"Deadly Sins of the Board of Directors"

SMG Board Member until 2022, Partner at Egon Zehnder
Philippe Hertig is a partner at Egon Zehnder, where he has held various national and international leadership roles, including Managing Partner of the Zurich office and Chairman of the international partnership. He comes from a long-established family of entrepreneurs—he is the fifth generation. After completing his degree in business administration at the University of Fribourg, he worked at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke AG as a Regional Sales Manager, where—following his dissertation at the University of Bern—he was appointed to the Executive Board and named Division Head of Government Aviation. He has been with Egon Zehnder since 1999, specializing in the search for and assessment of top executives and board members. As a captain, he continues to fly the Tiger F-5F fighter jet and is also a member of the Swiss Air Force PC-7 TEAM, the official aerobatics team of the Swiss Air Force.

Sandro Gerber is a long-standing member of the Swiss Management Association (SMG), Chairman of the Board of Directors of Opolus AG, and an experienced Swiss entrepreneur with over 25 years of leadership and board experience at the national and international levels. He has supported, co-led, and strategically developed companies in various industries as CEO, Chairman of the Board, and board member.
Sandro Gerber is a long-standing member of the Swiss Management Association (SMG), Chairman of the Board of Directors of Opolus AG, and an experienced Swiss entrepreneur with over 25 years of leadership and board experience at the national and international levels. He has supported, co-led, and strategically developed companies in various industries as CEO, Chairman of the Board, and board member.
His key career milestones include serving as CEO of BELFOR (Suisse) AG, CEO of Western Europe and a member of the Group Executive Committee at Suntel Group a.s., and CEO of Teleperformance Switzerland. In addition, he brings extensive experience from various board mandates, during which he actively supported companies through phases of growth, transformation, and restructuring.
Sandro Gerber is a long-standing member of the Swiss Management Association (SMG), Chairman of the Board of Directors of Opolus AG, and an experienced Swiss entrepreneur with over 25 years of leadership and board experience at the national and international levels. He has supported, co-led, and strategically developed companies in various industries as CEO, Chairman of the Board, and board member.
His key career milestones include serving as CEO of BELFOR (Suisse) AG, CEO of Western Europe and a member of the Group Executive Committee at Suntel Group a.s., and CEO of Teleperformance Switzerland. In addition, he brings extensive experience from various board mandates, during which he actively supported companies through phases of growth, transformation, and restructuring.
His areas of expertise include strategy, leadership, transformation, digitalization, restructuring, business development, and sustainable corporate growth. As a sparring partner, executive interim manager, and strategic advisor, he supports companies—particularly in challenging change situations—in further developing their business models and realizing sustainable value creation, including issues related to succession planning and business transitions.
As an entrepreneur, Sandro Gerber embodies entrepreneurial leadership and the development of sustainable business models. Among other things, he is involved in building and developing international brands such as Caminovacion Cigars, a premium cigar brand of Swiss origin and Dominican manufacture that stands for quality, craftsmanship, and consistent positioning in the boutique segment.
Sandro Gerber holds an Executive MBA and has completed international continuing education programs in leadership, change management, corporate governance, and strategy, including courses at INSEAD, MIT, and the University of St. Gallen.