After just one and a half years in charge, UBS’s head of strategy is leaving and changing his career course.
UBS strategy chief Christian Zeinler is stepping down from his post at Switzerland’s largest bank to become an entrepreneur. CEO Ralph Hamers announced the move in a letter to employees.
Chief of Staff Marsha Yuan will take over the function on July 1 on an interim basis in addition to her current role.
Zeinler has been with UBS for about five years, and in February 2021, was entrusted by Hamers with the further development of group strategy in addition to his role as head of strategy development in the wealth management business. He also served as chief of staff to Iqbal Khan, co-head of Global Wealth Management (GWM). However, Zeinler wanted to continue his entrepreneurial journey outside the financial services industry, involving the development of a small- to medium-sized which will be primarily family-owned.
Before joining UBS, he spent just over nine years in various roles at the strategy consulting firm McKinsey.
By various metrics, UBS posted very good results last year and kicked off 2022 with its best start in 15 years. In addition to digitalization, the bank is currently pursuing a strategy focused on greater flexibility in the organization. During his five-year tenure at UBS, Christian has helped shape the future of our firm, Hamers wrote in the memo. UBS is not about to change horses and will be sticking to the existing strategy, Hamers said.
