New Chief Human Resources Officer appointed

Markus R. Bechtiger (54, married, two children) has wide-ranging expertise and experience in the strategic development and management of HR departments within large international corporations.

He began his career as a Business Strategy Consultant at KPMG before moving into the Human Resources department, where he held a variety of leadership positions. Between 2007 and 2014 Bechtiger was employed by UBS as its Global HR Business Partner and Regional Head of Human Resources Global Asset Management for the EMEA Region, among other roles. Over the last four years Bechtiger worked at Zurich Schweiz, where he oversaw the Human Resources department and was a member of the executive management team until 2018. Under his leadership, Zurich Schweiz became the first financial services company and the first company listed on the Swiss Market Index (SMI) to receive the EDGE Move Certification for gender equality and pay parity. Markus R. Bechtiger has over 25 years of management experience and an impressive background in change management, as well as cultural and organisational development.

“We are delighted to have such a highly experienced HR specialist on board,” said Dr. Ole Wiesinger, CEO of the Hirslanden Private Hospital Group. “We are confident that as the new CHRO and a member of the Executive Committee, Mr Bechtiger will be a driving force behind the ongoing development of the HR department at the Hirslanden Group.”

Mr Bechtiger will assume his duties on 1 September 2018.

Hirslanden Private Hospital Group

As of 31 March 2018, the Hirslanden Private Hospital Group comprises 17 hospitals in 11 cantons, many of which have an outpatient surgical centre and an Emergency department. The group also operates 4 outpatient clinics, 16 radiology institutes and 4 radiotherapy institutes. The group has around 1,680 affiliated doctors and 9,635 employees, of whom 461 are permanently employed doctors. Hirslanden is the leading private hospital group and the largest medical network in Switzerland. In the 2017/18 financial year, the group generated turnover of 1,735 million Swiss francs. Between 1.01.2018 and 31.03.2018 the group treated more than 102,903 patients, amounting to a total of 473,343 inpatient days. In insurance terms, the patient mix consists of 47.9% basic, 29.7% semi-private, and 22.4% private insured patients.

The Hirslanden Private Hospital Group is synonymous with first-class medical care delivered by highly qualified medical specialists with years of experience. As a system provider, Hirslanden stands out from the rest of the market: interdisciplinary medical centres of expertise and specialised institutes enable it to offer the best possible individualised treatment, even in highly complex cases. The Hirslanden Private Hospital Group was formed in 1990 through the merger of several Swiss private hospitals. Since 2007 it has been part of the international hospital group Mediclinic International plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.