Thomas Schmidheiny
Thomas Schmidheiny | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 17, 1945 Switzerland |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | –present |
| Known for | Former chairman of Holcim |
Thomas Schmidheiny (born 17 December 1945) is a Swiss billionaire entrepreneur and former chairman of the cement producer Holcim.
Early life
Thomas Schmidheiny, born in 1945, is the son of Max Schmidheiny (1908–1991). In 1984, the family's building materials business was split: Thomas took ownership of Holcim, specializing in cement and concrete, while his brother Stephan Schmidheiny assumed control of the construction company Eternit.
Career
Schmidheiny led Holcim, a prominent global cement company established by his grand-uncle in 1912, as chairman until 2003. He stepped down during an insider trading probe in Spain but has continued to serve on the board. After the merger between Holcim and Lafarge, Schmidheiny became the largest shareholder of LafargeHolcim, owning an 11.4% stake.
Additionally, he is a member of the Executive Advisory Board for the World.Minds Foundation.
Education
Schmidheiny earned a doctorate from Tufts University, holds a Diplomingenieur degree from ETH Zurich, and completed an MBA at Switzerland’s IMD Business School.
Honors
The Indian School of Business has established a Thomas Schmidheiny chair in family business, which as of 2023 is occupied by Sougata Ray.
Personal life
Married with four children, Schmidheiny owns vineyards and wineries across Argentina, Switzerland, and the United States, including Cuvaison located in the Napa Valley. He resides in both Rapperswil-Jona and Klosters.