The Gazette
of the Bicentenary BANQUE BONHÔTE & CIE SA www.bonhote.ch/200years
Edition 6/January 2016
1815-2015
2 quai Ostervald, the bank’s main office - Photo L. Wettstein.
WELCOME TO OUR THIRD CENTURY DRIVEN BY OUR UNWAVERING PASSION SINCE 1815.
As we begin our 201st year, we look back with pride on the long way we have come. A bicentenary is a rare celebration, a privilege of which we are keenly aware. While a handful of wine growers and banks have also reached this milestone, few commercial enterprises today have the longevity evidenced by such
a feat. Similar to Switzerland’s earlier inhabitants, whose lives were shaped by the harsh realities of the vineyard, and the Huguenot immigrants who introduced Switzerland to the painted canvas trade and international commerce, pioneers in the banking industry exuded an open-minded, morally disciplined entrepreneurial spirit... (continued on page 3)
COMMEMORATION MEMORIES For 18 months we have celebrated our anniversary with various activities. Our commemorative publications, which include the Gazette, a bicentenary book and several articles, introduced Banque Bonhôte to a large audience
in Switzerland and abroad. Our videos brought Banque Bonhôte’s history to life, while the anniversary festivities were an ideal opportunity to connect with you in a more relaxed setting. Relive the memories at www.bonhote.ch/200years
EDITORIAL YVES DE MONTMOLLIN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Dear clients and friends, Welcome to the last edition of our bicentenary gazette. It has been an immense pleasure to guide you through our history and honour the great men who have shaped the fortunes of Banque Bonhôte for over two centuries. Growing older brings with it certain challenges, but after seeing the enthusiasm surrounding our bicentenary, the passion that drives our employees day in day out and the uplifting comments you have shared with us, Banque Bonhôte seems as young as ever, breezing past this milestone with enough energy to last a long time yet. In light of all this, I feel compelled to extend my heartfelt thanks to you, our clients and friends, who have put your trust in us for so long. I am also deeply indebted to our group’s employees, whose zeal continues ensuring our success. I look forward to sharing the future with you.
www.bonhote.ch/200years
The Gazette of the bicentenary - Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA
Edition 6/January 2016
PRESENTING BONHÔTE SERVICES SA
The Bonhôte Services SA team: (from left to right) Marc Daniel, Suzanne Lauritzen Jourdan, Jacques Oguey, Carole Sanz, Cyril Lanfranchi and Michel Frutiger.
BONHÔTE SERVICES SA OFFER WITH BONHÔTE TRUST SA, FOUNDED IN 1984, A GLOBAL EXPERTISE ON HOLISTIC ASSET MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS.
These entities allow us to actively offer additional professional expertise in counselling, legal and in tax matters. As before, administrative services, bookkeeping, fiduciary services as well As Swiss and international
Photo L. Wettstein
trusteeship services are available. Suzanne Lauritzen Jourdan, managing director of Bonhôte Services, works with a dedicated team of seasoned specialists who are Michel Frutiger, Jacques Oguey, Marc Daniel and Carole Sanz, together with several outside experts. Services range from legal and tax advice (redomiciliation, estate planning, financial analysis, negotiations with authorities, and tax optimisation) to founding and
managing companies. The subsidiary also acts as a family office and provides art management services, as described in the article below. Its size allows Bonhôte Services to offer custom-tailored services to clients with precise expectations, who are dealing in complexity, whether in Switzerland or abroad. Such a keen focus on the client marks Bonhôte Services out from other consultancies and trust companies.
“Its size allows Bonhôte Services to offer customtailored services to clients with precise expectations, who are dealing in complexity, whether in Switzerland or abroad.” The skill and experience acquired within this team environment has prepared Bonhôte Services to advise and assist clients abroad dealing with numerous different jurisdictions.
BONHÔTE EXPANDS INTO ART BONHÔTE SERVICES NOW ALSO OFFERS ART MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
We have been approached by a growing number of clients requesting advice on managing fine art collections and getting the most out of art transactions and ownership. The group Bonhôte is wellnetworked within the art market and has always been passionate about art as an effective means to preserve capital – as illustrated by the work of our Bonhôte contemporary art foundation, the various client events organised Toile jaune et bleue, Olivier Mosset - from the private collection of Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA.
in cooperation with Christie’s or Sotheby’s and our own private collection, on display at our offices and the subject of a review in our commemorative bicentenary book. Now we have taken the next logical step, expanding our expertise in this valuable sector by creating a specialised art department, headed by Suzanne Lauritzen Jourdan. This department will help you construct, value and document your collection, and guide you through the legal and tax considerations relating to your artwork and to the market as a whole.
www.bonhote.ch/200years
The Gazette of the bicentenary - Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA
Edition 6/January 2016
HISTORY OF THE BANK IN SIX INSTALMENTS PART 6: SINCE 2010 - YVES DE MONTMOLLIN
Conference room in the bank’s main office - Photo Y. André .
(continued from page 1)
...that solidified the country’s prosperity. Our trip back in time has acquainted us with their accomplishments, some of which had not previously been explored in depth, and given us a historical context within which to place their decisions. Supported by a highly skilled staff, Jean Berthoud and his successor Yves de Montmollin have demonstrated the same business
ADVERTISING The fifth visual of our advertising campaign, which was dedicated to Kofi Annan, sparked numerous conversations, and we received an abundance of positive feedback. Below is the final visual of this unique campaign. Young Maël, who is just 3, represents the investor of the future. We will do everything in our power to ensure that he has access to reliable banking expertise.
prowess as Biolley, Petitmaître, Antenen and Bonhôte before them. Having spent the last year rediscovering our past, we now set our sights on the future with confidence. Our staff is thriving and growing, especially at our main office in Neuchâtel, the Geneva branch, the Bonhôte Services subsidiary (see page 2), the fund distribution team and our dedicated department supporting independent asset managers. Plans to open a new branch in
Lausanne are also taking shape, bringing us closer to an evergrowing customer base in Vaud canton. Our future looks bright. Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA is one of only a few wealth managers small enough to provide personalised services that are fine-tuned to specific client situations, in step with market developments. Backed by such a rich history and distinctive advantages, we can look ahead with self-assurance and equanimity.
In 2065 when your great grandchildren are born, Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA will be 250 years old.
www.bonhote.ch/200years © Germain Arias-Schreiber
www.bonhote.ch/200years
The Gazette of the bicentenary - Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA
Edition 6/January 2016
PRIVATE BANKING IN THE FUTURE: BIG DATA
BIG DATA IS ABOUT TO REVOLUTIONISE OUR EXISTENCE, BUT IS IT FOR THE BETTER OR THE WORSE?
Although the gathering of massive reams of data may seem alarming at first, the “big data” revolution
brings with it a whole host of everyday benefits. For example, it can be used to decongest traffic thanks to information gleaned from the real-time analysis of other drivers’ movements sent directly to your in-car satnav system. The financial sector will
BANQUE BONHÔTE AS SEEN BY... banks are still boasting distinctive strategic merits that are worth defending. It was these qualities of steadfastness and persistence, shown by several generations of bankers, that saw Bonhôte – founded in 1815 and one of the longest-standing Swiss banks today – through to its bicentenary in 2015. MONIKA RÜHL CHAIRWOMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD, ECONOMIESUISSE
As Chairwoman of the Executive Board of economiesuisse, it is a great honour for me to offer the last of six portraits of Banque Bonhôte, delivered by well-known figures of the Swiss political and business realms in celebration of the Bank’s bicentenary. Being an umbrella organisation, economiesuisse mainly strives to create an attractive framework in which companies operating in important Swiss industries can prosper and flourish. This includes the Swiss banking sector, which has had to face a raft of complex issues in recent years. However, Swiss
“Banque Bonhôte... having moved with the times in keeping with regulatory changes and technological advances.” On behalf of economiesuisse, I would like to congratulate Banque Bonhôte on this special occasion. Tradition and experience may be vital foundations for conducting business, but it is innovation and creativity that pave the way for continued competitiveness and success. Having moved with the times and in keeping with regulatory changes and technological advances, Bonhôte can continue to offer its services with dedication, in a spirit of excellence. I wish Banque Bonhôte every success for its future.
gain by being able to compare thousands of different investment strategies and tease out the best ones. It is also possible that clients will receive increasingly personalised advice that can pinpoint future needs even before they arise.
WEALTH MANAGEMENT Robin Richard, currently Chief Client Officer for Bonhôte bank and its subsidiaries, is taking on new responsibilities within the group. He is therefore handing the reins of Neuchâtel private banking operations to Benoît Cuche. Mr Cuche (40) boasts extensive experience in wealth management, acquired in particular over more than a decade spent working within Banque Bonhôte. The following photo shows part of our Neuchâtel wealth-management team shortly before the start of bicentenary festivities at the Notre Dame de Neuchâtel collegiate church.
Benoît Cuche
Alexandre Vincent
Philippe Chatelain
Robin Richard
QUAI OSTERVALD 2, 2001 NEUCHÂTEL, T. + 41 (0) 32 722 10 00, F. + 41 (0) 32 721 43 42, INFO@BONHOTE.CH, WWW.BONHOTE.CH