The Most Famous

BUSINESSPEOPLE from Switzerland

This page contains a list of the greatest Swiss Businesspeople. The pantheon dataset contains 847 Businesspeople, 18 of which were born in Switzerland. This makes Switzerland the birth place of the 9th most number of Businesspeople behind China, and India.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swiss Businesspeople of all time. This list of famous Swiss Businesspeople is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Swiss Businesspeople.

1. Sepp Blatter (b. 1936)

With an HPI of 76.70, Sepp Blatter is the most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 79 different languages on wikipedia.

Joseph Sepp Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of the FIFA corruption case made public that year, and will remain banned until 2027. From a background in business, public relations, and sports administration, Blatter became general secretary of FIFA in 1981 and was then elected president at the 51st FIFA Congress on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange, who had headed the organization since 1974. Blatter was re-elected in 2002, 2007, 2011, and 2015. Like his predecessor Havelange, Blatter built his power base in FIFA by increasing the influence of numerous African and Asian countries in world football through the expansion of participating teams in various FIFA tournaments, culminating in the highly controversial awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, a Gulf oil state of 3,000,000 with little footballing culture. Under Blatter's leadership as President, eleven of the 22 committee members who voted on the 2018 and 2022 tournaments were fined, suspended, banned for life or prosecuted for corruption, including Blatter. Although he has persistently been dogged by claims of corruption and financial mismanagement, Blatter's reign oversaw a vast expansion in revenues generated by the FIFA World Cup accompanied by the collapse of the marketing company International Sport and Leisure and numerous allegations of corruption in the bidding processes for the awarding of FIFA tournaments. On 2 June 2015, six days after the United States government indicted several current and former FIFA officials and sports marketing companies for bribery and money laundering, Blatter announced that he would call for elections to choose a new president of FIFA and that he would not stand in these elections, but he also said he would remain in his position until an extraordinary FIFA Congress could be held for his successor to be elected. Criminal proceedings were announced against Blatter by the Swiss Attorney General's office on 25 September 2015, regarding "criminal mismanagement... and misappropriation".In October 2015, Blatter and other top FIFA officials were suspended amid the investigation, and in December the independent FIFA Ethics Committee ejected Blatter from office and banned him from taking part in any FIFA activities over the following eight years. On 24 February 2016, a FIFA appeals committee upheld the suspension but reduced it from eight years to six. On 24 March 2021, he received a second ban for six years and was fined the amount of CHF 1,000,000 by the body's Ethics Committee after a probe into massive bonus payments. Issa Hayatou served as the acting President of FIFA until an extraordinary FIFA Congress was held in late February, electing Gianni Infantino as the 9th president of FIFA.

2. Joan Gamper (1877 - 1930)

With an HPI of 68.34, Joan Gamper is the 2nd most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Hans Max Gamper-Haessig (German pronunciation: [hans maks ˈɡampər ˈhɛːsɪg]; 22 November 1877 – 30 July 1930), commonly known as Joan Gamper (IPA: [ʒuˈaŋ ˈɡampər]), was a Swiss-born football executive and versatile athlete. He founded football clubs in Switzerland and Spain, most notably FC Barcelona and FC Zürich. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of FC Barcelona, being the fundamental head behind the foundation of the club in 1899, and then serving as the club's first captain between 1899 and 1903, netting over 100 goals in just 48 matches for Barça and in 1902, he captained his side to a victory in the Copa Macaya, the club's very first title. He then served as its president on five separate occasions between 1908 and 1925. One of his main achievements was getting the funds for the construction of their own stadium in 1909, the Camp de la Indústria, which is regarded as the main element that helped the club grow in the 1910s. Under Gamper's leadership, Barcelona won eleven Championat de Catalunya, six Copa del Rey and four Pyrenees Cup.

3. Aga Khan IV (b. 1936)

With an HPI of 65.95, Aga Khan IV is the 3rd most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Shah Karim al-Husayni (Arabic: شاه كريم الحسيني, romanized: Shāh Karīm al-Ḥusaynī; born 13 December 1936; known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV; Persian: آقا خان چهارم), is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis. He has held the position of Imam and the title of Aga Khan since 11 July, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III. The Aga Khan claims direct lineal descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, who is considered an Imam by Nizari Ismailis, and Ali's wife Fatima, Muhammad's daughter from his first marriage. Ismailis gave Ali and their Imams a near-divine status. The origins of this concept lie in ancient Persian paganism. His grandfather, Aga Khan III, states in his memoirs that the Shias had a "need (for) Divine guidance" after the Prophet of Islam's death, this need being fulfilled by the Imamate. According to the Aga Khan III as mentioned in his memoirs, he has actual "Divine power, guidance, and leadership (authority)." The Institution of Imamate has continued to present day with the Aga Khan IV as the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Community. The Aga Khan is a business magnate with British and Portuguese citizenship, as well as a racehorse owner and breeder.Aga Khan's net worth has been estimated over $13.3 billion. Forbes describes the Aga Khan as one of the world's fifteen richest royals. He is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private development networks in the world. Since his ascension to the Imamate of the Nizari Ismailis in 1957, the Aga Khan has been involved in complex political and economic changes which have affected his followers, including the independence of African countries from colonial rule, the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Aga Khan IV became the first faith leader to address the Joint Session of the Parliament of Canada on 27 February 2014.

4. Gianni Infantino (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 62.63, Gianni Infantino is the 4th most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 67 different languages.

Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni vinˈtʃɛntso ˈdʒanni iɱfanˈtiːno]; born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss-Italian football administrator and the president of FIFA since February 2016. He was re-elected in June 2019 and in March 2023. In January 2020, he was also elected a member of the International Olympic Committee.As President of FIFA, he oversaw the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, which he described as "the best World Cup ever" and for which he accepted Order of Friendship medal given to him by Vladimir Putin. He oversaw the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar during which time he defended or minimized controversies surrounding Qatar's human rights record, again describing it as "the best World Cup ever." He played a key role in the selection of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, as he advocated for a Saudi bid and restricted the hosting eligibility, which reduced the number of potential competing bids.

5. Louis Chevrolet (1878 - 1941)

With an HPI of 61.80, Louis Chevrolet is the 5th most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Louis-Joseph Chevrolet (December 25, 1878 – June 6, 1941) was an American racing driver, mechanic and entrepreneur who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911.

6. César Ritz (1850 - 1918)

With an HPI of 60.88, César Ritz is the 6th most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

César Ritz, born Cäsar Ritz (23 February 1850 – 24 October 1918), was a Swiss hotelier and founder of several hotels, most famously the Hôtel Ritz in Paris and the Ritz and Carlton Hotels in London (the forerunners of the modern Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company). He was an early hotel chain founder known as "King of Hoteliers, and Hotelier to Kings," and it is from his name and that of his hotels that the term ritzy derives.

7. Peter Sauber (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 57.62, Peter Sauber is the 7th most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Peter Paul Sauber (born 13 October 1943) is a retired Swiss motorsport executive. He was the team principal and owner of various motorsports teams, most visibly the eponymous Sauber Formula One team.

8. Julius Maggi (1846 - 1912)

With an HPI of 56.50, Julius Maggi is the 8th most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Julius Michael Johannes Maggi (9 October 1846 – 19 October 1912) was a Swiss entrepreneur, inventor of precooked soups and Maggi sauce. He is best known for founding Maggi, which was merged with Nestlé in 1947.

9. Meyer Guggenheim (1828 - 1905)

With an HPI of 55.92, Meyer Guggenheim is the 9th most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Meyer Guggenheim ( GOOG-in-hime, German: [ˈmaɪər ˈɡʊɡn̩haɪm]; February 1, 1828 – March 15, 1905) was the patriarch of what became known as the Guggenheim family in the United States, which became one of the world's wealthiest families during the 19th century, and remained so during the 20th.

10. Umberto Agnelli (1934 - 2004)

With an HPI of 55.77, Umberto Agnelli is the 10th most famous Swiss Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Umberto Agnelli (Italian: [umˈbɛrto aɲˈɲɛlli]; 1 November 1934 – 27 May 2004) was an Italian industrialist and politician. He was the third son of Virginia (born Donna Virginia Bourbon del Monte) and Edoardo Agnelli, and the youngest brother of Gianni Agnelli.Agnelli served as a CEO of Italian carmaker Fiat from 1970 to 1976. After the death of his brother, he was briefly chairman of the Fiat Group until his death, aged 69, in 2004. He was also chairman and later honorary chairman of Juventus, the football team long-associated with Fiat and the Agnelli family, and was for a time the president of the Italian Football Federation. He was a Christian Democracy member of the Senate of the Republic from 1976 to 1979. In 2015, he was posthumously inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

People

Pantheon has 18 people classified as Swiss businesspeople born between 1828 and 1970. Of these 18, 8 (44.44%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swiss businesspeople include Sepp Blatter, Aga Khan IV, and Gianni Infantino. The most famous deceased Swiss businesspeople include Joan Gamper, Louis Chevrolet, and César Ritz. As of April 2024, 1 new Swiss businesspeople have been added to Pantheon including Bob Lutz.