Board of Directors

Esther von Ziegler was elected to the Board of Directors in 2015 and has been Chairman of the ZFV Board of Directors since 2022. She is an independent entrepreneur.

After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Zurich, Esther von Ziegler graduated with a lic. oec. HEC from the University of Lausanne. She also completed a CAS for board members at the HSLU.

The self-employed entrepreneur has a broad and well-founded expertise, including competences in the areas of gastronomy, the hotel industry and the development of real estate and companies. She started her professional career in the international fashion industry and was subsequently head of marketing and PR as well as a member of the executive board at Friedrich Steinfels AG. Later she dedicated herself to the development of the medical technology cluster toolpoint for life science, where she served as Secretary General.

Esther von Ziegler has been an independent entrepreneur since 1994. As co-owner, she built up the azinova group AG, which specialises in the reuse of former factory properties and other mixed-use real estate projects. Among other things, new life was breathed into the former Murg spinning mill at the lake Walensee. Important components for the revitalisation are the tourist projects sagibeiz and lofthotel as well as the Schiffsbetriebe Walensee, which are constantly being expanded and supplemented with new offers.

Esther von Ziegler has been a UNICEF delegate since 2016. She is also a member of the board of directors of the azinova group AG, president of the industriekultour association and on the board of WTL Berufliche und soziale Integration. From 2012-2022 she was a member of the jury of the Swiss Venture Club Ostschweiz.

• Partner of Tax Advisors & Associates

Dr. Maja Bauer-Balmelli has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2013.

In 1984, Maja Bauer-Balmelli completed her education at the University of St Gallen with the degree title lic. iur. In 1990 she became an eidg. dipl. Tax Expert and in 2001 she completed her doctorate at the University of Zürich.

Before joining Tax Advisors & Associates Switzerland AG as a partner in 2014, she worked for many years as a partner in a renowned business law firm and before that at Arthur Andersen in tax consulting and as a people partner. From 1995 to 2003 she also worked as a substitute judge at the Federal Tax Appeals Commission of the Canton of Zurich and was a member of the Swiss Takeover Board from 1999 to 2007. She also served as a member of the Alumni Advisory Board of the University of St. Gallen and the Foundation Board of the Swiss Academy of Taxation.

Maja Bauer-Balmelli is the initiator and founding member of wipswiss (women in property switzerland association). She can look back on an intensive career as a speaker, has written numerous publications on tax law and is the editor of Praxis der Bundessteuern and the commentary series on Swiss tax law.

Maja Bauer-Balmelli is active on various boards of directors, including Synergensia Genossenschaft, Markant Handels- und Industriewaren-Vermittlungs AG, Tax Advisors & Associates Switzerland AG and as a trustee of the Nanny Huber-Werdmüller Foundation.

• Entrepreneur and proprietor of the communications agency FCB Zurich

Cornelia Patricia Harder was elected to the Board of Directors of ZFV in 2017.

She has continuously supplemented her training in marketing and communication with federal diplomas as a communications planner and communications manager with numerous further courses in leadership, corporate strategy, digital marketing, business transformation, innovation management and board of directors management.  

Cornelia Harder started her marketing career in various companies before joining SMP (Swiss Milk Producers) in 1990 as Head of Marketing Communications, where she was responsible for brand strategy and the positioning of the core brands. From 1995, she was CEO of the Publicis advertising agency in Lausanne and then, as COO, she was responsible for the operational business and was a member of the Board of Directors of Publicis Zurich, the largest Swiss advertising agency. In 2005, she moved into the media business at PubliGroupe, where she served as director of the largest Publicitas unit in Switzerland and was responsible for its reorganisation throughout the Mittelland region. In 2008, she took over the management of the international advertising agency FCB Zurich and since 2018 she has been the owner of Harder Marketing & Communication (FCB Zurich).  

Cornelia Harder is an advisor to several start-up companies and lectures in marketing and product management at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

• CEO of Wincasa AG, Member of the Executive Board of Swiss Prime Site AG

Oliver Hofmann was elected to the Board of Directors of ZFV in 2020.

The banking studies graduate worked for UBS for some 15 years and was head of Real Estate Advisory Switzerland there from 2007 to 2012. He played a crucial role in building the Swiss real estate advisory services. Previously, he worked for several years in the finance department of IBM Switzerland AG. 

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Zurich and a Master's degree in Real Estate from CUREM (University of Zurich). He has been CEO of the real estate services company Wincasa AG since 1 January 2013 and is also a member of the Executive Board of Swiss Prime Site AG.

Oliver Hofmann holds a number of directorships and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. In addition to his mandate on the Board of Directors of ZFV, Oliver Hofmann is also Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of H Invest & Consult AG and a member of the Board of Directors of Crédit Agricole next bank (Suisse) SA.

 

• Various board member mandates

Nadja Lang was elected to the ZFV Board of Directors in 2017 and served as its President from 2019-2022. Nadja Lang has been CEO and delegate of ZFV since 2021.

She graduated in business administration from the ZHAW in 1998, majoring in marketing. She also completed various further courses in leadership, transformation, financial management and board management, including at IMD and INSEAD.

In 1999, she started in brand management at Coca-Cola AG, where she was responsible for product innovation strategies. She then joined General Mills Europe in London and Nyon as European Marketing Manager, where she was responsible for brand and innovation strategies as well as the successful development and launch of several European products. From 2005-2011, she was Commercial Director and Deputy General Manager at Fairtrade Max Havelaar Switzerland and then General Manager until April 2017, where she was responsible for the growth strategy. During her time at Fairtrade, she was Chair of the Global Account Management Steering Committee and a member of the Finance Committee of Fairtrade International.

Nadja Lang is currently a member of several boards of directors. These include Swiss Post AG, where she chairs the Organisation, Nomination, Remuneration Committee, and Pax Lebensversicherungen. Nadja Lang is also involved in the international advisory board of the ZHAW School of Management and Law and the advisory board of Kickstart in the focus area Food and Retail Tech.