Stephan Schmidheiny is a Swiss entrepreneur, a pioneer of sustainable business and a philanthropist.

As an entrepreneur, Stephan Schmidheiny took on responsibility in the family company at an early age and, over the following decades, built an international portfolio of holdings – from the Swiss watch industry to sustainable companies in Latin America. He brought his entrepreneurial thinking to boards of directors and supported a younger generation of entrepreneurs with advice, networks and capital.

As a pioneer, Stephan Schmidheiny played a decisive part in establishing sustainable development as a guiding principle in business and society. As chief adviser to the UN Earth Summit in Rio, he founded the Business Council for Sustainable Development in 1991, from which the WBCSD later emerged. He funded academic chairs and research programmes, giving the subject a scientific foundation. With his book “Changing Course” he introduced the concept of eco-efficiency, shaping an idea that found its way into corporate strategies and sustainability debates worldwide.

As a philanthropist, Stephan Schmidheiny has invested more than 500 million Swiss francs in charitable projects through his foundations, among them the Avina Stiftung in Switzerland and the Fundación Avina in Latin America. He built Daros Collection, a significant collection of modern art, and was among the first donors to Tate Modern. And he supports individuals and initiatives working to end armed conflict – from Peru to Afghanistan.