Peter Romanzina to take over the management of Vontobel Swiss Wealth Advisors from Jacqueline Hess

Peter Romanzina, who is currently Head of the Vontobel Swiss Equity Research team, will be appointed CEO and take over the running of the Vontobel subsidiary Vontobel Swiss Wealth Advisors AG (VSWA), which specializes in internationally diversified wealth management for North American clients, effective December 15, 2022. It is planned that Peter Romanzina will also lead the new unit that will be created as a result of the legal and operational merger of Vontobel SFA and VSWA at the end of the first quarter of 2023. Jürgen Wegner, CEO of the former UBS Swiss Financial Advisers AG – today Vontobel SFA – will become Deputy CEO of the newly merged unit, which is to also operate under the Vontobel SFA brand.

Vontobel completed its acquisition of UBS Swiss Financial Advisers AG (SFA) on August 1, 2022. With this transaction, Vontobel has further strengthened its platform providing clients with a global investment approach and geographic diversification. With the assets under management of the two SEC-licensed entities – the former UBS and now Vontobel SFA (with assets under management of around CHF 6.0 billion as of June 30, 2022) and VSWA – Vontobel has become the largest Swiss-domiciled wealth manager for US clients seeking an account in Switzerland for diversification purposes. The combined assets under management more than doubled to around CHF 10 billion as a result of the transaction.

The investment firm Vontobel and UBS have also agreed that in the future, the around 6,000 UBS advisors across all US states will continue to refer clients seeking tailored investment solutions in a Swiss-based environment exclusively to their partner Vontobel SFA.

Jacqueline Hess, who played a pivotal role in the transaction in her capacity as CEO of VSWA, has decided to hand over operational responsibility for the wealth management business with North American clients and to join the Board of Directors of the “new” SFA as Vice Chair.

Alongside his existing role, Jean-Philippe Bertschy will take over the management of the multi-award-winning Vontobel Swiss Equity Research team from Peter Romanzina. Jean-Philippe Bertschy has more than 20 years of expertise in the area of Swiss equity research and has spent over 12 years at Vontobel in the Swiss Equity Research team, where he focuses on consumer and luxury goods. The team – which consists of around 10 equity analysts specializing in Swiss equities – partners exclusively with private clients and financial intermediaries, as well as family offices and partner banks, providing them with access to its specialist knowledge. Vontobel private clients are thus able to benefit from institutional-quality investment research that is not usually available to this client segment.

“I am delighted that Peter Romanzina is taking over the leadership of VSWA. Peter is a proven expert with many years of experience in working directly with discerning investment clients at Vontobel, Kepler and Credit Suisse First Boston, among other financial institutions. As the former Head of Vontobel Brokerage, he also has experience in leading a US-regulated business. Peter Romanzina and Jürgen Wegner and their teams are committed to offering our North American clients the best possible advice regarding the regional diversification of their assets. Jürgen Wegner, who has very successfully led his team for around six years and played an instrumental role in the transaction and its successful execution, will place a particular emphasis on the collaboration with UBS advisors in the US to ensure continuity. I would like to thank Jacqueline Hess for her enormous commitment during a key growth phase for the business with North American wealth management clients seeking an account in Switzerland for diversification purposes. I look forward to continuing to work with Jacqueline Hess when she becomes a member of the Board of Directors, as well as with Peter Romanzina and Jürgen Wegner, as we further expand our business with North American wealth management clients,” said Georg Schubiger, Chairman of the Board of VSWA and of Vontobel SFA and Head Wealth Management Vontobel.

Especially in view of the changes occurring around the globe, Vontobel is placing an even stronger focus on large, established markets with substantial numbers of sophisticated clients who are seeking a globally active investment advisor.

Media Relations

peter.dietlmaier@vontobel.com
+41 58 283 59 30

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+41 58 283 57 90

Investor Relations

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+41 58 283 64 38

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+41 58 283 73 58

Vontobel
At Vontobel, we actively shape the future. We create and pursue opportunities with determination. We master what we do – and we only do what we master. This is how we get our clients ahead. As a globally active investment manager with Swiss roots, we specialize in wealth management, active asset management and investment solutions. We harness the power of technology to deliver a high-quality, individual client experience and to deploy our investment expertise across multiple platforms and ecosystems. We empower our employees to take ownership of their work and bring opportunities to life. We do so based on the conviction that successful investing begins with the assumption of personal responsibility. We continuously scrutinize our achievements as we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients. The registered shares of the Vontobel Holding AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The Vontobel families' close ties to the company guarantee our entrepreneurial independence. We consider the resulting freedom as an obligation to also assume our social responsibility. As of September 30, 2022, Vontobel held CHF 248.2 billion of total client assets. Around the world and in our home market, we serve our clients from 26 locations.

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