Our founder, Dr. Hans Vontobel, was convinced that a society worthy of the name is reliant on solidarity and mutual recognition.
Dr. Hans Vontobel was born in Zurich on December 4, 1916, completing his studies in law and political science in this city in 1942. The following year, he joined what was then Bank J. Vontobel & Co., and under his leadership the bank developed into one of the world’s leading internationally active asset managers. In 1981, Dr. Vontobel assumed the chairmanship of the bank’s Board of Directors, and in 1991 he moved into the role of Chairman Emeritus. He not only founded the Vontobel Foundation, but also the Creative Aging Foundation, and the Lyra Foundation to support young musical talents. For many years, he served as Chairman of the Zurich Stock Exchange, and was a member of the board of the Swiss Bankers Association and of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, as well as Chairman of the German-Swiss Chamber of Commerce. As the father of two daughters and a son, he was not only a banker through and through, but also an author and publicist, a citizen sensitive to many key issues, and a keen observer of his time. He passed away on January 3, 2016, in his 100th year.
A great person with vision and measure
A tribute to Hans Vontobel was published in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on January 4, 2016, written by Dr. Martin Meyer. It was entitled "A Great Person with Vision and Measure". Herewith an excerpt:
"Vontobel was a banker. He was also a patron. Through turbulent times, he was both a forward and lateral thinker, and last but not least, he was a citizen who cared deeply about the common good, in the res publica and beyond. He initiated, moved, and discussed many things, never shying away from arguing against the grain and challenging comfortable clichés. Freedom and personal responsibility were values that meant a great deal to him—always grounded in his own experience as well. Additionally, there was his conviction that a society worthy of the name is reliant on solidarity and mutual recognition.
“As a thinking and acting person, Hans Vontobel was also a personality in and for the public. In 1991, he assumed the honorary role of Chairman Emeritus of his company. Shortly thereafter, he established a series of foundations to address his concerns and interests, aiming to promote a variety of activities: the family’s Vontobel Foundation, with the goal of charitable welfare, ranging from social assistance to education and training to protection of the national heritage; the Lyra Foundation to support the successful initiation of young musicians in their careers; and the Creative Aging Foundation, which rewards older people for surprising achievements and original ideas.
“Hans Vontobel was extremely generous, as a founder, patron, advisor, friend, and attentive reader of the series of monographs he initiated. Like all true achievers, he was simultaneously an authority, and he had sharp edges and corners. Strong in ability and will, he was a man who could get straight to the point—among companions no less than in his professional sphere. Yet he showed a broad-ranging sensitivity for others, particularly for those weaker than ourselves, including the underestimated, as well as for things to be discovered beyond the mainstream."