Alex W. Widmer (1 May 1956 – 3 December 2008) was a Swiss banker who had been the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

of the

Julius Baer Group Julius Bär Group AG, known alternatively as Julius Baer Group Ltd., is a private banking corporation founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it is among the older List of banks in Switzerland, Swiss banking institutions. In te ...

, one of the world's largest providers of

private banking Private banking is banking, investment and other financial services provided by banks and financial institutions primarily serving high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs)—defined as those with very high levels of income or sizable assets. A bank that ...

services.

Biography

Born in

Zurzach Zurzach is a municipality in the district of Zurzach in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. On 1 January 2022 the former municipalities of Bad Zurzach Bad Zurzach is a former municipality in the district of Zurzach in the canton of Aargau in ...

, Widmer was an economist by education, who earned a Ph.D. from the University of St. Gallen, a research university in

St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website ...

. Widmer was hired by Julius Baer in 2005 from his previous position as head of private banking at

Credit Suisse Credit Suisse Group AG is a global Investment banking, investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it maintains offices in all Financial centre, major financial centers around the w ...

, succeeding Walter Knabenhans.Staff
"World Business Briefing , Europe: Switzerland: Julius Baer Names Chief "
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 29, 2005. Accessed December 6, 2008. He had been the head of the bank's private banking business prior to assuming responsibility for the entire bank, including asset management and investment products. Widmer had been appointed as chief executive of Julius Baer in November 2007, where he expanded the bank's offices into such places as Jakarta and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, places where new wealth could be found.Browning, Lynnley
"Alex Widmer, 52, Chief of Julius Baer, Dies Unexpectedly"
''

'', December 5, 2008. Accessed December 6, 2008. He was found dead on 4 December 2008, with reports from sources cited in ''

'' claiming that the death was from

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

. Reports of the cause of death were contradictory and vague. Furthermore, the autopsy report was never released. Widmer was succeeded by Hans de Gier, Julius Baer's previous chief executive, who had been appointed as chairman of the bank's GAM business unit earlier in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Widmer W., Alex 1956 births 2008 deaths Swiss bankers University of St. Gallen alumni