Alex Oberholzer, a career full of opportunities and hard work

There is an air of spring when he arrives at Banca Credinvest a little early for the interview with CEO Alex Oberholzer. Upon entering I am immediately greeted by a warm smile and accompanied by him. While I drink coffee I notice a certain affinity between colleagues... 

Excuse me, but does everyone work in the bank? Because we breathe an area of ​​creativity…

«Well (he says smiling), for me this is a great compliment, also because you always have to have new ideas to keep up with the times».

Indeed, this is not an easy period for banking institutions, I don't want to be too harsh, but you are a relatively small bank and we have seen that not even the second largest Swiss bank has made it...

«Don't worry, I am often asked about this topic. As you mentioned, the second largest bank in Switzerland is gone, but as often happens in life, big changes bring big opportunities. I don't want to be presumptuous, but... Credinvest it is a peculiar case, which stands out from both small and large realities. We are not a simple private banking bank, like most of those present in Ticino, but an extremely flexible boutique bank, which allows customers to take advantage of high-end services, usually reserved for a niche of customers in other institutions, and which allows you to manage customers also at third-party banks. The two souls of the bank, private banking and institutional division, can count on direct access to the trading desk and various platforms, to provide services to entrepreneurs, external managers, fiduciaries, family offices and banks. We are certainly a small bank, but we have always gone where the big ones couldn't reach, our recipe for survival and growth is linked above all to the staff". 

I thought you were telling me about a strategy made up of figures and forecasts...

«I guess, but no, we first of all try to create a healthy and positive environment within the company. There are currently sixty of us, but I predict that in two years we will reach eighty employees. However, we can also talk about productivity so as not to seem hypocritical: if the staff is happy, they perform more, get sick less and consequently the entire corporate flow benefits. They may seem trivial words, but I recently read on LinkedIn that six out of ten collaborators are not satisfied with their work. And do you know what I tell you? In the world of finance there are more of them, because I know them, I talk to them, many of them complain about the environment in which they find themselves, about their bosses... this situation for a bank like us, genuinely attentive to the value of man, is a great occasion".

And what position does it take towards Artificial Intelligence? Given that the trend is to automate work processes?

«Focusing on human strength does not mean not being in favor of the automation of processes, also because at Credinvest we are very attentive to new technologies and, I declare it with all honesty, we could not afford it otherwise, but at the same time I say it - even if I risk of being repetitive - we cannot forget man in a sector like ours, of service and human relationships, and therefore we have decided to put him at the centre. Everyone should do it..."

Indeed, if we read the statistics, more and more people feel stressed, burnouts continue to increase, as do sick days, without forgetting the abuse of anxiolytics...

«We have been talking about psychophysical health for years, but in reality not enough is being done, or rather we are not doing enough for ourselves. However, I think that this discontent, which often turns into absences at work, can be attributed to the lifestyle we lead as a whole. I give you myself as an example: I am the father of two nine-year-old twin girls, and I would generally like to do my best in all areas, but this is not possible; things have changed compared to forty years ago, when the rhythms were completely different. Today, in fact, with the mobile phone at hand, we are always reachable and the worst thing is that we often feel obliged to answer; this pressure inevitably creates tensions that in the long term affect our essence. It's up to us to find mechanisms to reduce stress. We as a bank provide a coach, who works both with the general management and with the staff on an individual and group level. We have started doing pilates lessons and with the arrival of the good weather we would like to introduce running groups. Furthermore, I have been saying it for years, I would really like to be able to introduce the figure of the psychologist in the bank, creating a winning formula. I know not everyone will feel comfortable going… but I would honestly jump at the opportunity. Also because let's not hide, each of us has problems. This is why I always say that we should never be jealous of others. Jealous of what? Of what is not seen and is kept hidden? We should give space to dialogue, and talk to someone not only when we have problems, during down periods, but also in moments of extreme happiness. The best state is the one in which we are in balance, and it is often difficult to reach this condition without support." 

Listening to her talk I find similarities with Nordic cultures, which are not very present south of the Alps...

«I don't think so, I find that it is above all a question of the new generation, also because I am forty-two years old and bank CEOs are normally aged between fifty and sixty; therefore, they come from another type of school and approach." 

However you were born in Zurich, studied in Canada, worked in London…

«Let's say I didn't miss traveling (laughs). As you said, I was born in Zurich, in 1981. My father is from Zurich and my mother from Prague, in 1990 we moved to Lugano, here I studied until high school and then I left for Canada. My dream was to go to Vancouver, but in the end I ended up on the east side, in a small town of seven thousand inhabitants of which half were students, and I think this was my greatest luck. The tailor-made structure of the university allowed me to find myself in small study groups, in close contact with the professors, a unique and unforgettable reality" (he remembers enthusiastically). 

So in the end, was your father's advice to choose a university on a human scale successful?

«Certainly, in any case the important thing was to experience independence, explore new horizons, be independent from one's family, even if I know how much it can hurt a parent - today - I think of my daughters and their now not so distant choices . Naturally, a child's leaving home can be experienced as a loss for a mother and father, but in fact it is the only way to grow independently. I have several friends who studied in Zurich, but every weekend they went home to have their clothes washed" (he smiles ironically). 

But it took you a while to return to Ticino, or am I wrong?

«I have to be honest, I always wanted to return to Lugano, but I didn't think about stopping... and yet for a year and a half I worked in Ticino, but then I left for London, I worked as a trader of precious metals, a sector which, despite the crisis, world financial institution was going swimmingly. I lived in a sort of happy island in an extremely dark historical period, especially for financial operators and for thousands of people left without work from one day to the next." 

So why did he return to Switzerland?

«For love, my wife. Before leaving for London we had met and I promised her that I would not be away for more than two years, in the end after two and a half years I returned to her, also because when I was in England we had to travel in turns to meet, and it wasn't always simple, because I worked a lot. Imagine that in those days you had to sign a declaration in which it was written that there were practically no timetables: madness for many, but personally, at that moment, I didn't want anything else and honestly the two and a half years in London made me grown at an exponential level." 

This means that in order to make some sacrifice you have to make it... in short, no one gives you anything...

«I am convinced that you need to do something more than others if you want to hold an important position, this is normal and, looking at meritocracy, also correct. I always say this to my collaborators: it is only through practice that you gain experience; therefore, the more you work, the more you grow professionally. Even a financial genius will have to work hard initially... only later, when he has a role and has consolidated his professional knowledge, will he be able to carve out more free time." 

Coming back for someone you love sometimes also means leaving a job where you felt comfortable...

(Laughs) «No no, in London the corporate environment wasn't easy, with knives between your teeth, we're talking about eighty thousand people ready to trip you up just to be better than you... In Zurich I found myself at home, a working environment smaller, but no less stimulating. So, with great luck, at twenty-eight I realized that I would never work for a big company again, I wasn't interested in the fixed salary on the twenty-fifth of the month, I wanted something more, I was willing to take risks. I wanted to be the one to hold the reins of my working destiny and not depend on other people's decisions. This is why I opted for smaller but no less competitive companies." 

How did he do it, how did he get here? Because something must have happened or rather, something special must have done.

«At the time I was a bit naive... after two years in Zurich I had developed the idea of ​​starting my own bank, which was impossible in Switzerland without large amounts of capital; therefore, I started looking for a client who was willing to support my project. A very simple project in fact, but which no one had yet concretely implemented: giving access to the market room with simultaneous access to white label digital platforms such as, for example, Saxo and Interactive Brokers. All consolidated in a single system, updated every ten minutes. We have established a multi-product, multi-jurisdiction ecosystem of securitization services. In particular, we have created an expert team in the field of Actively Managed Certificates, a tool that offers all external managers the possibility of securitizing their investment strategies. It was the year 2014 when Credinvest believed in me and together we started this journey, which still continues today. I also had that bit of luck, which never hurts; in fact, during my journey, I met the owner of a bank, who was looking for solutions in the world linked to currency exchanges (one of our strengths), and the revenues generated in the first ten months allowed my newly created division created to end up profitable from the first year. This success allowed us to bring in new customers and within three years the bank's AuM more than doubled." 

First he spoke to me about continuous growth, including future growth; so, does this mean that a bank like yours still has great future potential in Ticino?

«Certainly, I think that for both work and private life, if you want to be successful, you need to change your points of reference. This also includes friendships, the people around us… everything. In Lugano, the common opinion, already ten years ago, highlighted to me that I would never be able to have a bank like the one today, which I would certainly close within a few months. Instead we are growing (satisfied). The world is full of people who say you can't do it."

Do you think it's the mentality linked to southern Europe?

«I don't want to make a distinction between south and north, I believe it is not a geographical question, but linked to the intrinsic nature of the human being. In general, we always tend to externalize blame, no one wants to take on their own responsibilities... one time the shortcomings are attributable to the company, the other the error is attributable to the work colleague... I learned very early to take the blame for practically everything and this for me is an advantage on a psychological level because from the moment you take responsibility you have the reins of your destiny in your hands. Coming back to us, I think the world is changing, but it will always need banking institutions. How many banks? I don't know exactly, but there will certainly be a need here in Lugano too."

In this interview you often talked about luck, but does luck really exist or is it the result of great dedication and sacrifice?

«Each of us creates our own fortune. But if you talk too much about yourself you risk falling into arrogance. In any case, before talking about luck we must talk about skill; today the skill lies in identifying opportunities and having the courage to react quickly. Luck is what we can find even behind the unknowns; when I arrived here, for example, I found already highly qualified staff and cutting-edge IT systems that allowed me to implement my project immediately. This was my share of luck." 

You have two daughters, the world is changing very quickly, we previously talked about Artificial Intelligence, what concerns do you have related to today?

«What I notice is that education today – and I'm not saying I have the solution – is a big problem, also because the school system has changed little compared to thirty years ago. We are still rewarding mere diligence (which is not to be underestimated, for goodness sake), but today everything we study we can obtain via mobile devices; therefore, we should in any case find other ways to train, evolve, adapt to tomorrow. This certainly scares me, also because none of us can predict the speed with which AI will absorb the entire world. This is why young people should internalize a working method, not just learn topics by heart."

So he could imagine a world where robotics replace humans...

«I always provoke by saying that perhaps in fifty years no one will work anymore, or perhaps only a few will work and there will be a guaranteed salary... also because we say that some professions will not be replaced, when in reality if the home automation process continues at this rate we will also replace purely manual work. This is to say that it will not just be the banks that will be threatened. If you then ask me what will we do? I do not know. Wanting to look at the positive sides, we will be able to dedicate more time to ourselves, to our passions, to our family, but on the other hand I am convinced that work plays a key role in man's life. Work shapes you, gives you discipline, opportunities and stimuli. I don't know if, given the facts, many people would like unbridled idleness. I see it in myself, when I'm on holiday for too many days I miss my work, my life, my routine."

How do you see the future for young people in Lugano?

«When he talks about young people, I think of my daughters. I have no ambitions for them, I believe that everyone has their own life, that they must fight for their ideals, their dreams. Lugano is a city also designed for young people. Certainly in order to meet the needs of the youth of today and tomorrow it will have to change, otherwise it risks remaining provincial and too tied to the past. The problem here is that few ideas arise at a working level. If you go to Venice Beach, California, you can meet several young people, without formal clothes, who only talk about ideas, projects, they don't show off money. So to the adults of tomorrow I say: dear young people, don't stop planning and transforming your ideas into projects. Live and don't let yourself be influenced by "you will never make it". In general, I am convinced that you can make a difference everywhere, you have to believe in it, work hard and sacrifice the person you are today for the person you want to become tomorrow."

I go out, look at Lake Lugano and once again I tell myself that each of us must follow our own path, without being influenced, surrounding ourselves with similar people, with the same values, and therefore respectful of other people's projects.