Partners' View May 2022

The art of reading.
PART
NERS‘
VIEW
02|2022
May 2022
FOCUS
ART &
CREATIVITY
WIE STABIL IST DIE WELT?
THEMEN
< Politik &
Gesellschaft
TOPICS < swisspartners-
< NFTs Mission in art
< Creative < Finanzmarkt advisory
solutions < Versicherungen
< Finance < Human meets Resources art
< Who < Who is? is?

ART &
CREATIVITY
PART
NERS‘
VIEW
ISSUE 04

EDITORIAL
F
Francis Picabia (1879–1953) was one of
the most exciting and influential figures
of classical modernism. A painter,
writer and provocateur, Picabia is
famously quoted as saying “Our heads
are round so our thoughts can change
direction”.
Especially in challenging times, it was
often artists who creatively reflected
contemporary events and significantly
influenced society through their art.
Times of crisis call for creative
solutions and courageous action.
At swisspartners, art has a
longstanding tradition. We have
therefore dedicated the current issue
of Partners’ View to a topic that is a
constant source of food for thought:
Art & Creativity. You are cordially
invited to join our editorial team on a
tour through the artistic world – from
the perspective of swisspartners and
the art experts with whom we
collaborate.
Everyone seems to be talking about
NFTs these days. Digital assets expert
Alexander Brunner shares a profound
insight into the topic of NFTs in the art
world and we ask ourselves the
provocative question: Yes, but is it art?
“Creative solutions in wealth advice
need to be custom-tailored to people’s
needs”, says our CEO Asset Management
Christian Dietsche. This point is
clearly demonstrated by two innovative
services: ONE by swisspartners and our
comprehensive stress-free package.
Under the motto ‘Finance meets art’,
we speak with our CEO Markus
Wintsch and our cooperation partners
Claudius Ochsner and Daniel
Wahrenberger from the Gallery WOS
in Zurich about their love of art and
the importance of creativity.
To round off this issue, in the ‘Who is?’
column, we introduce Bernhard
Schürmann, a long-standing
relationship manager and a passionate
art lover.
I wish you a creative read.
Yours
Simone Töllner
Head Marketing
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | Editorial 3

CONTENTS
4 Contents | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

YES, BUT IS IT ART? 6
Alexander Brunner on NFTs in art
CREATIVE ADVISORY
SOLUTIONS 10
Innovative services from swisspartners
FINANCE MEETS ART 12
swisspartners in conversation with Claudius Ochsner
and Daniel Wahrenberger from the Gallery WOS
WHO IS? 18
Profile: Bernhard Schürmann
PUBLISHING
INFORMATION 19
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | Contents 5

YES, BUT IS IT ART?
BETWEEN FASCINATION AND IRRITATION:
NFTS IN THE ART WORLD
Guest commentary by Alexander Brunner
Digital art has become „socially acceptable.”
6 NFTs in art | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

„
Back in 2017, software developers Hall and Watkinson
issued 10,000 NFTs: virtual certificates of ownership
recorded on the blockchain and linked to algorithmically
generated portraits of characters inspired by the London
punk scene, for free. In February 2022, Sotheby’s planned
to sell 104 of these ‘CryptoPunks’ for a total of USD 30
million. A year earlier, in March 2021, Christie’s auctioned
an NFT by artist Mike Winkelmann for USD 69 million. In
2019, Swiss artist Johannes Gees created 360 NFTs
based on a laser platform. These too were valued in the
millions in 2021. As a new form of digital art, NFTs have
undeniably made it on the mainstream art scene – and
have become a hotly sought-after investment.
With NFTs, the
traditional concept
of art is reaching
its limits.”
The generally technology-averse and slow-to-change art
world is now seeing rapid innovation driven by accelerating
technological advances based on blockchain. It is a
familiar phenomenon from the business world: Wherever
new technologies disrupt the established way of doing
things, they create momentum for rapid change. We only
need to think here of how Amazon transformed the book
trade or how Spotify revolutionised how we listen to
music.
DIGITAL WORLD MEETS THE ART WORLD
An NFT is a non-fungible token – essentially a digital code
that points to a digital or physical object, similar to a
digital certificate of ownership. The token is stored,
immutably and publicly, on the blockchain.
For many years, ‘digital’ or ‘generative’ art – art generated
via computer algorithms – eked out a niche existence.
This was mainly because digital objects are easy, cheap,
and quick to copy – and thus of little value to collectors
or investors.
Combining digital artworks with manipulation-proof
digital certificates in the form of NFTs proved an immediate
game changer, giving a huge uplift to digital art and
propelling it into the realm of respectability. Auction
houses and galleries are not the only ones to profit from
the digital art gold-rush. For artists, too, it has opened up
a completely new market.
A NEW CONCEPT OF ART?
When the first NFTs were pitched onto the art market,
tempers flared: Can digital art be considered art? Can’t
digital artworks simply be copied at will? Something that
is digitally reproducible and consequently anything but
unique surely can’t be valuable in the conventional sense
– or can it?
How does art define itself? And is art only ‘good’ art if it
costs a lot of money? At what point does the physical (art)
world transition to the digital world? Question upon
question, but one thing is clear: with NFTs, the traditional
concept of art is reaching its limits. At the same time, it
has always been the task of art to critically reflect
contemporary events and to play with traditional ideas.
The connection between NFTs and art shows once again
that wherever there is innovation, there are also breaks
with tradition. In my view, the beauty of technological
acceleration is that it generates a wealth of new ideas
and projects in rapid succession. It promotes iteration as
an intrinsic feature of creative work. At the same time,
rapid reproduction raises the question of whether
generative art is artistically substantial and of lasting
value whatsoever. What constitutes quality in digital art?
What will stand the test of time?
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | NFTs in art 7

I am fascinated by the interface „between digital and physical.”
DIGITAL ART AS A STATUS SYMBOL
Top-priced NFTs today include the well-known Bored Ape
(Yacht Club) and the CryptoPunks mentioned earlier.
They enjoy cult status in the crypto world and attract
strong media attention. Their high prices (several hundred
thousand USD) result in people showing them off in
social media. This brings another important function of
digital art into focus: Owners use it to burnish their social
status and prestige, and to gain access to an exclusive
coterie – just as with traditional art.
In this context, it is quite legitimate to ask if the focus
here is on art at all – or if it is all about investing and
media self-promotion. Some hail generative art as visionary,
iconic and trailblazing while others denounce it as trashy
and over-hyped.
Another area of tension is the relationship between capital
and art. While artists are all too quick to say they have
nothing to do with the commercial art world, they still
profit from the enormous value development of their
artistic output. Both aspects collide with great force in
NFTs.
FUSION OF DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL ART
I have worked together with the Zurich artist Christian
Etter for a number of years. He is the founder of the
Museum of Digital Arts in Zurich and designed my book,
Crypto Nation Switzerland. Right now, he is working on
a physical sculpture that incorporates digital, NFT
elements. His aim is to transport predominantly digital
art into the physical world. And it is important to him that
his artwork remains aesthetically compelling, both
digitally and physically. As the co-initiator of this art
project, I am fascinated by the creative process and the
challenges of the interface between digital and physical
art.
8 NFTs in art | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

Foto © Filipa Peixeiro
DIGITAL ART: A GOOD INVESTMENT?
Even the Swiss Art Market Association is grappling with
the question of how the digital transformation will affect
the art world. The question is, where is all this going? Are
NFTs in art no more than a flash in the pan, or do they
have sustainable future potential? Are they worth
investing in?
The current hype around NFTs reminds me of the initial
coin offering (ICO) boom in 2017. Back then, countless
blockchain start-ups raised huge sums in fundraising
campaigns. Shortly thereafter, the crypto market
corrected sharply. Most of the projects turned out to be
pump-and-dump schemes, and in some cases, investors
lost a lot of money. I can imagine a similar situation with
NFTs. In fact, no one can give a reliable prognosis at the
present time.
ART AS MIRROR OF SOCIETY
Digital art has found its way into the classical art world
within a few years due to blockchain technology. High
auction prices and strong media attention have put an
end to generative art’s niche existence. Whether that
makes lasting sense is something only time will tell. But
ultimately, art is expected to mirror society, thereby
promoting critical discourse. This is precisely the contribution
that NFTs can make in view of the rapid digital
transformation in business and society.
THE ART OF ABOUT REAL ESTATE THE AUTHOR
Alexander E. Brunner is from Zurich and works as a
consultant for international technology companies. He
also writes about digital assets and is a member of the
Zurich City Council. As an art lover, he has long taken a
personal interest in the arts and promotes artists in
Switzerland and abroad.
Before working for Ben & Jerry’s, the cult ice cream
brand, Alexander studied business administration at the
University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He later worked
for over a decade in alternative investments, hedge funds
and impact investing before becoming a senior executive
at a Swedish-Swiss big data start-up.
Alexander is the author of Crypto Nation Switzerland, the
first book about the Swiss Crypto Valley (2019). He also
authored the first Swiss Digital Asset and Wealth
Management Report (2021).
„ Art is expected to mirror
society, thereby promoting
critical discourse.”
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | NFTs in art 9

CREATIVE ADVISORY
SOLUTIONS
FLOATING ON CLOUD NINE
Innovative advisory services
from swisspartners
THE STRESS-FREE PACKAGE
FFurther
enhancing the ability to meet clients’ needs with
creative solutions in extraordinary times, swisspartners has
developed two forward-looking advisory solutions: ONE by
swisspartners, and the stress-free package.
Both of these solutions are tailor-made, leaving clients free
to choose what is important to them. “We focus on structured
wealth advice with clear objectives,” says Christian Dietsche,
CEO Asset Management at swisspartners. “This enables us
to prepare creative solutions geared to individual needs.”
Alongside this focus on individual requirements, Dietsche
says, another key aspect when advising clients is being open
to new developments: “We always keep up with the times, so
we make sure we also have new markets like crypto and
other current themes on our radar.”
Featuring six building blocks, the stress-free package takes the
pressure off clients across all aspects of wealth, financial
planning, taxes, forward planning & inheritance, property and
lifestyle services. Diverse service modules can be combined
to deliver maximum flexibility. Interested clients can make a
preliminary selection of the stress-free services on the
swisspartners website. In the next stage, swisspartners
specialists work with clients to put together a bespoke package
of services – remotely by video conference if required.
„ We focus on structured
wealth advice with clear
objectives.”
10 Creative advisory solutions | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

ONE BY SWISSPARTNERS
Your wealth at a glance: The comprehensive ONE by swisspartners
service digitally consolidates and structures all assets, from
equities and foreign currencies through to property, works of
art, vintage cars and antiques. Not only does ONE enable the
transparent documentation of how assets are structured and
owned, it also offers digitalised performance and cost analyses
as well as macroeconomic assessments. The encrypted,
blockchain-based client portal with cloud servers in Switzerland
meets the highest demands in terms of data
security.
„ Creative solutions in
wealth-advice have to be
tailored to meet individual
needs.”
YOUR CONTACT:
Christian Dietsche
CEO Asset Management
christian.dietsche@swisspartners.com
Learn more about our innovative
solutions:
swisspartners.com/das-sorglos-paket
onebyswisspartners.com/en
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | Creative advisory solutions 11

FINANCEMEETSART
MARKUS WINTSCH, CEO OF THE SWISSPARTNERS GROUP,
AND SIMONE TÖLLNER, HEAD MARKETING, EXCHANGE IDEAS
WITH GALLERY OWNERS CLAUDIUS OCHSNER AND DANIEL
WAHRENBERGER FROM THE GALLERY WOS ON THEIR LOVE
OF ART AND ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ART AND CREATIVITY
AT SWISSPARTNERS.
The discussion was moderated by Kathrin Meister.
„ Our affinity to art is also
expressed in our slogan,
‘The art of finance’.”
Markus Wintsch
12 Finance meets art | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

ART HAS ALWAYS FEATURED LARGE AT
SWISSPARTNERS. THE SWISSPARTNERS SLOGAN,
“THE ART OF FINANCE”, WAS CREATED IN 2016. HOW
DID THIS STRONG AFFINITY TO ART COME ABOUT?
MARKUS WINTSCH: Art plays a central role at swisspartners
and has done for the past 29 years. The founding partners, as
well as the partners who joined through to the end of the
1990s, are all art lovers. They all share close connections with
art. And the same partners have a long track record of
erving clients who also have an affinity to art.
In some cases, partners have brought their own private
artworks into the office. Building on this, we have gradually
expanded our art collection in collaboration with various art
dealers. When selecting works for this purpose, we have
always insisted on them having a connection to the world of
finance. We have also commissioned painters to create works
of art exclusively for swisspartners. One picture, for example,
embodies the swisspartners values. (see page 12)
Our affinity to art is also expressed in
our slogan, “The art of finance”. This
was created during the last makeover of
our corporate identity. Today, it is an
integral part of our corporate design. It
is a highly versatile slogan that we mix
and match in a variety of ways. In the
case of Partners’ View, for instance, we
have picked “The art of reading”.
WHAT ROLE DOES ART PLAY IN YOUR CLIENTS’ ASSET
PORTFOLIOS?
MARKUS WINTSCH: Just like real estate or collectible cars,
art has long been firmly established as an asset class in the
investment portfolios of wealthy private clients.
Many clients of swisspartners have been collecting art for
decades. This is something we frequently only learn about
when we visit them in their own homes. In their home
surroundings, we are not only able to gain a better picture of
our clients and their families, but also get to see how they
live and what is important to them. Art often plays a
prominent role here.
„
I see my role as
an opportunity
to combine the
fields of art and
marketing.”
Simone Töllner
THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE GALLERY WOS AND
SWISSPARTNERS GOES BACK A LONG WAY. HOW DID IT
COME ABOUT?
CLAUDIUS OCHSNER: Through my former gallery Barr &
Ochsner, I have been in close contact with Ralph Schuler ever
since early 2000. Our collaboration took on a more concrete
form when Simone Töllner came in.
SIMONE TÖLLNER: Art in our organisation is a subject that
is very close to my heart. Shortly after I joined swisspartners
in July 2019, I met with the three owners of the Gallery WOS
to set up a working partnership. This covers, on the one hand,
the swisspartners art events and, on the other, support for
our in-house art exhibitions. We enjoy a great degree of
freedom and trust on the part of swisspartners’ management
in advancing our art projects. This has naturally added to the
success of our partnership to date. Thanks to art, we are able
to bring new creative flair to our office premises and to inspire
our clients at art events.
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | Finance meets art 13

WHAT DO THE THREE LETTERS WOS STAND FOR AND
HOW ARE YOU SPECIALISED?
DANIEL WAHRENBERGER: The letters stand for the gallery’s
three owners, Wahrenberger, Ochsner and Schafflützel. Its
‘predecessor’ galleries, Barr & Ochsner and Wahrenberger,
boast over 50 years of combined experience in the art market.
Back then, Thomas Schafflützel helped out in my gallery. At
a meeting with Claudius Ochsner, we came up with the idea
of presenting a combined booth at the next art fair. Shortly
after that, Thomas Schafflützel moved to Barr & Ochsner. We
then launched our joint gallery, the Gallery WOS, in September
2019. You can find us in Zurich’s beautiful Kirchgasse, where
we opened our premises in mid-2020. We inaugurated another
showroom in Pfäffikon this March.
CLAUDIUS OCHSNER: Due to the merger of two galleries,
we are naturally very broadly positioned. On the one hand,
we represent the programme of the former Barr & Ochsner
gallery: classical modernism with a
focus on German expressionism, American
pop art and European art of the 1940s
and 1950s. Daniel Wahrenberger traditionally
has a different approach to art:
He primarily represents a small circle of
contemporary artists with whom he
maintains personal contact.
„
Only together with his
friends could someone
like Picasso become a
person who influenced
generations of artists.”
Claudius Ochsner
SIMONE TÖLLNER, YOU ARE HEAD MARKETING AT SWISSPARTNERS AND
OVERSEE THE IN-HOUSE ART EXHIBITIONS AND ART EVENTS. WOULD YOU
LIKE TO TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR CONNECTION TO CREATIVITY
AND ART?
SIMONE TÖLLNER: I was given the opportunity to join swisspartners as Head
Marketing in 2019. My background is actually in the humanities: I studied art history,
philosophy and German literature and followed up with a master’s in cultural
studies and media conception in Zurich. After that, I qualified in marketing in
part-time study. That makes me quite the odd one out in finance (laughs).
Creativity is literally something I was born into, as my grandfather was a landscape
painter of the classical Munich school at Munich Academy of Fine Arts. I spent my
childhood between canvases and the smell of turpentine and linseed oil (painting
materials – ed.). Before swisspartners, I worked for about 12 years in sales and
marketing at several prestigious Swiss art galleries. As many of my former gallery
clients were from finance, I was able to develop a high affinity for the finance sector
during that time. I see my role at swisspartners as an opportunity to combine the
fields of art and marketing. The working atmosphere in our organisation is characterised
by individuality and creativity. That’s probably why I feel so at home here.
14 Finance meets art | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

SWISSPARTNERS IS CURRENTLY REDESIGNING ITS
ZURICH OFFICE. MEANWHILE, THE GALLERY WOS HAS
OPENED A NEW SHOWROOM IN PFÄFFIKON, SCHWYZ.
HOW BIG A ROLE DO SPACES PLAY IN UNLOCKING
CREATIVITY?
MARKUS WINTSCH: Certainly a big one! The only thing I
regret about the remodelling of our office premises is that art
will probably have to take a back seat. But together with the
Gallery WOS or our artist friends, I’m confident that we will
find a way to integrate art into our open-plan layout. We
would like to continue to give our team the opportunity to
identify themselves through art and to create a creative
atmosphere of well-being in our premises.
SIMONE TÖLLNER: At swisspartners, we had two different
permanent exhibitions in the past, each with a completely
different ambiance. We are also noticing how strongly our
employees have identified with ‘our’ art over time. As already
mentioned, works of art that hung in our corridors and offices
for many years were sold because of the redesign – in some
cases triggering strong emotions.
MARKUS WINTSCH: Clients have frequently picked up on our
artworks as a talking point over the last 29 years. Often
enough, we spoke at greater length about the art in our
premises than about the performance of their portfolios
(laughs). Because our redesigned offices will have an openplan
layout, it’s going to be a challenge to hang art here. In
future, we will make more flexible use of the space
we have available for creativity and art – among
other things with loans from the Gallery WOS.
Accordingly, we are now in the process of selling a
large part of our art collection.
DANIEL WAHRENBERGER: Not long after opening
our gallery in July 2020, we had to go into lockdown.
One positive outcome of the pandemic has been that
because people had to spend more time working
from home, they wanted to make their home
surroundings more attractive. It goes without saying
that art is an important part of this. Art also plays a
major role when it comes to receiving visitors, whether
at home or in the office. As the saying goes, you never get
a second chance to make a first impression.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT THE OPEN-PLAN LAYOUT
WILL DO FOR THE CREATIVITY OF YOUR WORK AT
SWISSPARTNERS?
MARKUS WINTSCH: My great wish is that after the pandemic,
people will be happy to come back to the office to exchange
ideas and maintain social contacts. All of that has suffered
over the last two-and-a-half years. Getting people to return
to work from the office isn’t at all easy. But the remodelling
of our office premises is bound to motivate our team to come
and work in a superbly designed office environment and
finally meet colleagues again. After all, we spend around twothirds
of our waking hours at work.
As part of the redesign, we hope to incorporate ideas that
were previously unthinkable, such as living green walls. So
as well as promoting art and creativity, we will also to an
extent be bringing nature into the office.
„
We would like to
continue to give our
team the opportunity
to identify themselves
through art.”
Simone Töllner, Markus Wintsch
Markus Wintsch
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | Finance meets art 15

„ At some point, you embark on your
own ‘art journey’, and that ends up
resembling a tree that branches out
in all sorts of directions,
again and again.”
Daniel Wahrenberger
ON 5 MAY, THE GALLERY WOS OPENED A NEW
EXHIBITION, PICASSO & FRIENDS. THE EXHIBITION
SHINES THE LIGHT ON PICASSO’S WORK IN
CONNECTION WITH A CIRCLE OF OTHER OUTSTANDING
ARTISTIC PERSONALITIES. TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE
PRINCIPLE OF “INDIVIDUALITY AND MUTUALITY” ALSO
APPLY TO THE FINANCE SECTOR?
MARKUS WINTSCH: As our client base gets younger, the
more important the team approach to customer service
becomes for us as a financial boutique. Today, flexible advisory
approaches are needed from different people with different
know-how, strengths and weaknesses. In the past, you could
cover all bases with a one-man or one-woman show – one
Picasso, if you will. But growing specialisation has massively
changed the game over the last ten years. Nowadays, no one
person can know everything, or provide all services. It always
takes a strong team.
In the Picasso & Friends exhibition, it is the ‘friends’ who are
the team. At swisspartners, we not only need friends from
within our own ranks, but also friends from outside the
company.
Claudius Ochsner, Daniel Wahrenberger,
Thomas Schafflützel (left to to right)
IS OUR INTERPRETATION OF THE PICASSO & FRIENDS EXHIBITION AT THE
GALLERY WOS ACCURATE?
CLAUDIUS OCHSNER: Picasso was, of course, an outstanding personality. Together
with Georges Braques and Juan Gris, he founded Cubism. But if his circle of friends –
other artists who were also productive at the time – had not taken up the movement,
it would have remained a flash in the pan. Only together with his friends could someone
like Picasso become a person who influenced generations of artists.
In the other direction, his friends also influenced Picasso’s own work. He too took up
elements from other artists and reinterpreted them. A good artist doesn’t live and work
in isolation from the outside world. He or she goes out to see, hear, read and visit
exhibitions. The result is either a poor impression of the collected elements – or something
brilliant. In Picasso’s case, it was the latter.
16 Finance meets art | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

WHICH ART MOVEMENT OR ARTIST HAS SHAPED AND
INSPIRED YOU MOST OVER THE YEARS?
CLAUDIUS OCHSNER: Paul Cézanne never fails to fascinate
me as an artist. He is one of the founders of modernism,
redefined the artistic eye for detail, played with light and
shadow, left unfinished works that as far as he was concerned
were finished, and anticipated Cubism and abstraction.
Without him, 20th century art would simply not have happened.
DANIEL WAHRENBERGER: My background is in contemporary
art, as you know, and I have always actively worked with
artists and also coached them. After we merged our two
galleries, for example, I discovered modernist cynicism for
myself. Committing to a single art movement would definitely
be too narrow. At some point, you embark on your own ‘art
journey’, and that ends up resembling a tree that branches
out in all sorts of directions, again and again. There is always
something new to discover, but everything goes back to the
same roots.
SIMONE TÖLLNER: My roots without question are drawn
from the old masters. At the same time, out there in the
fringes, there are many artists that I admire very much. But
the common thread that has followed me through my entire
life is figurative art. I am fascinated by art that depicts, or that
completely distorts reality. At home, I have lots of portraits
and full-length works – I like to surround myself with people
and faces. I live with my ‘friends’ on the canvases and am
happy in their company.
MARKUS WINTSCH: When collecting, I focus on modern art,
which is atypical for the finance sector. An important factor
for me is to know the artists personally. For example, I have
acquired 50 artworks from one artist, because supporting the
livelihood of this artist and his family is a project close to my
heart. I also love large-format paintings and value harmonious
colours. Art has to flow as part of the contextual
environment – the frame, the surroundings and the people
who live there.
WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS CREATIVE?
DANIEL WAHRENBERGER: We are not short on creativity.
The important thing is to channel it in an organised way.
When you own a gallery and deal with different artists, art
movements, projects, art fairs and so forth on a daily basis,
creativity just flows of its own accord. It is important to find a
common thread while staying open to new projects, such as
with swisspartners.
CLAUDIUS OCHSNER: Another facet of creativity is that we
seek creative financing solutions for collectors who would like
to buy something but do not have enough money at that
moment.
SIMONE TÖLLNER: Sure I’m creative, or I wouldn’t be where
I am today. I might not create art as such in the way that an
artist does, but I always try and find creative solutions.
MARKUS WINTSCH: I like to bring my creativity to bear in
the interior and exterior of investment properties – that’s my
passion. Creativity is particularly needed in the property
sector because buildings are often so monotonous. When it
comes to the interior design of our offices, though, I’m happy
to leave the creativity to Simone Töllner and Vanessa Burkart
(Head Human Relations). They do a great job here on their
own! I look forward to finally getting back together in person
with the swisspartners team and harnessing our mutual
inspiration in our redesigned premises.
MORE ABOUT
THE GALLERY WOS:
galerie-wos.com/en
„
Art has to flow as part
of the contextual
environment – the
frame, the surroundings
and the people who live
there.”
Markus Wintsch
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | Finance meets art 17

WHO IS?
A COMPANY IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS
EMPLOYEES. IN THIS COLUMN, WE
PRESENT TALENTED MEMBERS OF
THE SWISSPARTNERS TEAM.
Bernhard Schürmann (right) and Simone
Töllner with a sculpture by Swiss artist
Ludwig Stocker.
BERNHARD
SCHÜRMANN
Partner
bernhard.schuermann@swisspartners.com
Bernhard Schürmann
describes himself with a quote attributed to
Confucius: “To get to the source, you need to
swim against the current.” Having been with
swisspartners for 25 years, he is one of the
longest-standing members of the team. As
well as being an expert in asset management,
Bernhard has always had a great interest in
the arts and culture.
He began his education with a commercial
apprenticeship at Union Bank of Switzerland
in Lucerne. Subsequently, he completed his
secondary schooling at the Cantonal school
of Lucerne. To finance his studies at the
University of Zurich, he taught part-time at a
commercial school in Lucerne – characterwise
a major challenge for him, as he says today.
After completing his studies, he took his first
steps in asset management at Privatbank
und Verwaltungsgesellschaft in Zurich (a part
of the Schmidheiny Group) and spent a year
in New York for training and further education.
The Schmidheiny family was very fond of art
and he had the privilege of being present
when Alexander Schmidheiny built up his
large collection of works by American pop
artists.
Later, Bernhard was appointed Director of
the group’s publicly listed Allgemeine Finanzgesellschaft.
Then followed ten years at
Cantrade Privatbank as a relationship manager
and curator of the bank’s art collection.
Finally, he joined swisspartners, together
with some of his colleagues from Cantrade
Privatbank. In advising clients, Bernhard has
always believed the saying “If the client is
happy, then the relationship manager is
happy,” pointing out that happiness is the
only thing that doubles when you share it.
5
5 QUESTIONS TO BERNHARD SCHÜRMANN
WHAT’S THE BEST THING YOU HAVE TO GIVE AT
SWISSPARTNERS?
The network that I have built up over the years. I might be a bit of an
individualist, but I have always enjoyed networking. I was on the
Board of Directors of Private Equity Holding for a number of years.
That gave me the opportunity to forge contacts with interesting people
and companies from fields such as medicine and engineering. I also
look after a number of clients from the arts and culture sector, which
lets me combine my hobby with my profession.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?
The fact that I have been able to retain almost all of my clients over
the last 25 years. I’m not a one-size-fits-all relationship manager and
have always looked after clients and their portfolios personally. Client
service in my mind encompasses comprehensive support for all
situations and problems.
WHAT DOES ART MEAN TO YOU?
I appreciate beautiful things and I especially love collecting art. But I
have never fallen for the mainstream. I own works of art from
classical modernism, Swiss art, as well as works by internationally
renowned artists (including China). One of my best friends, a major
collector of Chinese art, is a constant source of inspiration for me. I
have never sold any of the works in my collection. For me, art is not
a financial investment, but is something close to my heart.
WHAT KEEPS YOU YOUNG?
My family, sports and culture. I work out once a week with a personal
yoga instructor and play tennis (doubles only nowadays) as well as
golf. Aside from that, I am passionately involved in a cultural foundation
and sit on the advisory board of an international art collection.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE ARTS AND THE
WORLD OF FINANCE?
Both areas need serious, competent analysis and advice. Because no
one person can do everything and know everything themselves, good
contacts and networks are indispensable.
Interview by Simone Töllner.
18 WHO IS? | PARTNERS‘ VIEW

IMPRESSUM
EDITORIAL TEAM
Kathrin Meister | wordflow.de
Simone Töllner | swisspartners.com
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Angelika Plag | corporate-concepts.de
© PHOTOS
Getty Images: cover, pages 2, 10, back
Adobe Stock: pages 2, 4, 6–9
Karin Bischof: Employees pages 3, 11,18
Filipa Peixeiro: Alexander Brunner, page 9
Gabriela Dumitrescu: pages 11, 19
Daniel Chardon: Gallery WOS pages 15, 16
ARTWORK
pages 12, 18: „Verpflichtung“, triptych,
oil on canvas, 80 x 360 cm
PARTNERS‘ VIEW | Publishing information 19

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