Early Life
Stephan Ernst Schmidheiny was born on October 29, 1947, in Balgach, Switzerland, into a prominent industrialist family. He is a fourth-generation member of a key industrial family in Switzerland. His father, Ernst Schmidheiny, divided his industrial empire between Stephan and his brother, setting the stage for Stephan's future in business. He completed his Law studies and received a PhD from the University of Zurich in 1972.
Rise to Success
Schmidheiny's career began in 1972 at Eternit. By 1976, at the age of 29, he became the CEO of the Swiss Eternit Group. A significant achievement was ending the company's use of asbestos in 1986, five years after announcing the intention to exit asbestos production. Beyond Eternit, Schmidheiny invested in various industrial segments, building a multinational conglomerate. He served on the boards of directors of leading companies such as ABB Asea Brown Boveri, Nestlé, Swatch, and UBS AG.
Key Business Strategies
Schmidheiny's business strategy included diversifying investments across multiple sectors. He played a role in the rescue of the Swiss watch industry by supporting Nicolas Hayek in forming the Swatch Group and co-organized the merger of Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC) with ASEA of Sweden, creating ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB Group). He also restructured Landis + Gyr after acquiring a significant stake.
Philanthropy
Since the 1990s, Schmidheiny has dedicated himself to philanthropic pursuits, focusing on sustainable development and environmental conservation. He served as an advisor on sustainability to the United Nations and the OECD. He created FUNDES to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Latin America. He established the Fundación Avina to promote sustainable development in Latin America.