Hansjörg Wyss
Encyclopedia
Hansjörg Wyss is a Swiss
entrepreneur and businessman. As of 2008, Wyss ranks #164 on the Forbes
list of billionaires, with a net worth of approximately $6 billion, making him the second richest person in Switzerland.
degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in 1959, Wyss attended the Harvard University
Graduate School of Business from 1963 to 1965. From 1965 to 1969, he worked in various positions in the textile industry, including plant engineer and project manager for Chrysler
in Pakistan
, Turkey
, and the Philippines
. In 1977, Wyss became president of Synthes
, a firm manufacturing Swiss-designed medical devices.
Alongside his professional activities, Wyss became actively involved in landscape protection by buying up the mineral rights from the mining companies. In 1989, he established the Wyss Foundation, which establishes and sponsors informal partnerships between non-governmental organisations and the United States administration to place large swathes of land under government protection. On account of these efforts, almost 4400000 acres (17,806.2 km²) of land have been declared national park districts. Wyss serves on the boards of The Wilderness Society, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
, Rails-to-Trails, and the Grand Canyon Trust, and is an honorary member of the AO Foundation. Wyss also donated 3.7 million Swiss francs to the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway
, which enabled the organisation to restore the railway line also between Gletsch
and Oberwald
.
In 2000, Wyss purchased the 900 acres (3.6 km²) Halter Ranch in western Paso Robles, California
. In 2004, Forbes ranked Wyss the 26th wealthiest person in Europe with almost $6 billion; by 2005, he rose to 18th place with an accumulated wealth of almost $8 billion. In 2006, Wyss was ranked #72 on The Times
list of 100 Richest People in the World. In 2007, he received the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, and in fall 2008, it was announced that Wyss donated the largest single endowment from one source in Harvard's history when he gave $125 million to found a multidisciplinary institute, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
, at the university.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
entrepreneur and businessman. As of 2008, Wyss ranks #164 on the Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
list of billionaires, with a net worth of approximately $6 billion, making him the second richest person in Switzerland.
Life and career
Wyss was born and raised in Bern, Switzerland. After receiving a Master of ScienceMaster of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in 1959, Wyss attended the Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Graduate School of Business from 1963 to 1965. From 1965 to 1969, he worked in various positions in the textile industry, including plant engineer and project manager for Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In 1977, Wyss became president of Synthes
Synthes
Synthes Holding AG is a multinational medical device manufacturer based in Solothurn, Switzerland and West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the world's largest maker of implants to mend bone fractures, and also produces surgical power tools and advanced biomaterials...
, a firm manufacturing Swiss-designed medical devices.
Alongside his professional activities, Wyss became actively involved in landscape protection by buying up the mineral rights from the mining companies. In 1989, he established the Wyss Foundation, which establishes and sponsors informal partnerships between non-governmental organisations and the United States administration to place large swathes of land under government protection. On account of these efforts, almost 4400000 acres (17,806.2 km²) of land have been declared national park districts. Wyss serves on the boards of The Wilderness Society, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is a wilderness preservation organization in the United States based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with field offices in Washington, D.C. and Moab, Utah...
, Rails-to-Trails, and the Grand Canyon Trust, and is an honorary member of the AO Foundation. Wyss also donated 3.7 million Swiss francs to the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway
Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway
The Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway is a company which operates a railway line between Realp and Oberwald...
, which enabled the organisation to restore the railway line also between Gletsch
Gletsch railway station
Gletsch railway station is a metre gauge railway station serving the village of Gletsch, in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland.-History and operations:...
and Oberwald
Oberwald railway station
Oberwald railway station is a metre gauge station serving the village of Oberwald, in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. The station is close to the western portal of the Furka Base Tunnel, on the Furka Oberalp Bahn , which connects Brig in Valais, via the base tunnel and Andermatt in Uri, with...
.
In 2000, Wyss purchased the 900 acres (3.6 km²) Halter Ranch in western Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County: Its population at the 2000 census was 24,297; in 2010 it recorded some 29,793 residentsLocated on the Salinas River north of San Luis Obispo, California,...
. In 2004, Forbes ranked Wyss the 26th wealthiest person in Europe with almost $6 billion; by 2005, he rose to 18th place with an accumulated wealth of almost $8 billion. In 2006, Wyss was ranked #72 on The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
list of 100 Richest People in the World. In 2007, he received the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, and in fall 2008, it was announced that Wyss donated the largest single endowment from one source in Harvard's history when he gave $125 million to found a multidisciplinary institute, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering is a cross-disciplinary institute at Harvard University which focuses on emulating nature's design principles to engineer new bioinspired materials and devices with applications in healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, energy, and sustainable...
, at the university.
External links
- Halter Ranch
- Hansjörg Wyss, Honorary Doctorate of the Faculty of Medicine, University of BaselUniversity of BaselThe University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...