Personnel and assessments
Board, management, management of business units and areas of expertise
The board was re-elected in its entirety at the 2016 general meeting for one year. The chairman and the members of the remuneration committee were also confirmed by the general meeting. With the exception of Dr Jürg Rieben, all board members and the chairman are available for a re-election at the 2017 general meeting.
The Jungfrau Railways management has remained unchanged since 2008. On 31 May 2017, Jürg Lauper is retiring. Until further notice, the management will consist of the three members Urs Kessler, CEO, Christoph Seiler, CFO, and Christoph Schläppi, Corporate Secretary / Council. In the course of the new financial year, a further member will be appointed by the board. No changes are made to the tried and tested remuneration system. For this reason, a remuneration framework for four members of the Management Board will be submitted unchanged to the Annual General Meeting 2016 for approval. The information on the persons and compensation for the board and the management can be found in the remuneration report and the corporate governance section of this annual report.
The operating units of the Group are managed on site by one overall responsible manager. In this way, the management and decision-making authority is perceived in the immediate vicinity of events and thus in close customer contact. The heads of the operating units are (as of 31/12/2016):
- Werner Amacher, Harder Railways
- Marco Luggen, First Railway and winter sports
- Martin Loosli, Top of Europe Shops
- Markus Balmer, Wengernalp Railway
- Gabriel Roth, Jungfrau Railway
- Stefan Wittwer, Mürren Railway and supervision of Lauterbrunnen car park
- Nils von Allmen, Lütschental power station
The departments support the operation managers. The following department heads are among the top group managers:
- Patrizia Bickel, Head of Corporate Communications
- Matthias Bütler, Head of Marketing
- Therese Jaun Schmid, Head of Human Resources
- Stefan Würgler, Head of Sales and Production
On 31 May 2017, Therese Jaun, Head of Human Resources, is retiring. As a successor, the boards of Jungfraubahn Holding AG and Berner Oberland-Bahnen AG have unanimously elected Andreas Piattini, previously Head of HR at Zentralbahn.
Jürg Rieben
Dr Jürg Rieben was elected to the boards of Jungfrau Railway and Wengeralp Railway on 19 June 1992 and appointed vice-chairman. He began his long career at the company during the transition period from the old to a new era: after more than 70 years of cooperation between Jungfrau Railway and Wengernalp Railway, the time had come to merge in 1994. At the time, the young holding company needed management-oriented entrepreneurs in the form of Jürg Rieben to build solid, «market-ready» structures and still not lose their identity. As a native Interlaken resident, Jürg Rieben felt connected with the history of the Jungfrau Railway and knew the regional importance of the company as well as how locals identify with their mountain railways. This was the reason for his position in favour of economically balanced decisions and a healthy risk awareness, which should always successfully deal with the volatility of the tourism industry. Jürg Rieben knew that prosperity and «full-blooded commitment», in his words, which are indispensable for the successful continuation of the Jungfrau Railway's history, could only flourish on a solid foundation anchored in the region.
When Jürg Rieben joined the board of Jungfraubahn Holding AG in 2002, he took on the challenging presidency of the Audit Committee. Through his concise way of summarising economic contexts and facts, he was always a great help and support for the Jungfrau Railway Group and a demanding sparring partner for the CFO and auditors. Jürg Rieben was further characterised by his willingness to work outside the board for the region. For example, until the merger in 2004, he was chairman of First Railway. The great commitment to the Jungfrau Railway Group for so many years is exceptional and deserves great recognition. In the end, Jürg Rieben helped to shape the new Jungfraubahn Holding AG and described the change to a new level of self-understanding as follows: «At the beginning, at each board meeting we talked almost exclusively about railways, and now we practically only talk about tourism and marketing.»
The board and management were also glad to be able to draw on the experience of Jürg Rieben during the design of the V-Cableway project. We have fond memories of visiting the open countryside, about which the alpinist Jürg Rieben was always enthusiastic. He has even represented the board as a successful finisher at the Jungfrau Marathon and has climbed the Jungfrau. Colleagues and management are very grateful to him for his great commitment as a board member.
Jürg Lauper
Jürg Lauper worked at Jungfrau Railways for 32 years. In 1985, his career began as deputy head of construction; in 1986 he took over management of the department. He was responsible for the completion of the new Berghaus on the Jungfraujoch, the timeless masterpiece of architect Anderegg. Since that time, he has shaped the appearance of the Jungfrau Railways in construction and civil engineering. One cause of his was the preservation of historical substance. At the same time, he was committed to modern architecture. Many buildings testify to his ability to combine old and modern styles. In addition to project management, he often also had the task of mediation and resolution of conflicts between builders, authorities, homeland / nature conservationists, engineers, architects, landowners and neighbours. Here his professional knowledge, patience, perseverance and diplomacy paid off. Together with all these new and existing stakeholders, the Jungfrau Railways construction chief, taking the environment into account, in each case «composed» solutions that were well received and worked. Wengen station, the Wilderswil-Zweilütschinen double lane track, and the Interlaken Ost station are striking examples. The latter will be immortalised – as a coincidental appreciation of the work of Jürg Lauper – in 2017, the year of his retirement, on an official Swiss Post stamp.
Jürg Lauper was elected to the management of Jungfrau Railways in 2006 as Head of Technology. Even though he was an «outsider», living in Spiez, he was known throughout the district. His influence extended far beyond the tracks. He always played an important role in spatial planning, traffic planning, flood protection and protection against natural hazards, and he made a commendable and constructive contribution. His extensive network of relationships and his great reputation with the authorities are the reward for his commitment to the cause and the community. Jürg Lauper was also respected by entrepreneurs, whom he dealt with as an economically-minded, but also fair client, committed to the corporate objectives and the public law regulations.
During his career, Jürg Lauper was able to manage and successfully complete the long-term construction of the Buechitunnel of Berner Oberland-Bahnen AG. This project was almost a «done deal» at the beginning of his career in the 1980s. With his long, successful career, Jürg Lauper is also living proof that infrastructure is not thought out, planned and financed in days and weeks but in years and decades. Jürg Lauper embodied the company's consistent values. He has ensured the ongoing modernisation of Jungfrau Railways with a perspective that was long-term even at that time, when there were no network status reports. The board of Jungfraubahn Holding AG and Berner Oberland-Bahnen AG thank him for this.
Therese Jaun Schmid
Therese Jaun Schmid took up her position in December 2008, at the time as «Head of Human Resources». At the same time, she gained recognition and respect as a skilled representative of the company management. In her eight and a half years of service, she introduced many instruments of modern HR. In particular, she left her mark with institutionalised education and training, combined with effective talent promotion and successful internal recruitment. She was an important contact for all employees, and the right address for anyone going through a difficult time for professional or private reasons. Her open door and tireless personal commitment were suited to opening a new paths with new perspectives for those affected. She will therefore be fondly remembered by many families. The development that the department underwent under her leadership is impressive. In order to meet the demands of modern personnel management and to cope with increased regulations, she formed a process-oriented unit with eight employees from the previously small «HR department». She will be able to hand over to her successor, Andreas Piattini, an extremely interesting task and the appropriate structures for dealing with it. Jungfrau Railways thanks her for her commitment.