Get to Know: Mr. Wolfgang Schanzenbach

Mr. Wolfgang Schanzenbach will retire from the Swiss Business Hub Indonesia (SBH), which is part of the Embassy of Switzerland in Jakarta starting June 2022. Here, he shares below his journey from growing up in Switzerland, his professional carrier milestones until settling down in Jakarta.

Wolfgang will step down as the head of SBH Indonesia in May 2022, leaving a solid footprint in the Swiss business ecosystem in Indonesia in form of a well-established Swiss Business Hub Indonesia and a robust SwissCham Indonesia.

The 65-year-old will return to Switzerland and formally retire with his wife Yvonne at the beautiful Lake Zurich.

From Switzerland to Indonesia

Growing up in Thalwil, a Swiss village located 15 minutes outside of Zürich, Wolfgang Schanzenbach dreamed of exploring the world by becoming an astronaut or pilot. When he matured a little more, he realised that being a chef on a cruise ship could also become an entry door to fulfil his dreams. 

He went on to sign an apprenticeship agreement with Mövenpick restaurant group. However, the stressful working environment and irregular kitchen shift led him to think twice and he subsequently asked his father to cancel the contract.

After a transition year at school, he finally entered the international business arena with a leading Swiss freight & logistics company. He is a believer in lifelong learning, so he joined the “University of Life” which took him all around the world. His passion for travel and learning was underpinned by the motto he subscribed to; carpe diem– enjoy every day as if it would be your last one.

His first business trip brought him to Algeria, Northern Africa, where he was in charge of a project to build up a local TV production site. These initial experiences with the African continent also motivated him to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the continent’s highest mountain, at the age of 22.

Then, in the early 1980s, he made his inaugural business trip to Asia, visiting the famous Canton Fair, nowadays called Guangzhou. Shenzhen at that time was a little fishing village. Since then, Wolfgang has spent almost 40 years working and living in Asia. He traveled so frequently to this region he has accumulated nearly two million mileage points with Swiss International Airline.

The numerous trips to Asia spurred a fascination towards Southeast Asia, and he became a frequent visitor from the early to mid-1990s as a member of the DKSH Group. With their growing economies, these multicultural and multifaceted nations offered endless business opportunities. 

In 2010, he was delighted to find himself in Jakarta to attend a regional ambassador conference on behalf of Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), the Swiss government-backed trade and investment promotion agency. 

Setting up a Swiss-Ecosystem in Indonesia

Against the backdrop of ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations, Wolfgang started to encourage the Swiss government and other stakeholders to invest in new Swiss Business Hub (SBH) offices across the region, especially in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy. 

In 2017, he finally received the green light to open the 22^nd SBH office in Jakarta in June 2017. Wolfgang was nominated to lead the team and to make sure Indonesia gets finally on the map of Swiss exporting companies.

The former Swiss Ambassador to Indonesia regularly hosted the “CEO breakfast meetings” for Swiss company representatives. During one session, Wolfgang asked the participating CEOs what they needed most. 

A soon conducted survey revealed that many were looking for a common networking and advocacy platform – and the idea for SwissCham Indonesia emerged. Wolfgang was invited to form a task force to finalise a project proposal covering legal frame conditions, cost estimates and rough timelines for the soon-to-be SwissCham Indonesia.

Together with Luthfi Mardiansyah, who would become the first Chairman, and Chris Bendl, his today’s successor, the team produced a joint project plan presented during the next “CEO Breakfast Meeting”.

Participants welcomed the proposal, and the event raised more than US$100,000 financial commitments on the spot! The hard work could finally start. Despite inevitable bureaucratic hurdles, the team successfully collected all the stamps and documents necessary. The inaugural annual general meeting took place on August 1, 2018, coincided with Switzerland’s National Day. 

More than thirty members attended the gathering and approved financial budgets, Articles of Association, Deed of Establishment and proposed an organizational structure. 

Through excellent teamwork and a typically pragmatic Swiss approach, SwissCham Indonesia was officially born – moreover, the mission was accomplished in less than four months! 

Since then, three years have passed, and SwissCham Indonesia has grown to nearly 70 members. It offers quality services to its members and has a committed board supported by an effective organisational structure. It also enjoys a very close cooperation with the Swiss Embassy in Jakarta, and finally yet importantly, is financially very stable despite difficult frame conditions (pandemic).

Besides that, the third relevant platform, Swiss Centre Indonesia (SCI) launched in 2019, offering one-stop services to incoming companies to explore the Indonesian market before either setting up a PT PMA or committing with a local partner. The SCI is wholly owned and managed by three Swiss citizens who run businesses in Indonesia and complements the local Swiss Ecosystem together with the Embassy/SBH Indonesia, and SwissCham Indonesia.

Wolfgang has truly enjoyed his time in Indonesia, both professionally and personally. He is now ready to embark on a new journey,  by getting involved in two to three possible ventures in his home country, with fun as the priority factor.

He wishes the entire SwissEcosystem continued success, sustainable growth, and many more happy companies and individual members, and offers these concluding remarks: “keep going for service excellence”.

Some interesting trivia about Wolfgang Schanzenbach:

1. His hobbies are tennis, golf, alpine skiing, hiking and wining & dining with friends.
2. His travel bucket list are the three “I’s”: Island, Ireland and Israel.
3. His fashion style: Italian designer icons like Armani and Zegna inspire him with their classic and timeless designs.
4. What does he unnecessarily spend a large amount of money for? Swiss-made watches and handbags for his wife.
5. A dream guest list for a dinner party (max. 5 people): King Roger Federer and GOAT tennis player whose career he closely witnessed during the last twenty years; the late actor Charles Bronson who was his “action hero” in the early days; the late Freddy Mercury, lead singer of Queen – who remains his absolute favourite pop group to this day; Charlize Theron with her classically elegant beauty; and last but not least, golfer Freddie Couples whose seamless and simple swing always impresses him.
6. Did you know that he played the clarinet when he was younger? He was also an active boy scout and a Catamaran (Tornado class) skipper.
7. What ticks does he have? Life is too short not to enjoy a well-prepared meal with quality wine, a Cuban cigar, and a glass of vintage port.
8. He is most afraid of being stuck in an elevator or undergoing MRI treatment, due to his claustrophobia.
9. He is grateful for pain-free days. After having undergone more than a dozen surgeries and managing several ongoing “construction sites” daily, waking up in the morning feeling fit is already a blessing and a good start to a new day.
10. His highlights in Indonesia include; Personally: celebrating his 60^th birthday with ten other close friends on a Phinisi (wooden) sailing boat and cruising along the famous Flores islands. Professionally: to have contributed to Indonesia coming into the radar of Swiss companies, which nowadays can bank on a variety of platforms for an easier settlement.
11. His one tip to the younger generation: to stay humble, don’t take anything for granted and contribute to society through your personal initiatives.