Johann Schneider-Ammann

Who is Johann Schneider-Ammann?

Johann Niklaus Schneider-Ammann is a Swiss businessman and politician. Member of the Free Democratic Party, he was elected to the Swiss National Council in 1999. The son of a veterinary born in Sumiswald, Switzerland, he graduated as an electrical engineer from the ETH Zürich in 1977, and obtained a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD in France in 1983.

He acted as head of his family's mechanical engineering company Ammann Group in the 4th generation, from 1990 to 2010, when he passed control over the company to his two sons. He chaired the corporate union Swissmem from 1999. He was elected to the National Council in 1999 and re-elected in 2003 and 2007. In the context of the 2008 financial crisis, he took a critical stances on bonuses awarded to the finance industry. In 2008, his company moved substantial funds to a tax haven in Jersey.

On 22 September 2010, he was elected to the Swiss Federal Council, as successor to Hans-Rudolf Merz. He is the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research—the Swiss commerce minister--taking office on 1 November 2010. Schneider-Ammann had previously announced his intention to step down from his corporate responsibilities as well as various board memberships if elected.