Kaspar Villiger
OrderMember of the Swiss Federal Council
Term start1 February 1989
Term end31 December 2003
PredecessorElisabeth Kopp
SuccessorHans-Rudolf Merz
Order 2President of Switzerland
Term start 21 January 1995
Term end 231 December 1995
Vice president 2Jean-Pascal Delamuraz
Predecessor 2Otto Stich
Successor 2Jean-Pascal Delamuraz
Term start 31 January 2002
Term end 331 December 2002
Vice president 3Pascal Couchepin
Predecessor 3Moritz Leuenberger
Successor 3Pascal Couchepin
Order 4Minister of the Military
Term start 41 February 1989
Term end 431 December 1995
Predecessor 4Arnold Koller
Successor 4Adolf Ogi
Order 5Minister of Finance
Term start 51 January 1996
Term end 531 December 2003
Predecessor 5Otto Stich
Successor 5Hans-Rudolf Merz
Order 64th Vice President of Switzerland
Term start 61 January 2001
Term end 631 December 2001
President 6Moritz Leuenberger
Predecessor 6Moritz Leuenberger
Successor 6Pascal Couchepin
Birth date5 February 1941 (age 85)
Birth placePfeffikon, Lucerne, Switzerland
Alma materOld Cantonal School Aarau
ETH Zurich
ProfessionMechanical engineer
PartyFree Democratic Party
SpouseVera Preisig
(m. 1973)

Kaspar Villiger[1] (/fiːlɪɡɛr/FEELIGER; born 5 February 1941) is a Swiss businessman, former tobacco manufacturer and politician. He served as a member of the Federal Council (Switzerland) since 1 February 1989 for The Liberals. Villiger served two terms as President of the Swiss Confederation in 1995 and again in 2002. He previously served on the Council of States (Switzerland) from 1987 to 1989 and on the National Council (Switzerland) from 1982 to 1987.[2]

Villiger was best known for his involvement into the Swissair bankruptcy in 2001, when he was among the members of the rescue plan task force, which ultimately failed.[3][4] Between 2009 and 2012, Villiger was appointed chairman of UBS.[5][6][7] He has also served on the board of directors at Nestlé,[8] Swiss Re[9] and Neue Zürcher Zeitung.[10] He currently is the chairman of the UBS Foundation of Economics in Society, which invested 100 million Swiss Francs in the Department of Economics at the University of Zürich.[11] He was a founding member of the Global Leadership Foundation in 2004.[12]

Early life and education

Villiger was born 5 February 1941 in Pfeffikon, Switzerland, the third and youngest child, of Max Villiger (1897–1966), a tobacco manufacturer, and Dora Charlotte "Dory" Villiger (née Heiz; 1909–1997), into a Protestant family.[13] His siblings are; Heinrich Villiger (1930–2025) and Monika Villiger (born 1936).[14][15][16]

His paternal family is deeply rooted in the Wyna valley where they have their place of origin in Sins, Aargau. In 1888, his grandfather, a tobacco manufacturer, founded the tobacco concern currently known as Villiger Sons. His father, Max Villiger, emigrated to Louisville, Kentucky in an earlier life, where he reportedly signed a declaration of intention to become a U.S. citizen. However, this was never formalized, and he returned to Switzerland, to work in the family business.

Villiger was predominantly raised in Pfeffikon, Lucerne, in a predominantly Catholic environment. He attended Cantonal School Aarau from 1957 to 1960. He ultimately studied mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich graduating in 1966.[17]

Career

In 1966, he entered the family business, after the sudden death of his father alongside his elder brother Heinrich Villiger, who was responsible for the German market and his sister Monika Villiger, who was export director. He integrated bicycle manufacturer Kalt in Buttisholz and developed it under the new Villiger name. Villiger was also the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce of Central Switzerland, several years a member on the board committee of the Association of Employers in Central Switzerland and vice president of the Argovian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

In 2004, he became member of the board of directors of Nestlé and Swiss Re. On 15 April 2009, he was elected Chairman of the Board of Swiss banking giant UBS, holding this post until 3 May 2012.[18] His successor was Axel A. Weber.

Politics

On 1 February 1989, he was elected to the Swiss Federal Council. He is affiliated to the Free Democratic Party (Liberals).

During his time in office he headed the following departments:

He was President of the Confederation twice, in 1995 and again in 2002.

In 1995 Kaspar Villiger apologized on occasion of an official visit by Dan Culler who was an internee in the Wauwilermoos internment camp during World War II. Dwight Mears, a U.S. Army officer, covered the apology in his 2012 PhD thesis on the American internees in Switzerland.[20][21][22][23]

In September 2003, he announced he was to resign on 31 December 2003.

Other activities

Kaspar Villiger is a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation, an organization which works to support democratic leadership, prevent and resolve conflict through mediation and promote good governance in the form of democratic institutions, open markets, human rights and the rule of law. It does so by making available, discreetly and in confidence, the experience of former leaders to today's national leaders. It is a not-for-profit organization composed of former heads of government, senior governmental and international organization officials who work closely with Heads of Government on governance-related issues of concern to them.

Personal life

In 1973, Villiger married Vera Preisig, a primary school teacher, with whom he has two daughters.[24]

In 2014, Villiger purchased a condominium at Park Tower Zug, then one of the tallest buildings in Switzerland.[25] Villiger also resides in Muri bei Bern.

References

  1. ^ "Kaspar Villiger in Muri b. Bern - Auskünfte" (in German). Moneyhouse. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  2. ^ "Ratsmitglied ansehen". Federal Assembly. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  3. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (2001-11-19). "Swissair Rescue Plan Approved". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  4. ^ "Task force to devise emergency rescue plan for Swissair". SWI swissinfo.ch. 24 September 2001. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  5. ^ Bruppacher, Balz & Press, The Associated (2009-03-04). "UBS taps former Swiss president as new chairman". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  6. ^ "Kaspar Villiger tritt vorzeitig zurück" (in German). 20 Minuten. 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  7. ^ "UBS Picks Former Swiss Finance Minister as Chairman". The New York Times. Bloomberg. 2009-03-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  8. ^ "Tagesschau - Villiger ist Nestlé Verwaltungsrat - Play SRF" (in German), retrieved 2023-03-25
  9. ^ uhg. "Kaspar Villiger wird Swiss-Re-Verwaltungsrat | NZZ" (in de-CH). Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  10. ^ admin (2004-02-05). "Kaspar Villiger soll wieder in NZZ-Verwaltungsrat" (in de-DE). Werbewoche m&k. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  11. ^ "About". www.ubscenter.uzh.ch. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  12. ^ "Kaspar Villiger | Global Leadership Foundation". Retrieved 2023-03-25.[dead link]
  13. ^ "Villiger". Casa del Puro. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  14. ^ "Official Magazine". Tobacco Business Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  15. ^ "Tabak-Patron Heinrich Villiger stirbt 95-jährig" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF). Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  16. ^ "New Villiger cigar celebrates key anniversary". moodiedavittreport.com. 21 October 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  17. ^ "ETHistory - Kaspar Villiger". www.ethistory.ethz.ch. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  18. ^ Kaspar Villiger wird neuer UBS-Verwaltungsratspräsident, NZZ Online, 4 March 2009
  19. ^ EFD, Eidgenössisches Finanzdepartement. "Frühere Departmentsvorsteher/innen". www.efd.admin.ch. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  20. ^ Franz Kasperski (2015-09-07). "Abgeschossen von der neutralen Schweiz" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  21. ^ "Forced Landing". climage.ch. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  22. ^ "Gedenkstein für Internierten-Straflager" (in German). Schweiz aktuell. 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  23. ^ Olivier Grivat (2013-02-11). "POW medal recognises US aviators' suffering". swissinfo. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  24. ^ "Villiger, Kaspar" (in German). hls-dhs-dss.ch. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  25. ^ "Das ist Kaspar Villigers Aussicht auf den Zugersee" (in German). 20 Minuten. 2014-10-01. Retrieved 2026-05-26.