Executive CV: Example and Template
This is how, as a member of an executive board or CEO, you structure a Swiss CV that immediately makes visible your results responsibility, governance experience and figures.
Currently 147 open Executive positions in Switzerland, across 14 cantons, 17 of them from the last 7 days. Salesforce advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
What education and qualifications do Swiss companies expect from an executive?
The decisive factor is the combination of a business or technical degree, executive further education such as an EMBA HSG, SKU or IMD, and demonstrable results responsibility.
In Switzerland, there are two equally valid paths to the executive board: the academic route via a bachelor's or master's degree from a university or university of applied sciences, and the higher vocational education route via a federal certificate of proficiency, a federal diploma, or a Diploma HF (Higher Vocational College). Both are accepted - what matters is that you name the qualification correctly (for example, 'Federally certified Business Economist HF' or 'MSc in Business Administration, University of Bern') and state the year. For foreign diplomas, add recognition by Swiss ENIC or the SBFI, so that the Board of Directors and recruitment consultants don't have to assess the classification themselves.
At executive level, relevant further education also counts: an Executive MBA from HSG, IMD or Rochester-Bern, the SKU comprehensive programme, an Advanced Management Program, or a board certificate. Name these programmes with the institution and year, and leave out weekend seminars with no relevance to the leadership role. If you hold a board mandate or a foundation board position, this belongs in its own 'Mandates' section - it demonstrates governance competence under Art. 716a CO more effectively than any self-description.
Show your technical depth through the accounting standard you have worked with (Swiss GAAP FER, IFRS or CO-based financial statements), through experience with the auditor and audit committee, and through the regulatory topics relevant to your industry - for example FINMA requirements in the financial sector, Swissmedic in life sciences, or the revised Data Protection Act. This information makes the difference between an interchangeable leadership profile and a candidate the Board of Directors can trust with responsibility.
How do I present executive work experience in a CV convincingly?
For each position, first describe the scope of responsibility - revenue, employees, locations, reporting line - and then three to four results with figures.
At executive board level, what matters is not the task list but the scope of impact. Add a short context line below each position: 'Privately owned industrial company, CHF 180 million revenue, 620 employees, four locations, reporting to a five-member Board of Directors.' This allows readers to put your results into context. Without this information, it remains unclear whether you led a division with 20 people or a group with 2,000.
Formulate results as a delta with a time frame: EBITDA margin from 6.1% to 12.4% in 30 months, net debt/EBITDA from 3.8x to 1.6x, on-time delivery from 82% to 97%, management turnover from 14% to 5%. Mix financial, operational and personnel metrics - an executive who only cites revenue figures comes across as one-dimensional. Also mention demanding situations: restructuring under Art. 335f CO with a social plan, short-time work via the cantonal Office for Economy and Labour, negotiation of a company collective labour agreement (GAV), or a succession plan with a shareholder agreement.
You may relativise rather than disclose confidential figures: 'revenue in the mid three-digit million range' or 'result improvement in the high single-digit million range' is acceptable and will be accepted. Keep the chronology gap-free and explain any breaks in one line - for example a sabbatical, an interim mandate phase, or a deliberate break after a sale process. At executive level, any gap will be addressed in the reference interview anyway.
How long should the CV be, is a photo needed, and what Swiss conventions apply?
Two to a maximum of three pages, a professional portrait photo is customary at executive level, and details such as citizenship, year of birth, notice period and mandates should be included.
For executive board profiles, two pages are the rule, with three pages accepted for over 20 years of experience or numerous mandates. Weight the last ten to twelve years in detail and summarise earlier positions in one line each. Place a three-sentence profile at the top and, below it, five to six key figures 'at a glance' - executive search consultants often decide in under a minute whether to present the dossier to the Board of Directors.
In Switzerland, a photo is not mandatory, but at management level it is practically standard: a current, professionally taken portrait in business attire. Also expected are place of residence, nationality or residence permit (B, C, or cross-border commuter G), year of birth, and language skills per CEFR level. For many mandates, French at least at C1 is relevant, and English at C2 in an international group environment. Also state your notice period - three to six months is customary at executive board level and affects the recruitment timeline.
Add a 'Mandates and Engagements' section with board of directors, foundation board or association positions, and transparently disclose any potential conflicts of interest - governance practice expects this. State references with the note 'available upon request', so you control the timing of contact. On the salary question: in the cover letter, formulate a range referring to base salary and variable component, for example base salary from CHF 220'000 plus a bonus of 20 to 30 percent, and avoid stating figures in the CV itself.
Where Executive are hired in Switzerland
How the 147 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 38 |
| Genf | 13 |
| Basel-Stadt | 12 |
| Waadt | 8 |
| Zug | 4 |
| Luzern | 3 |
| Tessin | 3 |
| Aargau | 3 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 126 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 120 (110) |
| German | 70 (60) |
| French | 16 (6) |
| Italian | 2 (1) |
Who hires Executive in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Salesforce | 8 |
| novartis | 7 |
| gartner | 5 |
| Syneos Health Commercial Solutions | 4 |
| Pigment | 4 |
| GitGuardian | 3 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 91 |
| Temporär | 1 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Daniel Steinmann
CEO / Executive Board Member, Executive MBA HSG
Generalist with 16 years of management experience in Swiss industrial and technology companies, including 7 years with full P&L responsibility for up to CHF 180 million in revenue and 620 employees across four locations. Leads executive boards according to the principle of clear target agreements, reports quarterly to the Board of Directors and Audit Committee, and is responsible for budget, medium-term planning and financial statements under Swiss GAAP FER and IFRS. Experienced in turnaround, buy-and-build (5 acquisitions) and succession planning in family businesses with shareholder agreements.
What sets me apart
Governance experience in line with Swiss practice: Prepares Board dossiers, agendas and quarterly reports in accordance with Art. 716a CO and the Swiss Code of Best Practice; as Managing Director, prepared and accompanied 28 Board of Directors meetings and 7 General Meetings.
Turnaround with social partnership: Implemented a restructuring with 45 job cuts in a socially responsible manner: consultation procedure under Art. 335f CO, social plan with the union, and short-time work application to the cantonal Office for Economy and Labour (AWA) - without any labour court case.
Buy-and-build in the SME environment: Led five acquisitions from due diligence through SPA negotiation to post-merger integration; cumulative target volume CHF 62 million, synergies of CHF 4.8 million realised within 24 months.
Regulatory reporting: Established non-financial reporting under Art. 964a-c CO as well as supply chain due diligence; completed the first ESG report with limited assurance by the auditor without any findings.
Key achievements
EBITDA margin from 6.1% to 12.4%. More than doubled the EBITDA margin in 30 months through portfolio streamlining (23% of SKUs eliminated), an average price adjustment of 4.2%, and relocation of pre-assembly, while keeping revenue stable at CHF 148 million.
Working capital reduced by CHF 11.2 million. Increased inventory turnover from 3.1 to 5.4 and reduced DSO from 71 to 48 days; thereby improving net debt/EBITDA from 3.8x to 1.6x and refinancing the bank loan at 65 basis points lower rates.
Succession plan successfully completed. Led the transition of a third-generation family business to an investment company: valuation CHF 54 million, shareholder agreement renegotiated, 100% of key executives retained over 24 months.
Experience
CEO / Chairman of the Executive Board — Arvenstein Fluidtechnik AG, Zug, 2019 - present
Privately owned industrial company, CHF 180 million revenue, 620 employees, locations in Zug, Bulle, Stuttgart and Brno; reporting to a five-member Board of Directors.
- Increased revenue from CHF 128 million to CHF 180 million (+41%) and grew EBITDA from CHF 7.8 million to CHF 22.3 million
- Completed three acquisitions with a total volume of CHF 41 million and integrated them in an average of 9 months
- Increased employee satisfaction from 68 to 81 points, reduced management turnover from 14% to 5%
- Adopted the 2028 strategy with the Board of Directors and translated it into 12 measurable group targets with quarterly reviews
Executive Board Member, COO — Nordvia Systems AG, Winterthur, 2015 - 2019
Technology supplier with CHF 95 million revenue and 340 employees; responsible for production, supply chain, quality and site consolidation.
- Merged two plants into a single site, saving CHF 6.4 million in annual fixed costs
- Improved on-time delivery from 82% to 97% and reduced the complaint rate by 58%
- Implemented a restructuring affecting 45 positions under Art. 335f CO, including a social plan and short-time work
- Achieved ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001 recertification with no major non-conformities
Head of Swiss Business Unit — Baumgartner Industrieservice AG, Olten, 2011 - 2015
Service organisation with CHF 38 million revenue and 150 employees in German- and French-speaking Switzerland; direct budget and results responsibility.
- Increased revenue by 27% to CHF 38 million and improved gross margin by 3.9 percentage points
- Grew the service contract portfolio from 210 to 480 contracts, increasing recurring revenue share to 46%
- Established a new branch in Lausanne, profitable after 14 months with annual revenue of CHF 4.1 million
Education
Executive MBA, General Management — University of St. Gallen (HSG) · 2016
Master of Science (MSc), Business Administration — University of Bern · 2007
Federal Certificate of Proficiency, Technical Business Administrator — SIU Zurich · 2003
SKU Swiss Course for Business Management, comprehensive programme (2018) · Board of Directors Certificate, Swiss Board Institute (2020) · Certificate Leading Digital Business Transformation, IMD Lausanne (2021) · Certificate course Non-financial Reporting Art. 964a-c CO (2023)