After seven years in office, Heinz Brand is stepping down as chair of the board of directors of Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad AG (BDG). Jan Brand will be standing for election as his successor at the next General Meeting in late summer 2022. As a long-standing member of the BDG board of directors, he is ideally qualified for the challenging position. He will be supported by vice president Matthias Matti.

Jan Brand has deep roots in the destination. Through his career to date, the Lauener has built up a diverse and valuable network in the region and beyond – as the long-standing head of the Gstaad Ski School, as a board member of the national association Swiss Snowsports or in his current parttime job at Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus (GST). As a trained carpenter and farmer’s son, Brand has a solid connection to the building trade and agriculture. He gained international experience and ken in ski racing and as a trained ski instructor in numerous regions of the world.

He is highly motivated to take over the office from Heinz Brand: “We are a good team on the board of directors, a powerful body. That has greatly encouraged me in my candidacy.” The retiring Heinz Brand is also pleased: “We wanted an internal solution. Jan was unanimously elected as a candidate by the board of directors. And the larger shareholders are also backing the proposal.”

Matthias Matti from Zweisimmen has also been a member of the board of directors for many years. He will actively support Jan Brand as vice-chair. Although the workload of the future president will not be as high after the completed restructuring of the BDG, the office will remain time-intensive and demanding.

Brand will continue to work at GST at the operational level and enrich the development of the destination in terms of infrastructure. To avoid a conflict of interest, Matti will take over all matters that strategically affect the cooperation between BDG and GST. Matti also has a dual role – as a GST board member and a BDG board member. Both consider this moving closer a good opportunity to move forward together and build bridges. Matti also sees himself as a link to the Obersimmental, where he is well connected through many years of experience in politics and other offices.

Brand and Matti share the same passion for the destination and a high degree of motivation for their new roles. Matti sees even more in common: “We are the last ones from the board of directors responsible for the restructuring process.” Jan Brand adds: “In recent years, we mastered challenging situations together. We can approach the future as a team professionally, but also calmly.”

BASED ON AVS