Draft:Giacomo Balzarini (manager)

Giacomo Balzarini (* 1968 in Baden) is a Swiss-Italian manager. Balzarini has been Chief Executive Officer of PSP Swiss Property since 1 April 2017. PSP Swiss Property is one of the major players on Switzerland’s commercial property market with office and commercial buildings in prime locations in the country's economic centres from Zurich to Geneva. The company’s portfolio is valued at close to CHF 10 billion.

Prior to becoming CEO, Balzarini, who studied economics at the University of Zurich and obtained an MBA from the University of Chicago, had been PSP Swiss Property’s Chief Financial Officer for more than 10 years. In this role, he was awarded the title of “CFO of the Year” in 2015 by the CFO Forum Switzerland, an association of more than 500 CFOs. His career background and core competences include capital management and corporate finance with work experience at Union Bank of Switzerland and Swiss Re. Balzarini is also active at an international level as Chairman of the Best Practices Committee of the European Public Real Estate Association EPRA (Brussels) as well as Chairman of the EPRA Accounting & Reporting Committee.

Under his guidance and leadership, PSP Swiss Property has delivered a solid performance year after year, a fact that is underscored by the steady increase in the company’s dividend payments and share price. While PSP Swiss Property has always put great emphasis on sustainability, Balzarini and his team have recently gone one step further, linking the company’s debt financing to sustainability targets. The debt capital is also linked to a green asset portfolio which will become successively more sustainable.

Speaking of teamwork and management style, Giacomo Balzarini has always been a teamplayer. He believes that teamwork is the basis for a company’s long-term success. He is a fact-based decision-maker who communicates efficiently and directly with his employees at all levels of the company. At PSP Swiss Property, Balzarini has created a working environment that is based on mutual trust and respect. He not only delegates tasks to his employees, but responsibility as well. He wants his employees to be creative and critical at the same time, constantly striving to bring their company forward. Balzarini’s input and leadership were decisive factors that his company has obtained the coveted award “Great Place to Work”.

Balzarini’s vision goes beyond just steel and concrete; he wants the company’s buildings to be a source of inspiration and innovation. In his view, state-of-the-art, future-oriented spaces should inspire people and create an optimal working environment. He always thinks long term, taking all stakeholders’ concerns into consideration, from his co-workers and tenants to the bond- and shareholders to the society and the environment – an attitude and work ethic which has made PSP Swiss Property so successful in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Last but perhaps not least, in his spare time, Giacomo Balzarini is active on the board of a charitable foundation – proof that he is not only a “company man” but one who cares about the world around us.