Johann Schneider-Ammann

The son of a veterinarian born in Sumiswald in the canton of Bern, Schneider-Ammann graduated as an electrical engineer from the ETH Zürich in 1977 and obtained a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD in France in 1983.[1][2] From 1990 to 2010, he acted as the head of his family's mechanical engineering company, Ammann Group, in the fourth generation, when he passed control over the company to his two children. Schneider-Ammann is married, has two children and lives in Langenthal.

Schneider-Ammann with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Geneva in 2016

In 1999, Schneider-Ammann was elected to the Swiss National Council for the canton of Bern as a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD). From 1999, he chaired the corporate union Swissmem. He was reelected to the National Council in 2003 and 2007. In the context of the 2008 financial crisis, Schneider-Ammann took a critical stance on bonuses awarded to the finance industry.[3] The same year, Schneider-Ammann's company moved substantial funds to a tax haven in Jersey.[4]

In 2009, Schneider-Ammann became a member of the newly-established FDP.The Liberals. In the 2010 election, he was elected to the Swiss Federal Council as the successor to Hans-Rudolf Merz.[5] He took office on 1 November 2010 as the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, which became the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research in 2013.[6] He had previously announced his intention to step down from his corporate responsibilities as well as various board memberships if elected.[1]

He served as Vice President of the Confederation in 2015 under President Simonetta Sommaruga before assuming the presidency the next year. In March 2016, he became an Internet meme after a speech on laughter that many deemed sad.[7] On 31 December 2018, Schneider-Ammann left the Federal Council; he was replaced by Karin Keller-Sutter.