New Board of Directors of SBB André Wyss
The Federal Council has confirmed the election of André Wyss to the SBB Board of Directors. The experienced CEO of Implenia is expected to take over the chairmanship of SBB from Monika Ribar in 2026, having been elected to the Board of Directors in 2025.
André Wyss will join the Board of Directors of Swiss Federal Railways. The Federal Council approved Wyss’ election at its meeting on 21 August 2024. His new role will be officially confirmed at the SBB Annual General Meeting in April 2025. Wyss, a renowned Swiss business leader and CEO of construction and real estate services provider Implenia, is set to take over as Chairman of the Board of Directors from Monika Ribar in 2026.
Wyss has an impressive career that has prepared him excellently for this task. After training as a chemical technician, he completed a degree in economics and continued his education at the renowned Harvard Business School. Before joining Implenia, he gained extensive international experience at Novartis, where he most recently headed up global production and central services with over 40,000 employees. His involvement on various boards of directors and as President of the Basel Statistical and Economic Society also underline his wide-ranging expertise. In addition to his business experience, Wyss was a major and commander in the Swiss army, which gave him a deep understanding of the political and economic environment in Switzerland.
A well thought-out election process
The members of the SBB Board of Directors are traditionally elected at the Annual General Meeting for a term of office of two years. As the sole shareholder, the Confederation exercises the right to vote at the General Meeting. Monika Ribar, who has served as Chair of the SBB Board of Directors for twelve years, will step down in 2026 due to the term limit. The current member of the Board of Directors, Véronique Gigon, will step down at the 2025 Annual General Meeting.
To ensure a seamless succession at the top of SBB, a comprehensive search process was initiated by the federal government at an early stage. The SBB Board of Directors then decided at an extraordinary meeting in August 2024 to propose the election of André Wyss to the Federal Council. Wyss’ previous experience and his extensive network in the Swiss economy make him the ideal choice for this challenging task.
A clear transition at Implenia and SBB
Wyss will end his role as CEO of Implenia at the end of March 2025. He will then concentrate fully on his new role on the SBB Board of Directors. For one year, he will serve on the Board of Directors together with the current Chairwoman Monika Ribar and prepare intensively for taking over the chairmanship. This smooth transition will ensure continuous and stable leadership at SBB and safeguard the company’s strategic direction for the future.
With the election of André Wyss, SBB is relying on a strong leader who is up to the challenges of the future and can successfully develop the company further.