Famous Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg (65) living in Switzerland. It has been on the US sanctions list since the outbreak of war, but remains a major shareholder of Sulzer. “The situation is not ideal for us, Viktor Vekselberg is aware of that,” says Sulzer boss Suzanne Thoma (60) in an interview with “NZZ am Sonntag”.
In today’s geopolitical situation, having a Russian anchor shareholder is difficult. “I assume he and his environment are working on solutions,” Thoma says. “The decision is his, of course.”
Vekselberg, who has been with Sulzer for 16 years, has yet to make a public statement about Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Thoma said, “I can’t speak for him. But what I realized is: The situation is very stressful for him.” And also: “He grew up in Ukraine and has relatives there. It would be a matter close to his heart if he could help restore peace.”
Vekselberg, mediator in the Ukraine war? Nothing is concrete.
Order uptake is higher than ever
Thoma spoke about the business as well as the Vekselberg staff. Overall, Sulzer is doing well. According to the boss, order intake is currently higher than ever. Still, the company is looking for a third pillar alongside energy security and resource efficiency. “To me, a company is best positioned when it has three business areas that are interrelated but not very strongly related,” Thoma says.
It is not yet clear in which section the third pillar will be established. The company doesn’t necessarily want to go on a shopping spree. “We have so much potential within the company that we’re definitely not implementing an acquisition strategy right now,” Thoma says. It also has no plans to exit the oil and gas business. (SDA)