Switzerland
I am a Swiss banking executive and COO with 30+ years of experience in trading, operations and technology-enabled transformation across private banking, wealth management and specialised Swiss banks. I combine a hands-on leadership style with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Throughout my career, I have built, lean and efficient organisations across Trading, Operations, IT and Avaloq BPO. I migrated, upgraded and operated Avaloq core-banking platforms across several small Swiss banks. By connecting trading platforms, broker and exchanges, I improved front-to-back processes and increased STP. I lead high-performing IT, Trading, Operations and Avaloq teams, repositioned operating models, and delivered complex change programs – from introducing new trading platforms (MACD/Foconis), core banking migrations to Avaloq sourcing including move to the cloud, new e-banking/2nd authentication, and connecting SAP invoicing or onboarding tool to Avaloq. My focus today is on: • Building and running scalable, resilient and compliant operating models • Designing and running stable, secure and efficient core-banking and Avaloq environments (Release-, Incident- & Change-Management) • Turning complex business and regulatory requirements into robust, automated and well-governed application solutions • Leading teams with clarity, accountability and a strong sense of purpose I am particularly interested in how technology, AI and data can be leveraged to add value for banks and their clients, and how they can support more sustainable, impact-oriented banking models.
Leading IT, Operations and Facility Management, responsible for Avaloq outsourcing and its connected peripheral systems, ensuring stable production, managing releases, and defining and implementing the bank’s transformation strategy. Mentoring teams to adopt agile practices, resulting in clearer processes, higher efficiency and better transparency. Drove the strategic transformation of Operations and IT, repositioning both functions as enablers of business growth and scalability in commodity trade finance. Orchestrated a comprehensive shift from on-premise infrastructure to cloud and SaaS solutions, significantly enhancing operational agility, resilience and cost efficiency. Leading the design and rollout of automation and AI-driven tools (monitoring, document handling, anomaly detection), substantially boosting STP, cutting manual processing effort and strengthening operational risk controls. Established robust regulatory and control frameworks, reinforcing compliance, vendor governance and operational resilience across all functions. Built and motivated a lean, cross-functional team (15 FTE) across IT, Operations, Administration, and Avaloq teams, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.
Served as deputy COO and led the departments Trading, Treasury, Operations and Avaloq. Rebuilt the Operations division from the ground up to support the bank's strategic turnaround, integrating Trading, Middle Office, Client Data Management and Avaloq into one cohesive, high-performing unit (20 FTE). End-to-end ownership of Avaloq Operations: operating model, incident & change management, release coordination and quality assurance. Led major Avaloq-related projects and integrations (regulatory, data governance, system integration), improving data quality, STP and operational resilience. Established governance and control frameworks around Avaloq processes, data and interfaces in line with Swiss banking regulation. Developed and motivated diverse teams into high-performing units, creating a culture of ownership, collaboration and sustainable results.
Responsible for Trading and Operations department (10 FTE) and BPO with Avaloq. Owned the Avaloq-based trading and operations setup, including service provider management (BPO), parameters and process design. Repositioned Trading & Operations into a high-performing competence center (10, achieving significant gains in STP, execution quality and client service. Digitised end-to-end connectivity Avaloq – Broker – Bloomberg – SIX, eliminating manual touchpoints. Substantially improving efficiency, data quality and regulatory compliance. Ensured operational quality, incident handling and change control across the Avaloq-related processes and integrations. Managed SIX Exchange membership, broker network and vendor relationships, ensuring seamless execution and best-in-class service for clients.
Sales Trader for domestic and international institutional clients Co-led the development and implementation of the Xkyte trading platform (MACD/Foconis), modernising the bank's execution capabilities and client service. Played a key role in the core banking migration from BOSS to Avaloq, focusing on trading-related requirements, data migration quality and interface design. Ensured seamless integration between Avaloq, trading platform and external brokers, minimising business disruption during and after migration Strengthened execution services for hedge fund, institutional and HNI clients, building long-term trusted relationships and increasing trading volumes.
Head of Trading Swiss Equities and Deputy Head of Trading International. Led the trading part of the migration form the legacy banking platform to Avaloq, defining trading requirements, testing scenarios and cut-over planning. Actively contributed to the bank's transition from traditional floor trading to fully electronic exchange platforms, strengthening stability and scalability of the trading stack. Represented the bank as Head Trader at SIX Swiss Exchange and managed proprietary trading books, consistently delivering strong risk-adjusted returns. Built and scaled sales and execution services for hedge funds, institutional clients and HNI, establishing Sarasin as a trusted partner in Swiss equity markets. Ringhändler at the Zürcher Börse and Swiss Stock Exchange.