After a search process involving internal and external candidates, the Board of Directors selected Dr. Marcel Kucher as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Swiss Prime Site AG, succeeding René Zahnd, who served as the CEO of Swiss Prime Site since January 2016.
Since July 2021, Marcel Kucher has been the Chief Financial Officer of Swiss Prime Site and was a crucial member of the management team, transforming Swiss Prime Site from a wide portfolio of businesses to a focused real estate company. Today, it is based on two established pillars: its own real estate portfolio and the asset management business. Marcel Kucher was a driving force of the company’s capital recycling strategy. He was also instrumental in developing and executing a new financing strategy, resulting in a strong A3 rating since 2022. Marcel Kucher started his career at McKinsey & Company, after which he joined a-connect, where he built up and headed the offices in Zurich and the USA. From 2011 until 2021, he was the CFO and COO of Peach Property Group, changing its strategic focus and introducing new systems and processes. The 54-year-old Swiss national, holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Zurich.
The combination of his strategic acumen, his operational execution skills, his track record in change management and acquisitions, as well as his deep experience in corporate finance as a Chief Financial Officer, convinced the Board unanimously that Marcel Kucher was the strongest and best candidate for the position of Chief Executive Officer.
Marcel Kucher succeeds René Zahnd, who has been CEO of Swiss Prime Site for almost 10 years. Approaching his ten-year tenure, René Zahnd and the Board of Directors together planned a controlled succession, resulting in the decision communicated today. As CEO, René Zahnd has steered the company through a decade of profound transformation. Under his strong leadership, Swiss Prime Site successfully completed a set of targeted divestitures and strategic acquisitions, while driving cultural and operational improvements. He played the key role in establishing Swiss Prime Site as the focused real estate company it is today.
Ton Büchner, Chairman of the Board: “The Board is very pleased to have found an excellent successor as the CEO for Swiss Prime Site. Marcel Kucher’s experience in a variety of real estate businesses and his strategic development and operational execution skills, make him very suitable to direct Swiss Prime Site into the next stage of development. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I thank René Zahnd very much for his 10 years of strategic contributions and service as the CEO of the company.”
René Zahnd, CEO: “It has been a true privilege to lead Swiss Prime Site over the past decade. Together with a talented and dedicated team, we have transformed the company into a leading force in the Swiss real estate market. I am proud of what we have achieved together and deeply grateful for the trust placed in me by the Board, our employees and stakeholders. As I hand over the reins, I do so with confidence in the company’s future and great respect for the people who will continue to shape its ongoing success.”
A search for the CFO succession has been initiated.
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