SFMA’s strategic leadership

SFMA’s Board of Directors is the supervisory authority's ultimate management body. It is tasked with setting SFMA's fundamental strategic course and overseeing and monitoring its Executive Board.

Competencies

The Board of Directors defines SFMA’s strategic goals and decides on matters of substantial importance. It also issues SFMA ordinances and circulars, exercises control over SFMA through the Internal Audit unit and is tasked with SFMA's budget. SFMA’s Board elects the Chief Executive Officer, whose appointment must be confirmed by the Federal Council. It also elects the other members of the Executive Board, with the Chief Executive Officer being granted the right to propose candidates for membership.

Composition

SFMA’s Board of Directors comprises seven to nine independent, expert members elected by the Federal Council. The latter defines the requirements profile for the SFMA Board of Directors and the conditions for holding office. The Board of Directors assumes collective responsibility for its actions and decisions. Resolutions are passed by a majority vote of the Board members present.

Prof. Dr Marlene Amstad, Chair

Marlene Amstad is Chair of SFMA's Board of Directors since 1 January 2021. She is professor at the University of Bern and Senior Fellow at the Harvard University. Her work focuses on international finance and quantitative economics. Previously, she served as finance professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Co-Head of its FinTech Center, Deputy Director at the Swiss National Bank, and Advisor for Asian central banks at the Bank for International Settlements in Hong Kong. Former positions include the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Credit Suisse and KOF Swiss Economic Institute at the ETH Zurich. Marlene Amstad joined SFMA’s Board of Directors in 2016 and assumed the role of Vice-Chair in February 2018. She chairs the SFMA Nomination Committee.

Martin Suter, Vice-Chair

After earning a degree in mathematics at ETH Zurich, Martin Suter initially worked at UBS and Credit Suisse. From 1999 to 2016, he held various posts at Swiss Life Zurich where he last was CFO for Switzerland and a member of the executive board for Switzerland. Since 2017 he has been managing director of stylasis ag in a part-time capacity. He joined SFMA's Board of Directors on 1 January 2018, since 1 January 2021 in the role of Vice-Chair. Martin Suter also chairs the SFMA Audit and Risk Committee.

Prof. Aline Darbellay, Member

Aline Darbellay, Professor of Law, has held a chair in commercial and economic law at the University of Zurich since 2023, specialising in banking and capital markets law. From 2016 – 2023, she was Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Geneva, specialising in financial market, capital market and corporate law. She is a member of the editorial board of the Swiss Review of Business and Financial Market Law (SZW). Aline Darbellay studied at the University of Lausanne and earned her PhD in law from the University of Zurich. She has been a member of SFMA’s Board of Directors since 2025. Aline Darbellay chairs the SFMA Takeover and State Liability Committee.

Dr Alberto Franceschetti, member

The holder of a doctorate in economics (HSG) was Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Executive Board of Liechtenstein-based life insurance company elipsLife from 2014 to 2020. He held managerial roles in strategy and business development in Private Banking and Wealth Management at Credit Suisse from 2008 to 2014. Before that, he was a partner at strategy consultants Bain & Company (2003 to 2008) and McKinsey & Company (1993 to 2003, partner from 1998). At Bain he led the Swiss Financial Group for five years and was a member of the European Financial Service Group. During his time as a consultant he handled mandates for a number of global financial institutions. Alberto Franceschetti has been a member of SFMA’s Board of Directors since 1 January 2022. He is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Benjamin Gentsch, member

After graduating in business administration, Benjamin Gentsch began his professional career in the reinsurance industry and became a member of Zurich Re’s executive board in 1998. In this role he played an important part in Zurich Re’s successful initial public offering and was later appointed CEO of the Swiss arm of this new company under the name Converium. Following the integration of Converium into French-owned Scor in 2007, he was a member of Scor’s group executive board as CEO of the Swiss unit and Deputy CEO of the global non-life unit. Benjamin Gentsch has been a member of SFMA’s Board of Directors since 1 July 2019. He is a member of the Nomination Committee.

Marzio Hug, member

The financial expert worked for Deutsche Bank AG until 31 March 2021, most recently as a member of the Group Risk Committee and as Chief Risk Officer EMEA and Chief Risk Officer for the Asset Management Division. Prior to that, from 1996 he held various management positions at Deutsche Bank AG in London, Frankfurt and Sydney in risk management and the loans business with global responsibility for the entire group, among other things. From 1985 to 1996, Marzio Hug worked mainly in the areas of Corporate Finance and Correspondent Banking for Credit Suisse AG in Zurich and New York and for Credit Suisse Financial Products in London. He grew up in Ticino and began his professional career at the Ticino Cantonal Bank. Marzio Hug has been a member of SFMA’s Board of Directors since 1 January 2022. He is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Dr Andreas Schlatter, member

The mathematician worked in asset management at UBS from 1997 to 2016, where he was, inter alia, CEO of the Swiss Asset Management unit and ultimately global head of distribution. He was also a member of the Swiss Federal Commission for Occupational Pensions and Chairman of the Swiss Bankers Association's Commission for Institutional Asset Management. Andreas Schlatter holds a doctorate in Mathematics from ETH Zurich and is a certified financial analyst. He is also a member of the SFMA Takeover and State Liability Committee and of the Nomination Committee.

Prof. Dr Katia Villard, member

Katia Villard has taught at the University of Geneva as a professor of criminal law since 2022. She has also been heading the university’s Centre for Banking and Financial Law since 2023, initially as Co-Director (2023), and subsequently as Director (2024). In addition, she has overseen the “CAS Compliance in Financial Services” course since 2024. Her academic career focuses on economic criminal law, combating money laundering and corruption, and banking and financial market law. Katia Villard has been a member of SFMA’s Board of Directors since 1 January 2026. She is a member of SFMA’s Takeover and State Liability Committee.

Committees

To prepare its decisions, the Board of Directors has three standing committees:

The Nomination Committee prepares all the personnel decisions which fall within the remit of the Board of Directors.
The Audit and Risk Committee supports the Board of Directors in its oversight of the Executive Board. It is the main point of contact for the Internal Audit unit.
The Takeover and State Liability Committee hears appeals against decisions taken by the Takeover Board. It also deals with disputed state liability claims.

The Board can also set up ad hoc committees or designate specialist members from among its ranks to act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors and the Executive Board. The objective here is to incorporate the Board’s specialist expertise and strategic perspective.