The attractiveness of this leisure and recreational area is recognized far beyond the region itself – in areas such as eastern Switzerland, Ticino and northern Italy. Bergbahnen Splügen-Tambo AG has been the owner and operator of this renowned ski area for over 60 years. The ski lifts are crucial to the area. They are the economic bedrock of the entire valley, and they create jobs.
Due to major challenges and difficulties over recent years the company that runs them had to be completely restructured and reorganised as a going concern in 2017 and 2018. In response to an urgent request for help from the main shareholders I joined the company as the chairman of the board of directors and as an adviser in 2017. I and my team managed to successfully turn the business around and avoid the threat of bankruptcy by securing almost 90% debt-relief and thereby stabilising its finances, and we subsequently managed to relaunch it in the marketplace with its own distinctive branding as Switzerland’s first resort to provide electric snow buggies for children and young people.
In order for the company to be able to develop successfully, its future business viability has to be improved. New overnight accommodation facilities with corresponding tourist infrastructure, together with brand new organizational policies as well as innovative and sustainable products and services, will make Splügen a more attractive destination and encourage people to stay for longer, which means that the average number of visitors will increase.
For me this company restructuring and development represents a very special, and far from simple, challenge. Together with the board of directors I worked with considerable dedication, combining entrepreneurial vision with motivational and innovation skills, knowledge transfer and operational and strategic experience in order to secure the future of the company. The investor model also includes financial restructuring which has to put the company in a position where it can compete effectively on the open market.
With personal drive, strategic vision and the conviction that further growth is possible, Marcel Friberg and I developed the comprehensive master plan that forms the foundation for a sustainably oriented development of the company.
After the completion of this successful restructuring and development process, I was able to end my mandate in 2021.
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