Hansjörg Wyss

Hansjörg Wyss
Born Bern, Switzerland
Alma mater Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich[1]
Harvard Business School
Occupation businessman, philanthropist
Net worth $6 billion USD
(2008)

Hansjörg Wyss (pronounced HAHNZ-jorg VEES) is a Swiss entrepreneur and businessman. As of 2008, Wyss ranks #164 on the Forbes list of billionaires, with a net worth of approximately $6 billion,[2] making him the second richest person in Switzerland.[3][4]

Life and career

Wyss was born and raised in Bern, Switzerland. After receiving a Master of Science degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in 1959, Wyss attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Business from 1963 to 1965. From 1965 to 1969, he worked in various positions in the textile industry, including plant engineer and project manager for Chrysler in Pakistan, Turkey, and the Philippines. In 1977, Wyss became president of Synthes, a firm manufacturing Swiss-designed medical devices.

Alongside his professional activities, Wyss became actively involved in landscape protection by buying up the mineral rights from the mining companies.[5] In 1989, he established the Wyss Foundation, which establishes and sponsors informal partnerships between non-governmental organisations and the United States administration to place large swathes of land under government protection. On account of these efforts, almost 4,400,000 acres (18,000 km2) of land have been declared national park districts.[6] Wyss serves on the boards of The Wilderness Society, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Rails-to-Trails, and the Grand Canyon Trust, and is an honorary member of the AO Foundation.[7] Wyss also donated 3.7 million Swiss francs to the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway, which enabled the organisation to restore the railway line also between Gletsch and Oberwald.[8]

In 2000, Wyss purchased the 900-acre (3.6 km2) Halter Ranch in western Paso Robles, California. In 2004, Forbes ranked Wyss the 26th wealthiest person in Europe with almost $6 billion; by 2005, he rose to 18th place with an accumulated wealth of almost $8 billion.[9] In 2006, Wyss was ranked #72 on The Times list of 100 Richest People in the World.[10] In 2007, he received the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award,[11][12] and in fall 2008, it was announced that Wyss donated the largest single endowment from one source in Harvard's history when he gave $125 million to found a multidisciplinary institute, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, at the university.[4][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ [http://www.unibasel.ch/index.cfm?uuid=0FDC35B8C09F28B6348C433828FA1EFA&&IRACER_AUTOLINK&&&o_lang_id=2 Laudatio, Honorary Doctorate of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Published 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  2. ^ The World's Billionaires: #164 Hansjorg Wyss, Forbes. Published March 5, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  3. ^ Richest in Switzerland, aneki.com. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Wilkinson, Tara Loader. Switzerland's second richest man makes big donation to Harvard, Wealth Bulletin. Published October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  5. ^ Save the planet? Buy it, The Daily Telegraph. Published August 16, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  6. ^ Gerry, Jim. Hansjörg Wyss honored for his philanthropy, AO Foundation. Published March 2006. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  7. ^ Trustees Meeting 2008, AO Foundation. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  8. ^ Furka pass railway celebrates historic milestone, Swisster. August 13, 2010.
  9. ^ Stiles, Jim. Take It or Leave It, Canyon County Zephyr. Published April-May 2006. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  10. ^ The 100 Richest in the World 2006, The Times. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  11. ^ Hansjörg Wyss, MBA 1965, Harvard Business School. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  12. ^ Zobel gets highest alumni award from Harvard, Philippine Daily Inquirer. Published September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  13. ^ $125 million gift is Harvard's largest, The Record. Published October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  14. ^ Alum gives Harvard $125 million, MSNBC. Published October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  15. ^ Harvard gets largest ever donation from an individual: $125-million, The Globe and Mail. Published October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  16. ^ Chinlund, Christine. Harvard gets $125 million for biological engineering institute, The Boston Globe. Published October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  17. ^ Harvard alum donates record $125M, USA Today. Published October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  18. ^ Alum gives Harvard $125M for bioengineering center, The Washington Post. Published October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  19. ^ Alum gives largest individual gift in Harvard's history: $125M for bioengineering institute, Daily Press. Published October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.

External links