Baron Rodolphe Hottinger (born 14 August 1956 in Paris) is a Swiss banker of the House of Hottinguer. His ancestor, Jean-Conrad Hottinger, created the Bank Rougemont, Hottinger & Cie. in 1786. In 1799, he added a 'u' to the family name, to preserve the Germanic pronunciation; see also House of Hottinguer. After 20 years as CEO of the Hottinger Group, Rodolphe Hottinger is now CEO of La Financière Rodolphe Hottinger SA He is also a Board Member of Petrolin SA.

Early life and education

Rodolphe Hottinger was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

in 1956 to Henri Hottinger and Josyane Van Laere. He is the eldest of two children, and the head of the seventh generation. He attended high school at the Collège Bernard Palissy in the 17th arrondissement in Paris, and went on to obtain a university degree at the Académie de Commerce International. After his studies, Rodolphe Hottinger held several trainee and assistant positions at various well-known banking establishments in Paris, London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore, namely Coutts & Co.,

Brown Brothers Harriman Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH) is the oldest and one of the largest private investment banks in the United States. * a "Brown Brothers, who are the oldest as well as one of the largest private banking concerns in the country" — ¶ 2 * b "T ...

Baring Brothers Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member of ...

Kidder Peabody Kidder, Peabody & Co. was an American securities firm, established in Massachusetts in 1865. The firm's operations included investment banking, brokerage, and trading. The firm was sold to General Electric in 1986. Following heavy losses, it was ...

, and

Chemical Bank Chemical Bank was a bank with headquarters in New York City from 1824 until 1996. At the end of 1995, Chemical was the third-largest bank in the U.S., with about $182.9 billion in assets and more than 39,000 employees around the world. Beginning ...

. In 1981, Rodolphe Hottinger left Paris for New York to secure and expand the family's financial operations. In doing so, he re-established the Hottinger name in the United States, a presence which dated back to the first half of the 19th century. At that time, Jean-Conrad and Jean-Henri Hottinguer forged an alliance with

Heinrich Escher Heinrich Escher (26 July 1626 – 20 April 1710) was mayor of the City and Republic of Zürich at the turn of the 18th century. He is credited with introducing chocolate to Switzerland after learning about it in Brussels. At the beginning of his ...

, and created the first Hottinger branch in the United States. Heinrich Escher later returned to Switzerland where his son,

Alfred Escher Johann Heinrich Alfred Escher vom Glas, known as Alfred Escher (20 February 1819 – 6 December 1882) was a Swiss politician, business leader and railways pioneer. Thanks to his numerous political posts and his significant role in the foundatio ...

, founded the Zurich Polytechnic school, and was also one of the co-founders of the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt, later named

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 ...

Career

In 1982, Rodolphe Hottinger created the brokerage firm Hottinger Bros. in New York, a member of the

National Association of Securities Dealers The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a private American corporation that acts as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) that regulates member brokerage firms and exchange markets. FINRA is the successor to the National Associat ...

. In 1987, he was instrumental for the creation of the Swiss Helvetia Fund, the first Swiss close-end investment firm listed on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

, which deals in equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies. That same year, he was named Managing Partner at Hottinger & Cie. in Zurich, a position he would hold for the next twenty-three years. Other positions held during this period include President of the management board of Emba NV, (listed on

Euronext Euronext N.V. (short for European New Exchange Technology) is a pan-European bourse that offers various trading and post-trade services. Traded assets include regulated equities, exchange-traded funds (ETF), warrants and certificates, bonds, ...

until 2007), from 1990 to 2009, and President and CEO of the Swiss Helvetia Fund (listed on the

NYSE The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed co ...

) from 1997 to 2009. He rang the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange on October 3, 2007. Rodolphe Hottinger was a member of the Board of Directors of AXA RE US from 1983 to 2002, AXA Life and P&C Switzerland from 1998 to 2006 and AXA Winterthur Life and P&C from 2007 to 2012. After 30 years with the Hottinger Group and 20 years as its CEO, Rodolphe Hottinger now manages La Financière Rodolphe Hottinger. In 2010 he decided to create his own operation to address the specific challenges that financial institutions now face in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. According to the website of FINMA, the Swiss regulatory body for banks and securities dealers, La Compagnie Financière Rodolphe Hottinger (a wholly own subsidiary of La Financière Rodolphe Hottinger) has discontinued its activities as a security dealer.

Philosophy

Rodolphe Hottinger remains inspired by a speech given by his grandfather, Baron Rodolphe Hottinguer (1902-1985), as Chairman of the EC Banking Federation, at the inaugural meeting of Bankers' Day in Munich on 14 November 1963.

The example of the past should allow for the pursuit of this ancestral occupation of banking. To qualify it, to define it, to anticipate what it might become: therein lies the secret of its future. In the conduct of its forebears and the example they set, our banking family will receive the encouragement to persevere, the intelligence to change and adapt, the character to overcome challenges, and the hope to undertake new ventures. :- Max Gérard, ''Messieurs Hottinguers et Cie. Banquiers à Paris'', Vol. II, p. 783.

Conferences

* Finance Summit September 27, 2011, Geneva

Articles on Rodolphe Hottinger

* Le defi Americain in ''Banque et Finance'', n°112, Nov/Dec 2011. * Une stratégie internationale volontariste in ''Banque et Finance'', n°93, Sept/Oct 2008.

Sources

* ''Messieurs Hottinguer Banquiers à Paris'' by Max Gérard, Vol. I & II, 1968. * ''The World of Private Banking (Studies in Banking and Financial History)'' by Philip Cottrell and Youssef Cassis, with Monika Pohle Fraser and Iain L. Fraser. Ed. Ashgate (ex-Scolar), October 2009.

Notes

External links

Petrolin SA

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hottinger, Rodolphe 1956 births Rodolphe Banking in France Swiss bankers French bankers Living people