After 16 successful years, Stephan Thaler will hand over the management of the Swiss Life Investment Foundation to Sonja Spichtig Grünvogel on 1 October 2025 as part the long-term succession planning process. He will remain a Senior Advisor for the Swiss Life Investment Foundation until his normal retirement in 2027.
Sonja Spichtig Grünvogel will report directly to Robin van Berkel, Chief OperatingOfficer (COO) of Swiss Life Asset Managers, and will be based in Zurich.
“I am very pleased to have recruited Sonja Spichtig Grünvogel, a proven and experienced financial expert with comprehensive management skills in the foundation and investment business. I am sure that her strategic vision and many years of experience will enable her to sustainably drive the successful development of our Investment Foundation,” explained Robin van Berkel.
Hermann Inglin, Chairman of the Swiss Life Investment Foundation, adds: “I thank Stephan Thaler for his many years of successful and dedicated work. He has made a significant contribution to the Investment Foundation’s current success. I am very pleased that he will continue to support us in the future with his know-how and experience as Senior Advisor. With Sonja Spichtig Grünvogel, we are ensuring continuity and the long-term development of the Investment Foundation.”
Sonja Spichtig Grünvogel joins from Swisscanto Fund Management, where she has been managing the Swisscanto Investment Foundations since December 2016.
Prior to that, she held senior positions at Bank J. Safra Sarasin. She began her career with a banking apprenticeship at Credit Suisse in Sarnen. She holds a degree in economics from the University of Zurich and is a certified pension fund manager.
In addition to her operational activities, she is also engaged in strategic activities: She has been a Member of the Bank Council of Obwaldner Kantonalbank since July 2023. She is also a member of the Executive Board of the Conference of Managers of Investment Foundations (KGAST).
“I am very much looking forward to this new challenge and to continuing the successful growth path of the Swiss Life Investment Foundation together with the experienced team,” explains Sonja Spichtig Grünvogel.
Sonja Spichtig Grünvogel, designated Managing Director of the Swiss Life Investment Foundation
Swiss LifeInvestment Foundation
Founded in 2001 by Swiss Life Ltd, the Swiss Life Investment Foundation had CHF 19.6 billion in total assets under management on behalf of around 700 pension funds and collective foundations as at 31 March 2025. This makes it one of the top four investment foundations, with approx. one in two Swiss employee benefits institutions among its investors. The wide range of 50 investment groups comprises 13 fixed-income, 17 equity and four Swiss real estate products plus two foreign real estate, two infrastructure products, one mortgages Switzerland, one senior secured loans product and ten BVG mixed-asset products. The Swiss Life Investment Foundation is a member of the Conference of Managers of Investment Foundations (KGAST) and is monitored by the Occupational Pension Supervisory Commission (OPSC).
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