Beat W. Hess (born 6 July 1949) is a Swiss lawyer and businessman. He is the chairman of the

Holcim Group The Holcim Group, legally known as Holcim Limited, (formerly known as LafargeHolcim) is a Swiss multinational company that manufactures building materials. It has a presence in around 70 countries, and employs around 72,000 employees. Holcim op ...

and the vice chairman of

Sonova Sonova Holding AG (Phonak Holding AG before 1 August 2007) is an internationally active Swiss group of companies headquartered in Stäfa that specializes in hearing care ( hearing instruments, cochlear implants, wireless communication). The Sono ...

Early life

Beat W. Hess was born on 6 July 1949. He graduated from the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

in 1972 and a JD in Legal Management in 1974. He earned a master of laws from the

University of Miami School of Law The University of Miami School of Law (Miami Law or UM Law) is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. Founded in 1926, the University of Miami School of Law is the oldest law school in ...

in 1976, and a doctorate in Laws from the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisi ...

in 1977.

Career

Hess began his legal career as a clerk to Swiss courts in 1972. He was the legal counsel of

Brown, Boveri & Cie Brown, Boveri & Cie. (Brown, Boveri & Company; BBC) was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies. It was founded in Zürich, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In ...

from 1977 to 1986, and its

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

from 1986 to 1988. He was the general counsel of the

ABB Group ABB Ltd. is a Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to create ...

from 1988 to 2003. He was the legal director and a member of the execute committee of

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...

from 2004 to 2010. Hess joined the board of directors of the

in 2010 and currently serves as its chairman. Hess is also the vice chairman of

. Additionally, he serves on the board of directors of

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, sin ...

. He also serves on the advisory board of the

China Development Bank The China Development Bank (CDB) () is a development bank in the People's Republic of China (PRC), led by a cabinet minister at the Governor level, under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council. As one of three policy banks in China, it ...

References

Living people 1949 births University of Geneva alumni University of Miami School of Law alumni University of Fribourg alumni 20th-century Swiss lawyers Corporate lawyers Swiss chairpersons of corporations Shell plc people Directors of Nestlé 21st-century Swiss lawyers {{Switzerland-bio-stub