There's change at the top of a banking association that has not been afraid to make its views known to policymakers on issues such as proposed new capital rules.

EFG International CEO Giorgio Pradelli (main picture) is to become the chairman of the Swiss Bankers Association in September, taking the helm from bank industry veteran Marcel Rohner (pictured below), who has chosen to step down after a five-year stint.

Pradelli, who will remain as CEO of Zurich-listed EFG, does so at a time when the association has been busy trying to urge domestic Swiss lawmakers not to impose what it says are heavy capital requirements on UBS. (See a recent story about government proposals.) The SBA also recently explained to this news service the significance, as it sees it, of the Berne Financial Services Agreement that came into effect in January. Rohner's time as SBA chair also coincided with the emergency UBS acquisition of Credit Suisse three years ago. Rohner was CEO of UBS in the crisis years of 2007 to 2009.

The position at EFG gives Pradelli a ringside seat on such conversations, given his bank’s footprint in the UK as well as Switzerland (along with a number of other jurisdictions, such as Singapore). 

“His appointment is a recognition of his leadership and experience as well as his outstanding reputation within the Swiss and international banking community," Alexander Classen, EFG International’s chairman, said in a statement.

Pradelli, who has been CEO of EFG International since 2018, has more than 35 years of experience in global wealth and asset management.

As part of his new role, Pradelli will relinquish several external mandates. In particular, he will step down from the chairmanship of the Association of Swiss Asset and Wealth Management Banks (VAV), from his role as chairman of the SBA’s private banking steering committee, and from the board of Fondation Genève Place Financière. However, he will remain a member of the board of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.

Rohner is one of the more prominent figures in Swiss banking; he sits on the board of Geneva-headquartered Union Bancaire Privée – a position he has held since 2010. He has worked in senior roles at UBS for almost two decades, including chairmanship of global wealth management and business banking and, as previously mentioned, CEO from 2007 to 2009. He has also been board chairman of several companies.


Marcel Rohner

“After five years as chairman of the SBA, the time has come for me to hand over the reins. The offices are in an excellent position to continue shaping the regulatory framework for the Swiss banking industry together with our strong member base," Rohner said.

"A course is currently being set in political circles to ensure that our financial centre remains competitive going forward. I am convinced that the SBA’s board of directors has found the ideal successor in Giorgio Pradelli," he added.