Board of Directors
Governance at the highest level
Our board sets strategic direction, ensures regulatory compliance, and holds executive leadership accountable to shareholders and communities alike.
Dr. Heinrich Kessler
Former CEO of Helvetia Metals AG with 30 years in commodity markets. Dr. Kessler joined the board in 2009 and assumed the chairmanship in 2016. Holds a doctorate in Geotechnical Engineering from ETH Zurich.
Martina Huber
Former partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Switzerland and member of the Swiss Accounting Standards Board. Martina leads the Audit Committee and oversees financial reporting integrity across all operations.
Prof. Andreas Steiner
Professor of Environmental Engineering at EPFL Lausanne. Prof. Steiner chairs the ESG and Sustainability Committee, directing the company's environmental performance and community engagement strategy.
Sophie Rüegg
Great-granddaughter of founder Heinrich Rüegg and guardian of the company's founding charter. Sophie leads community liaison initiatives and oversees the heritage archive programme across 12 Alpine villages.
Executive Leadership
Driving daily operations
Our executive team translates board strategy into field execution across six mine sites and two processing facilities.
Marco Fässler
20 years in mining operations across Switzerland and Australia. Marco joined Swiss Mining Co. as Operations Director in 2014 before being appointed CEO in 2019. He led the company's digital transformation and zero-harm safety initiative.
Dr. Claudia Merz
Specialist in underground mine systems engineering. Dr. Merz oversees the day-to-day running of all six sites, including the deployment of the company's autonomous drill rig programme and real-time atmospheric monitoring network.
Thomas Widmer
Former Head of Commodities Finance at UBS. Thomas manages the company's CHF 2.1B annual revenue, capital expenditure programme, and investor relations. He led the 2022 sustainability-linked bond issuance.
Ingrid Brunner
20 years in occupational health and mining safety regulation. Ingrid designed and implemented the zero-harm framework that has delivered zero major incidents since 2019. She represents Swiss Mining Co. on the Swiss Mining Safety Council.
Our governance
Accountable to the mountain and the market
Swiss Mining Co. operates under a dual-board structure as required by Swiss corporate law, with independent directors forming the majority of the Board of Directors and all key committees.
- Board majority: 75% independent directors
- Annual say-on-pay shareholder vote
- Full ESG disclosure published annually
- Whistleblower protection policy since 2012
- Anti-corruption programme aligned to ISO 37001
