“Trust is at the heart of every successful relationship – including the one I have with my bank.”

Thinking in generations

Yvette Schiess has currently stepped away from her professional mandates. “My new full-time role is construction manager,” she says with a hint of amusement. She inherited a substantial property in a prime location in central Zurich from her late father and, together with her son as co-heir, is now planning a replacement development. Potential analysis, demolition, new construction, financing – there is a great deal to calculate and consider. Yet even with her financial expertise, she sees clear value in having the right specialists around the table.

“The support I receive from Zürcher Kantonalbank Private Banking is invaluable – and something I can rely on.”

The project needs to be future-oriented, Schiess says, emphasising the phrase. What does that mean in practice? “We promised my father that we would preserve the property. Family matters deeply to us; we think in generations. So a project in such a unique location has to be conceived for the long term. My son should not have to invest all over again when he is 60 because the buildings need major renovation or have fallen into disrepair.” She has therefore made it clear to both the architects and Zürcher Kantonalbank’s specialists that quality is not an area in which they should economise. Her father would have been pleased to hear her say that – he was an architect.

She could probably have pursued a career in construction herself; she certainly has the aptitude. But she was drawn to numbers and to the many facets of finance. As both an employee and a client, however, Yvette Schiess has also had less positive experiences. At one private wealth management firm, for example, she was passed over for promotion despite excellent performance simply because she was a woman – not uncommon in the 1970s, when women were still rare in the financial industry. On another occasion, she had to point out to a Relationship Manager at a different bank that he was adviser number 26.

Expertise matters. So does the personal relationship.

So what does a bank have to get right for Yvette Schiess to be as satisfied as she is today? Whenever an issue requires deeper expertise, she wants access to highly qualified specialists who can help find solutions. “Everything has to come together as a coherent whole. What matters is having one trusted point of contact who can bring in the right specialists whenever needed.”

That model works extremely well for her at Zürcher Kantonalbank Private Banking, she explains from her carefully curated home, filled with plants, art and mementoes from around the world. It is also why she introduced her son to Zürcher Kantonalbank – not only for their joint construction project, but also for the management of his securities portfolio. She has made similar introductions within her family and wider circle.

Trust in a bank, she says, starts “at the very top” – with the leadership of the organisation. “If I do not trust a company’s leadership and strategy, it can do whatever it likes and offer me the most attractive terms imaginable – it still will not win me as a client.” Stability and continuity are essential. She examines balance sheets, figures and performance very closely.

But for this financial professional, the human dimension matters just as much. “My Relationship Manager at Zürcher Kantonalbank takes a genuine interest in my affairs – in the best possible sense.” She can call at any time, she says, and get answers to her questions. The way Zürcher Kantonalbank continued handling matters after her father’s death and took care of the administrative dealings with the authorities was both professional and a considerable relief.

She adds: “You sense that people here genuinely identify with the bank. In our conversations, I can see that people at Zürcher Kantonalbank are both supported and challenged to develop. That raises the quality of the collaboration.”

What comes next

Yvette Schiess also enjoys stepping away from the world of figures and facts. Art awakens her senses. Other cultures, travel, history and music all capture her attention. “I am very fond of classical music. I love Rachmaninoff’s style, less so Mozart’s. I am moved by anything that carries passion and emotion.” Her favourite painter is easy to identify: Mark Rothko’s extraordinary fields of colour appear throughout her home. “Colour and form mattered to me even as a child. I spent a great deal of time working with oil pastels.” It is therefore no surprise that she still paints with passion today.

Before long, her attention will turn back to the building project. Important meetings with her son, the architects and Zürcher Kantonalbank’s specialists lie ahead. They will examine what the new development will actually cost and how the financing could be structured. The focus is therefore firmly on the long term.

And not only because Yvette Schiess will bring her habit of “thinking in generations” to the table. “The money and the properties are like a treasure that has been entrusted to us to look after. My son and I received that from my father. We have to make sure the treasure retains its value – and perhaps grows as well.” Her grandmother taught her to live prudently, and she raised her son with the same philosophy.

For Schiess, wealth is there to create possibilities and to be passed on responsibly to the next generation. “If you need a coin to live your life, of course you may reach into the treasure chest,” she says emphatically. “But you should not spend it frivolously, just for the sake of it.”