Felix R. Ehrat

Felix R. Ehrat was born in Sciaffusa, Switzerland, in 1957, and attended university in Zurich, Lausanne and Sacramento, California. He graduated in law from the University of Zurich in 1982, where he also completed his doctorate in 1990, as well as gaining a degree from McGeorge School of Law. He is Senior Partner and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the legal firm Bär & Karrer Ltd, which has offices in Zurich, Lugano, Geneva and Zug.

As a lawyer, he has extensive experience in corporate, commercial and banking law, while as an arbitrator, he is well-versed in international commercial law. From 2002 to 2005 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Julius Baer banking group, and from 2005 to 2008 Chairman of the Board of Banca del Gottardo. At present he sits on the boards of the listed companies Charles Vögele Holding Ltd (Vice-Chairman), Carlo Gavazzi Holding AG and Austriamicrosystems AG, as well as on the boards of other, non-listed companies. He also has important roles in foreign family-owned groups.

Felix R. Ehrat writes regularly about corporate and commercial law and other legal issues. He speaks fluent German, Italian, English and French.

Marco Solari

Marco Solari was born in 1944 in Barbengo, Ticino. After graduating in social sciences from Geneva university, he was appointed as Director of the Ticino Tourist Board in 1972, and in 1988 became a delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for the celebration of the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Federation. In 1992 Mr Solari joined the MIGROS Federation of Co-operatives as CEO, stepping down in 1997 to take on the role of Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board of Ringier, one of Switzerland’s biggest publishing groups, which also operates internationally. In 2000 he was appointed President of the Locarno International Film Festival, and in 2007 he became President of the Ticino Tourist Board.

Raffaele Züger

Alfredo Gysi

A graduate in mathematics of the University of Milan and father of three, he started his career at Banca della Svizzera Italiana in 1975. In 1979, he was promoted to head of the IT centre, where he was in charge of introducing and developing the BOSS IT system for the entire BSI Group and modernising operational structures, integrating them into the IT system. In 1991, he became a member of the Executive Board with responsibility for the Logistics sector. In this capacity, he completed the organisational restructuring, the overhaul of working procedures and the introduction of the telebanking system. During this period, he also jointly managed the development and management of SBSI Holding SA, a group controlled by the Swiss Banking Corporation, to which BSI was affiliated at the time. In 1994, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer. Gysi chairs the Association of Foreign Banks in Switzerland and advises the Swiss Bankers Association and the Ticino Bankers Association. Aside from his banking roles, Alfredo Gysi is a member of the Council of the Università della Svizzera Italiana. As such, he is also Chairman of the Foundation Board for the Lugano faculties and advisor to the Swiss Finance Institute. A great lover of art and music, Gysi is Vice-Chairman of the Fondazione dell'Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, and a member of the Lugano Festival foundation. Gysi is also involved in the cultural and scientific activities promoted by BSI: he chairs BSI Art Foundation and advises the Bank's other foundations.

Mario Botta

Born in Mendrisio, Ticino, on April 1, 1943. After an apprenticeship in Lugano, he first attends the Art College in Milan and then studies at the University Institute of Architecture in Venice. Directed by Carlo Scarpa and Giuseppe Mazzariol he receives his professional degree in 1969. During his time in Venice he has the opportunity to meet and work for Le Corbusier and Louis I. Kahn.

His professional activity begins in 1970 in Lugano. He builds his first single-family houses in Canton Ticino and subsequently all over the world. He has always committed himself in an intense architectural research and since 1996 he is involved as creator and founder of the new academy of architecture in Mendrisio, Ticino where he is Professor and held the directorship in 2002/2003.

His work has achieved international renown and important awards (Merit Award for Excellence in Design by the AIA for the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, the IAA Annual Prix 2005, International Academy of Architecture, Sofia, Bulgaria, for the Kyobo Tower in Seoul, the International Architecture Award of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the “European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage Europa Nostra”, for the restructuring of the Theatre alla Scala in Milan, and been presented in many exhibitions.

Among his realisations must be remembered the theatre and cultural centre in Chambéry, the art gallery Watari-um in Tokyo, the library in Villeurbanne, the SFMOMA museum of modern art in San Francisco, the cathedral in Evry, the museum Jean Tinguely in Basel, the Cymbalista synagogue and Jewish heritage centre in Tel Aviv, the municipal library in Dortmund, the Friedrich Dürrenmatt centre in Neuchâtel, the MART museum of modern and contemporary art in Rovereto, the Kyobo tower in Seoul, the office building Tata CS in New Delhi and Hyderabad, the Fondation Bodmer museum in Cologny, the church and pastoral centre Pope John XXIII in Seriate, the public library in Bergamo and the restoration of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the new casinò in Campione d’Italia, the church Santo Volto in Turin and the wellness centre in Arosa.

Among the works in progress must be counted the office and residential complex in Treviso, the university library in Trento, the Bechtler art museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Tsinghua University art gallery and museum in Beijing, the Leeum offices in Seoul, the underground stations in Naples, the new auditorium in Rimini, the museum of architecture in Mendrisio.

Tra le realizzazioni vanno ricordate: il teatro e casa per la cultura a Chambéry; la galleria d’arte Watari-um a Tokio; la mediateca a Villeurbanne; il SFMOMA museo d’arte moderna a San Francisco; la cattedrale della resurrezione a Evry; il museo Jean Tinguely a Basilea; la sinagoga Cymbalista e centro dell’eredità a Tel Aviv; la biblioteca municipale a Dortmund; il centro Dürrenmatt a Neuchâtel; il MART museo d’arte moderna e contemporanea a Rovereto; la torre Kyobo a Seoul; gli edifici amministrativi Tata CS a Nuova Delhi e Hyderabad; il museo Fondazione Bodmer a Cologny; il centro pastorale Giovanni XXIII a Seriate e la biblioteca a Bergamo; la ristrutturazione del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, il nuovo casinò di Campione d’Italia, la chiesa del Santo Volto a Torino e il centro wellness Tschuggen Berg Oase ad Arosa.

Tra le opere in corso meritano di essere annoverati il complesso per uffici e residenze a Treviso, la biblioteca universitaria di Trento, il museo d’arte Bechtler a Charlotte, la galleria e museo d’arte della Tsinghua University in Beijing, gli uffici Leeum a Seul, le stazioni della metropolitana di Napoli, il nuovo auditorio di Rimini, il museo dell’architettura a Mendrisio.