Wolfgang Schmidt-Soelch

Wolfgang Schmidt-Soelch is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ Zurich office and the regional managing partner of the Financial Services Practice for Europe & Africa. He is also a member of the CEO & Board of Directors Practice. Wolfgang specializes in executive search and consulting assignments for financial services clients across Europe and globally, particularly at the C-suite and board level, with a focus on insurance, corporate and retail banking, wealth and asset management, and private equity.

Wolfgang has more than two decades of senior executive experience in insurance and banking in finance, human resources, and on the business side across three continents, as well as more than a decade of talent consulting, coaching, and executive search experience at other leading consulting firms. He helps client understand the talent universe and their options in an increasingly competitive talent market.

Over the past 14 years, Wolfgang has worked closely with numerous clients helping to solve pressing talent issues. He has developed long-lasting close relationships with many of them and has conducted more than 200 executive search, assessment, coaching, and leadership development assignments for clients globally, across Europe, and locally. Assignments include chairmen, chief executive officers, senior general management, chief financial officers, chief operating officers, chief risk officers, and other C-suite executives.

Wolfgang has advised boards on governance issues, post-merger integration, and CEO succession projects and coached and mentored executives throughout his career. He is fluent in German and English.

University of Cologne, Diploma in Economics

Munich Business School, Certificate for Business Coaching

Wolfgang has served on executive boards of both Winterthur Group and Credit Suisse and has been a member of non-executive boards throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. He is a past member of the executive committee of the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the advisory board of the Swiss Institute for Executive and Non-Executive Directors.