Swiss management bodies in transition: older, more international and more tech-savvy

The Swiss economy is facing far-reaching challenges: Digitalization, technological disruption, decarbonization and demographic shifts are increasing the pressure on management structures. In the 21st edition of the schillingreport, the question arises as to whether the changes in the board of directors and management of the 100 largest employers are sustainable enough to meet these challenges in the long term.

Management boards are getting older

The average age of members of the Executive Board has risen steadily since 2011 from 50 years to the current 53 years, while that of the CEO has risen from 52 years to 55 years. What is particularly striking is that the newly appointed members of the Executive Board are also significantly older. Whereas they were 46 years old when they joined in 2006, they are now 50 years old - although the length of time they have been with the company has remained unchanged at 6 years.

«The world today is much more complex than it was 20 years ago, and the cadence of external events is increasing. These demanding challenges call for proven leadership and life experience,» concludes Guido Schilling, publisher of the schillingreport.

A closer look at the data reveals clear shifts in the age structure: the proportion of management board members aged 50 or over rose from 49% in 2006 to 72% today. The over-60s increased from 5 to 9 percent. At 35 percent, the 55 to 60-year-olds form the largest group, whereas in 2006 the 45 to 49-year-olds dominated with 28 percent. The latter now only make up 19 percent. Strikingly, 23% of management board members were younger than 45 in 2006, compared with just 9% at present.

«Older members of the Executive Board contribute important experience, but a lack of generational diversity can create strategic blind spots. For the next ten years, the nomination committees must take an active and forward-looking approach to succession planning for the Executive Board in order to involve talented individuals in good time and show them prospects within the company,» says Schilling.

Competence before nationality

The proportion of Executive Board members without a Swiss passport is 48% - the second-highest level since the survey began in 2006. Important: 71% of foreign Executive Board members are so-called «nationals». These are people without a Swiss passport but who have already gained professional experience in Swiss companies before being promoted to the top management body.

The 20 globally active SMI companies have a proportion of foreign management board members of 74% - here too, «Swiss nationals» make up the majority at 75%. «Swiss companies traditionally recruit some of their specialists abroad and know how to develop them in a targeted manner and retain them in the Swiss economy in the long term. This strengthens competitiveness and innovative capacity,» concludes Schilling. «At the same time, I am concerned that increasing regulation is restricting access to global specialists to such an extent that this could become a disadvantage for the Swiss economy in the medium term.»

Excluding the 20 SMI companies, the proportion of management board members without a Swiss passport is 42%. Around one-fifth of the companies (19%) have an all-Swiss Executive Board, while 15% have no Swiss nationals on their Executive Board.

Stagnation after reaching the gender benchmarks

The proportion of women is currently stagnating in all samples. In the Board of Directors, this rose only slightly: in the overall sample from 33% to 34% and in the SMI from 35% to 36%. With the expiry of the transitional period for achieving the gender benchmark in the Board of Directors on January 1, 2026, the focus is shifting to the responsibility of companies. Although 71% of companies achieve the benchmark of 30% women on the Board of Directors, just under a third (29%) still fall short of it, and 4% have no women on the Board of Directors.

«16 listed companies from our sample do not currently meet the benchmark for the Board of Directors. These companies are particularly challenged, as from the 2026 remuneration report they will have to state the reasons for not reaching the benchmark and explain measures to promote the underrepresented gender,» says Schilling.

The proportion of women on the Executive Board has stagnated at 22%. The proportion of women among newly appointed members of the Executive Board is 21%, the lowest level since 2020. At 28%, the number of women leaving the Executive Board is at its second-highest level since the survey began. This flattening trend can also be seen in the 20 SMI companies: the proportion of female members of the Executive Board fell from 28% in 2025 to currently 27%. 25 percent of vacancies in the SMI were filled by women.

A look at the 2025 survey results on the gender diversity pipeline shows: Between 2016 and 2025, the proportion of women in middle management rose from 22% to 28% and in top management from 14% to 21%. Meanwhile, the proportion of women in management grew particularly strongly from 6% to 22%. «In recent years, companies have focused on meeting the benchmark at the expense of a sustainable increase in female managers across all levels,» says Schilling. «Is the Swiss economy really aware of the long-term added value of gender-balanced management teams at all levels - or is gender diversity still primarily seen as a regulatory obligation rather than a strategic success factor?»

In the public sector, too, the proportion of women in top management is leveling off and has stagnated at 27%. The public sector was long regarded as a pioneer in terms of gender diversity, but the private sector has now caught up to 22%. In the federal government, the proportion of women in top management has leveled off at 38%.

Changing profiles on the Board of Directors

After the 2008 economic crisis, the focus of the Board of Directors was on governance, regulation and risk control - lawyers played a central role. Today, companies are facing different challenges. «Global markets, technological disruption, digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence require a deeper understanding of business models, markets and technologies. Geopolitical uncertainties and fragmented markets further increase the pressure on internationally oriented companies. Personalities with a business and STEM profile are coming into focus with their approach to these issues,» says Schilling.

This is also reflected in the work of the Board of Directors: 12 companies already have a dedicated digitalization or technology committee, the majority of whose chairs have a STEM background.

In particular, the requirements profile for chairmen of boards of directors is evolving substantially away from primarily legal control towards strategic market and technology expertise. As recently as 2006, 27% of board chairmen had a law degree, 33% an economics degree and 22% a STEM degree. Today, the picture is different: the proportion of lawyers has fallen to 17%, while 42% have a business background and 34% a STEM background.

The full report will be available online from May 2026 at www.schillingreport.ch/de in German, French and English.

More information: www.guidoschilling.ch