Peter A. Fanconi is widely known in Switzerland for his outstanding achievements both as an entrepreneur and a banker. It is therefore in recognition of his expertise that the Government of the Swiss Canton of Grisons has appointed him to the top strategic position at Graubündner Kantonalbank (GKB), where he will succeed Dr. Hans Hatz for a four-year period starting on 1 April 2014. In addition to its corporate client business, GKB has a long-standing tradition in private banking.
“In my capacity as Chairman of the Board of BlueOrchard, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Peter,” comments Prof. Dr. Ernst A. Brugger. “As a commercial microfinance investment manager, BlueOrchard acts as a financial intermediary between the worlds of development finance on the one hand and private and institutional investors on the other. We are therefore delighted to see that our Chief Executive Officer has been entrusted with an important strategic role which will allow him to continuously shape the Swiss banking landscape.”
As a consequence of his new appointment and in keeping with the principles of good governance, Peter A. Fanconi has immediately stepped down from the Board of Directors of the Liechtensteinische Landesbank, but will remain fully committed to his other roles. He states: “I am fortunate to rely on highly competent executive teams in all institutions, which I hope will benefit from my enlarged strategic responsibilities and long-term view of the financial industry, along with all employees, clients and other stakeholders of the organizations I serve.
lueOrchard Finance S.A. was founded in 2001 as the first commercial manager of microfinance debt investments worldwide. To this day, the
company has deployed in excess of USD 2bn in loans to microfinance institutions, providing access to microcredit to over 30 million individuals across 50 countries. Investors in BlueOrchard-managed funds include private and institutional investors, supranational institutions as well as renowned foundations. The company employs highly experienced staff with backgrounds in traditional and development finance including 27 investment professionals.