desire for new challenges some time ago, a Credit Suisse spokesperson said. He got his wish. Baumgartner will become chairman of Premium Clients Switzerland in the future.
New Tasks in a New Role
As chairman, Baumgartner will address strategic UHNWI issues as a senior advisor and support the Premium Clients team in client-related matters, such as managing selected top clients, client retention, and acquisition. He will also represent Credit Suisse at client events, it was further learned.
Baumgartner joined the bank in 1986 and subsequently held several positions. Among other things, he set up Zurich's UHNWI desk in 2006 and implemented a team dedicated to serving family offices.
Succession Has Been Planned
Roger Weibel, Credit Suisse (Image: Credit Suisse)
Baumgartner's successor as operational head of premium clients will be Roger Weibel (pictured above) starting in May. He joined Credit Suisse in 1988, working for several years in the private client division in Biel and Geneva before moving to the asset management division in Berne, New York, and Zurich. In these roles, he advised major Swiss pension funds on setting up their structures and creating their investment portfolios.
After a detour in 2005 to another bank, Weibel returned to Credit Suisse in 2007, taking on a team leader role in Private Banking in Zurich. In 2010, he moved to the Premium Clients division, where he has been responsible for leading the Private Institutional Clients department since 2019.
Direct Line to Francesco De Ferrari
Together with his team, he has advised Switzerland's largest billionaire families and their family offices in all financial matters, acting as Baumgartner's deputy. In his new role, he will report directly to Francesco De Ferrari, the head of International Wealth Management (IWM).
Weibel will represent the Premium Clients business on the Management Committee of the Wealth Management division, the Management Committee Switzerland, and the Executive Board of Credit Suisse (Switzerland). It is currently unclear how the division will continue to exist after its integration into UBS.
