![[Translate to English:]](/typo3temp/assets/_processed_/a/d/csm_8025131becf1db12abaaa3f43a4dbe1caa554e26-fp-100-80-3-80_7c89da554c.jpg "[Translate to English:]")
Interview with Anastasius Tschopp, CEO of Swiss Prime Site Solutions
What drives a CEO who has significantly expanded and strategically advanced a company in just a few years? In this interview, Anastasius Tschopp talks about his understanding of leadership, what drives him, and the success story of Swiss Prime Site Solutions. In just seven years, the company has grown from three employees to more than 130, while assets under management have increased from CHF 1 billion to CHF 13.7 billion.
Anastasius, Swiss Prime Site Solutions, has experienced significant growth in a short space of time. How do you look back on this development?
Swiss Prime Site Solutions has grown from a small unit with three employees to an organisation with around 130 people – including 20 colleagues at our office in Germany. At the same time, our assets under management have grown from CHF 1 billion to more than CHF 13 billion. Today, we cover the whole gamut of real estate investment products, including investment foundations (Swiss Prime Investment Foundation and Fundamenta Group Investment Foundation) as well as funds for pension funds such as Akara Diversity PK. We offer funds like the Investment Fund Commercial for institutional investors, and we also appeal to private investors with Fundamenta Real Estate AG. This broad positioning gives us flexibility and enables us to develop high-quality products for our clients. At the same time, we continue to grow organically: with the existing team, we can keep increasing our assets under management to reach more than CHF 16 billion.
Today, Swiss Prime Site Solutions is the largest independent real estate asset manager in Switzerland. What does this independence mean in practical terms?
For us, independence means that we can source both capital and properties directly from the market. We therefore have a responsibility to combine the two in an optimum way and achieve strong results. This market positioning is key, and it is also reflected in our organisation: we work with dedicated, independent teams – from investment to portfolio management. Our clients benefit from transparency and traceability. They understand what we do and trust our processes. This openness is the key to long-term partnerships.
An important milestone was the integration of Fundamenta. How did this go?
The integration was intensive but successful. We held several one-to-one discussions with all employees in Switzerland and Germany and outlined our vision, values and roadmap. Fundamenta contributes valuable expertise, particularly in the area of residential property. The integration into our existing structure went smoothly. Today, we can see that the teams are working well together and trust each other.
What role does trust play for you as CEO?
Trust is the bedrock of our relationships – both within the team and with our investors. Every new employee is given our full trust from the outset. With us, no one has to play a perfect pass every time to earn that trust. We trust them from day one, otherwise we wouldn’t hire them. The build-up to the goal may vary, but the goal itself is always clear: to continuously improve our products. This guides our actions and is embedded in our company’s culture.
We never take a short-term approach to investments either. We don’t buy to generate quick profits, but rather to make lasting improvements to our products. In a challenging market phase like we have seen in the last two years, one thing has become clear: those who can deliver quality win new clients. We focus on good products and continuously improving performance.
«We trust them from day one, otherwise we wouldn’t hire them. The build-up to the goal may vary, but the goal itself is always clear: to continuously improve our products. This guides our actions and is embedded in our company’s culture.»
In your view, what are the key success factors for Swiss Prime Site Solutions?
The key success factors are our team, trust, innovation, ambition, product performance, strong market connections – and courage. Growth is not possible without courage. And growth gives us the opportunity to put together excellent teams and take innovative approaches.
What do you think makes a successful leader?
For me, leadership means knowing people’s stories. Everyone has good days and bad days. It’s important to address things openly and transparently. If a target has not been met, this needs to be discussed, but new ways forward should also be explored. I would rather see someone attempt something and learn from it than not have the courage to try something new in the first place. If you never take risks, you won’t learn anything, and you might miss out on discovering something completely new, even if the original idea didn’t work. As CEO, my job is to define the strategy, open up new possibilities, show the way forward and provide inspiration. Stability builds trust, especially when markets are turbulent. We foster this sporting spirit within the company – and for me, that’s what leadership is all about.
What have been the defining moments in your career?
I started out as a tiler in the construction industry. Moving from one job to the next was key to my personal growth. Each new role brought fresh perspectives and new responsibilities. I learned to manage teams, take responsibility for results and think increasingly in strategic terms. Sport also shaped me. I played football at regional level for a long time, which taught me a lot. Both on the pitch and in the corporate environment, its about bringing people together, respecting differences and pursuing an ambitious goal as one.
What motivates you in your day-to-day work?
My career decisions have always been based on the essence of the work. I get out of bed in a morning because I love what I do. I find it fulfilling to nurture talent and support people on their journey. And, of course, to strategically drive Swiss Prime Site Solutions forward.
And what does your commitment to sustainability look like?
Sustainability is a key element of our strategy and we have clear targets. Each product follows a specific reduction pathway towards net zero. Our ambitious goal is for the operation of our property portfolio to be climate neutral by 2050. When working towards this target, we also take into account the different timelines of our clients. It is important to us that the ESG measures make economic sense as well. Technological advancements will support us on this journey, but even today, the relevant costs are already priced in and transparent for investors.
Switzerland’s population is nearing the 10-million mark. What implications will this have?
Demand for real estate will continue to grow – there will be a need for more affordable housing. Unfortunately, the attitude is often «not in my backyard» and construction processes are prevented or delayed by objections. Switzerland’s future requires realistic and feasible solutions, not regulations that obstruct progress. Only in this way can we be ready for a Switzerland with 10 million inhabitants and provide the necessary infrastructure for the growing population. The market must remain attractive for investments, so that we can start building more again and thus also safeguard future pensions.
What challenges do you see ahead – both for Swiss Prime Site Solutions and for you personally?
The next milestones are clear: to grow by around one billion each year and reach 16 billion in assets under management. Growth requires innovation, trust and courage. We want to benefit from the experience gained in recent years and continuously improve the quality and performance of our products. Nurturing talent is a matter close to my heart. We already have a strong team with outstanding individuals in all areas. But I want us to become even broader, support young people and offer them good prospects, including those who are changing careers. In my view, personal skills are more important than education and certificates. We want to reach the next level together!
About Anastasius Tschopp
Anastasius Tschopp began his career with a tiling apprenticeship before working in the building materials trade, in property management and in property development at Zurich Airport. He then served as Head of Property Marketing Switzerland at Credit Suisse. Anastasius Tschopp joined the Swiss Prime Site Group in 2014. He was initially responsible for portfolio management and made a significant contribution to the growth of the real estate assets. He became CEO of Swiss Prime Site Solutions AG in 2018 and has been shaping its strategic direction ever since. Tschopp has been a member of the Executive Board of Swiss Prime Site AG since 2021. He brings team spirit and dedication to his leadership role.
More about the work of Swiss Prime Solutions
Tailored investment solutions and services for the real estate industry
About Swiss Prime Site Solutions: vision, business model, success story
