The Federal Council has elected Marlene Amstad as the future Chair of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). The former Vice-Chair will take over on 1 January 2021 from Thomas Bauer, who will step down from his role at the end of the year.
At its meeting today, the Federal Council elected Marlene Amstad as the future Chair of the FINMA Board of Directors. She will take up her new post on 1 January 2021, succeeding Thomas Bauer who will leave the board on this date.
Marlene Amstad (1968) has been a member of the FINMA Board of Directors since 1 January 2016. In 2018 the Federal Council elected her Vice-Chair. Marlene Amstad is a Professor of Practice in Economics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Co-Director of its Center for Financial Technology and a visiting professor at the University of Bern. She was previously Deputy Director and the Head of Investment Strategy and Financial Market Analysis at the Swiss National Bank. From 2012 to 2015 Marlene Amstad was an Adviser at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Hong Kong. Before completing her doctoral studies at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in 2000 she worked as an Economist at the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.
Thomas Bauer, Chair of the FINMA Board of Directors, will step down from his role at the end of 2020. He comments as follows: “Today’s election paves the way for a smooth transition in the Chair of FINMA’s Board of Directors, guaranteeing continuity. For me personally the end of the year is a good time to pass on the baton after five fulfilling years as Chair and upon reaching retirement age. I would like to thank my colleagues on FINMA’s Board of Directors and Executive Board for the excellent cooperation. Particular thanks go to FINMA’s employees. It was always an honour and a great pleasure working with them to fulfil FINMA’s mandate and so benefit the Swiss financial centre. I congratulate Marlene Amstad on her election.”
The Board of Directors, the CEO and FINMA’s Executive Board would expressly like to thank Thomas Bauer for his engagement and his dedication to FINMA and to a stable and successful Swiss financial centre over the last five years.
The new Vice-Chair of the FINMA Board of Directors will be determined at a later date.
Contact:
Tobias Lux, Media Spokesperson
Tel. +41 (0)31 327 91 71
tobias.lux@finma.ch
