Ref. 7219

Chief Investment Officer (CIO) - Lighthouse Role in a PE-Backed, Integrated Financial Institution

Our client is a Swiss financial institution owned by a renowned, internationally oriented private-equity investor with an excellent reputation, an entrepreneurial mindset, and long-term oriented capital. The owner pursues a clear value-creation and growth agenda and positions the institution as a platform that combines modern pension and investment solutions with a first-class private-banking business currently under build-up.

The institution brings together under one roof:
• a substantial institutional investment volume originating from occupational pension schemes,
• an established pension business with multiple solution architectures,
• as well as a wealth and private-banking business in a targeted build-up and expansion phase, focused on entrepreneurs and sophisticated private clients.

As part of an ambitious transformation and growth programme, the investment function is being deliberately strengthened. The position of Chief Investment Officer (CIO) is designed as a central key role - with high internal impact, external visibility and a clear signalling effect in the market.

The role combines the management of institutional investment mandates with the further development of a differentiating, investment-driven private-banking positioning, which is currently in a dynamic build-up and expansion phase.

Your benefit in talking to us:

  • Salary comparison, current salary to market salary
  • Understanding your career options
  • Identification of development and promotion potential
  • 65% of candidates will be making a career move within the next 12 to 24 months

Interested in further information? Arrange a 30-minute video call and select your preferred slot in one of the two calendars.

Calendar 1 Calendar 2

Your Benefit in Talking to Us

This role offers a rare opportunity to act as CIO within a private-equity-backed setup, where entrepreneurial freedom, speed of decision-making and ambition are significantly higher than in traditional institutional environments. You will operate in a setting in which investment decisions, product development, governance and strategic positioning are closely interconnected, and where the owner explicitly focuses on value creation through investment excellence.


In a confidential conversation, we would be pleased to provide you with deeper insights into the ownership structure, strategic objectives, governance set-up (including relevant committees) and the distinctive positioning of this mandate – including the mid-term growth plans in occupational pensions as well as in the wealth and private-banking business currently under expansion. 

 

Why This Challenge Is Attractive for You 

Your experience

  • You bring proven experience in institutional asset management – mandatorily within the context of occupational pensions (pension funds, collective foundations or BVG-related insurance solutions). This institutional grounding is essential, as you are fully comfortable with regulatory requirements, governance structures and the logic of long-term pension liabilities.

  • At the same time, you have a strong understanding of how institutional investment expertise creates value in a wealth- and private-banking context - whether through multi-asset solutions, mandate architectures or differentiating advisory and discretionary approaches. 

  • Ideally, you are fluent in the language of boards of trustees, boards of directors and investment committees, while also understanding the needs of entrepreneurial families and sophisticated private clients -particularly in an environment where a private-banking business is being deliberately built up and expanded. 
  • Leadership experience in a demanding environment is key: you have led or significantly shaped investment teams, are familiar with change situations, and are able to steer an investment organisation through growth and transformation phases - including the build-up and expansion of private-banking-oriented investment solutions.

Your Responsibility

As CIO, you are responsible for the overall investment strategy, strategic asset allocation and the management of a substantial asset base across all asset classes. You orchestrate both the institutional mandates of the occupational-pension business and the investment architecture for wealth and private-banking clients, ensuring that a consistent investment narrative is applied across all business areas – with a particular focus on the professional build-up and expansion of the banking business.

In doing so, you ensure that:

  • regulatory frameworks and long-term pension obligations are fully respected,
  • at the same time, attractive, transparent and performance-oriented solutions for private-banking segments are developed and scaled,
  • and the investment architecture is designed to be cost-efficient, scalable and transparent (including a strong focus on TER and fee structures).

You work closely with the relevant committees, act as a key contact person within the Investment Committee, and represent the investment strategy vis-à-vis the Board of Trustees, Board of Directors, as well as Audit and Risk Committees.

 

Governance, Team and Change

The role is closely embedded in the governance set-up: you prepare decision-making materials for the committees, ensure stakeholder-appropriate reporting, and make sure that risk management, compliance and investment processes are tightly integrated.

A core element of your mandate is the further development of the investment organisation, in particular:

  • leading and developing a high-performing investment team,
  • reviewing and optimising structures, processes and interfaces,
  • professionalising investment and risk frameworks as well as reporting,
  • embedding a performance-driven, transparent and collaborative team culture - also across interfaces with a growing wealth- and private-banking business.

 

The Value Proposition

You assume a lighthouse role with high visibility and shape the investment identity of an integrated financial institution that differentiates itself through investment excellence - both in occupational pensions and in the targeted build-up and expansion of private banking.

In doing so, you set a clear quality and ambition benchmark and make a substantial contribution to the value-creation agenda of the private-equity owner.

 

What Do You Bring?

  • Long-standing experience in an institutional investment environment
  • Deep knowledge of the Swiss pension and regulatory framework
  • Ability to think about asset management across different client segments
  • Strategic mindset combined with strong execution capability
  • High personal credibility, composure, and seniority
  • Willingness to assume responsibility as a visible investment leader

 

Framework Conditions

  • Key position within a PE-backed, entrepreneurial setup
  • Significant room for manoeuvre and clear ambition
  • Close collaboration with a demanding, internationally oriented owner
  • Attractive, performance-oriented compensation package
  • Long-term perspective with tangible impact on market positioning and value creation

Application & Contact

Erik Wirz
Erik Wirz
Managing Partner
wirz phone +41 44 515 02 60 wirz email erik.wirz@w-gruppe.com
Book a meeting
Marc Geiger
Marc Geiger
Partner
wirz phone +41 44 515 02 60 wirz email marc.geiger@w-gruppe.com
Book a meeting
*Recruitment process

In an initial interview, we will give you a detailed insight into the role, the company, the corporate culture and your development opportunities.

After an initial exchange with the partner (headhunter), you will receive further information about the role and our client's expectations. If you are interested, please send us your documents. Wirz & Partners will draw up a longlist, which will be discussed with the client. From this longlist, 4-6 candidates are selected for the shortlist.

Time to feedback: 2-3 weeks

If you make it onto the shortlist, it's on to the next round. In the interview with Wirz & Partners, we get to know you professionally and personally. You will receive further information about the client, the offering, the services, the team and the KPIs. Based on all the interviews and documents, we prepare a complete dossier about you for the client, including an executive summary. These documents form the basis for the structured interview process with the client. We prepare you for the interview.

Duration until the interview with the client: Up to two weeks.

The first meeting with the customer is about getting to know each other as equals and experiencing the gut feeling, the people and the corporate culture. This interview takes place in person at the customer's premises and lasts an average of one hour.

The second interview is about deepening professional expertise and management topics. In this exchange, you get to know the team, the strategy and the operational goals. 

You will then receive a salary proposal and an overview of the entire offer.

Duration until feedback: 1-2 weeks

Following the final meeting, a de-briefing takes place with you and the customer.

We support you in the contract negotiations and clarify further details. The contract is drawn up and we accompany the on-boarding at the customer's premises.

Duration until feedback: Up to one week

*We describe the standard process, which may vary depending on the customer.

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