Financial services provider Swiss Stock Exchange likely to appoint André Helfenstein as Chairman
Stock exchange operator SIX will soon be announcing the successor to outgoing Chairman Thomas Wellauer. Former CS Switzerland boss André Helfenstein is likely to win the race, as the news agency AWP has learned from a reliable source.
03.12.2025, 11:39
SDA
A decision on Wellauer's successor is likely to be made in the next few days. There are many indications that André Helfenstein is already in the starting blocks for the position of President.
It was already significant when the former Swiss head of Credit Suisse left the UBS/CS banking group after the takeover by UBS in July 2024, but nevertheless retained his seat on the SIX Board of Directors. Helfenstein did not comment on the rumors when asked by AWP.
Swiss and locally anchored
He also did not want to say whether he would stand for re-election as a member of the SIX Board of Directors in May 2026. SIX also did not comment when asked: it would be informed in due course, it simply said.
The 58-year-old Helfenstein is the representative of the former CS on the Board of Directors. He has been a member of the supervisory body since 2020 and is elected until 2026; SIX Board members are elected for a term of three years.
The Swiss stock exchange is a joint venture between the banks and is very important for the Swiss financial center. The owners are around 120 financial institutions, which are also the customers of its services. The largest shareholder is UBS, which doubled its stake to 34.5 percent with the takeover of CS. In addition to UBS, ZKB, Raiffeisen Switzerland, Vontobel, Pictet and Saxo Bank Switzerland are also represented on the Board of Directors.
Getting the short end of the stick at UBS
Helfenstein knows the Swiss banking sector and is well-connected: since 2007, he has held various management positions at Credit Suisse in different business areas for private, corporate and institutional clients - most recently as CS Switzerland CEO from 2020 to 2024.
Notably, Credit Suisse, which had fallen into crisis internationally, had a good reputation in its home market, was profitable in Switzerland and was a leader in the corporate client business in particular.
However, Helfenstein lost out to UBS Switzerland boss Keller-Busse with the merger. His departure was announced after the merger of the local legal entities - UBS Switzerland and CS Switzerland.
