Founders Note

When I founded Helvetica in 2006, the idea was simple:
Swiss real estate rewards long-term ownership and disciplined management. Over the past two decades, Helvetica has grown from an start into a real estate asset management platform serving institutional investors. Today we manage listed real estate investment funds and an investment foundation and operate as a FINMA-regulated fund management company.

This anniversary also marks two other important milestones for the firm: ten years as a regulated fund manager and ten years since the launch of our first regulated real estate fund, the Helvetica Swiss Commercial Fund. What has remained unchanged over these years is the principle on which the company was built. Enduring value in real estate is created through long-term, active and responsible ownership.

For us, Real Estate Asset Management has always meant responsibility. Responsibility for capital entrusted to us. Responsibility for the assets we manage and the tenants who live and work in them. Responsibility for the many decisions taken every day.

Over time, Helvetica evolved from an entrepreneurial start into a regulated and increasingly institutional organisation. Governance became more formalised, processes more structured and accountability more clearly defined. What did not change is where responsibility ultimately sits: with the asset manager accountable for performance over time.

This is what we mean by Building Enduring Value.

The past few years have also reminded us that markets and companies move through cycles. The rapid shift in the interest-rate environment also challenged the Swiss real estate sector and our firm as well. Looking back, we have drawn important lessons from this period and made changes that have strengthened how the company is governed and managed today. At the end of 2023 I stepped down as CEO and moved into a strategic and board role. This transition was deliberate and necessary. Today the firm is led by CEO Dominik Fischer and a strengthened management team. Operational responsibility sits clearly with the CEO and his leadership team.

Looking back over twenty years, what matters most to me are the relationships built along the way. Many investors, partners and employees have accompanied Helvetica for many years. Some have been part of the journey since the early days. Your trust has made this company possible.

In our office stands a Cilo bike I rode from Switzerland to Oslo as an 18-year-old in 1984. More than forty years later it still looks almost new. It reminds me that endurance, discipline and patience matter, in cycling as much as in long-term real estate investment. Helvetica now moves forward under new leadership. As the founder and owner, I remain committed to the company and look forward to supporting its long-term development in my role as a member of the Board of Directors.

To everyone who has been part of this journey. investors, partners and colleagues thank you for your trust over the past twenty years.