Rainer Gut

Rainer Gut
Gut c. 1990s
Born
Rainer Emil Gut

(1932-09-24)September 24, 1932
Baar, Switzerland
DiedOctober 11, 2023(2023-10-11) (aged 91)
OccupationBanker
Known forFormer Chairman of Credit Suisse
Spouse
Josephine Lorenz
(m. 1957)
Children4

Rainer Emil Gut colloquially Rainer E. Gut (24 September 1932 – 11 October 2023) was a Swiss banker and executive who most prominently served as Chairman of Credit Suisse (formerly SKA).[1] His net worth was estimated at $140 million (2023) by Bilanz magazine.[2][3]

Early life and education

Gut was born 24 September 1932 in Baar near Zug, Switzerland, the fourth of five children, to Emil Gut (1896–1967), a bank director, and Rosa Gut (née Müller).[4] His siblings were; Beatrice Gasser (née Gut), Esther Wettach (née Gut), Günther Gut and Firmin Gut.[5]

He attended schools in Zug, London, and Paris.[6]

Career

In 1968 he became a general partner at Lazard Frères & Co., New York and in 1971 president and CEO of Swiss American Corporation in New York, a U.S. investment banking subsidiary of the then SKA (Schweizerische Kreditanstalt, now Credit Suisse). In 1973 he was a member of the Executive Board[6] and from 1977 he acted as spokesman for "Schweizerische Kreditanstalt" (SKA), of which he became chairman in 1982.[7]

From 1983 to 2000 he was chairman of the Board of Directors of SKA and Credit Suisse respectively, and between 1986 and 2000 also chairman of the Board of Directors of Credit Suisse Group (formerly CS Holding). From 2000 to 2005, he served as chairman of Nestlé S.A.. He held directorships with several international corporations, including Alusuisse, Bayer, Swiss Re, Swissair, Daimler Chrysler Switzerland, Ciba Geigy/Novartis, Elektrowatt, and Sulzer. Gut was honorary chairman of Credit Suisse Group from 2000 until 2023.[8][9]

Under Gut's leadership, SKA developed into a leading international financial services group with a focus on investment banking, asset management, and insurance. In the Holocaust debate of the 1990s about dormant assets, he was committed to the creation of a humanitarian fund by the Swiss business community. Thanks in large part to Gut, the settlement between the Swiss banks and the Jewish plaintiffs in New York was reached in 1998.[10]

Personal life

In 1957, Gut married American-born Josephine "José" Lorenz (1930–2025), a daughter of John Lorenz and Claire Lorenz (née Harrington), both of Detroit, Michigan.[11][12] They had four children;

  • Nicole Gut
  • Jeannine Gut

In the 1960s, the family resided in New York City, where at least the youngest sons were born. In 1973, they relocated to Bassersdorf for several decades and later to Maur.[16] In 2019 his wealth was estimated at CHF 125 million by the business magazine Bilanz.[17]

Gut died on 11 October 2023, at the age of 91.[18]

Literature

  • Rainer E. Gut Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
  • Vorabdruck Rainer E. Gut: Swiss-Geburtshelfer wider Willen Handelszeitung, Zürich 2003, ISBN 3-909267-04-1
  • Vorabdruck Rainer E. Gut, Teil 2: Abenteuer First Boston Handelszeitung, Zürich 2003, ISBN 3-909267-04-1
  • Vorabdruck Rainer E. Gut, Teil 3: Meister des Networking Handelszeitung, Zürich 2003, ISBN 3-909267-04-1
  • Rainer E. Gut die kritische Größe (Memento of 19 October 2007 in the Internet Archive) Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) ISBN 978-3-03823-397-8

References

  1. ^ bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-15/rainer-gut-who-built-credit-suisse-into-global-bank-dies-at-91
  2. ^ "Das sind die Reichsten der Reichen in der Schweizer Finanzbranche". finews.ch (in German). 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  3. ^ "Die reichsten Manager unter den 300 Reichsten". Bilanz (in German). 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  4. ^ "Rainer E. Gut - Munzinger Biographie". www.munzinger.de. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  5. ^ Death notice of Emil Gut-Müller https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=NZZ19670214-01.2.41.4&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN-Gut%252DLorenz-------0-----
  6. ^ a b "Rainer E. Gut". Munzinger. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Rainer E. Gut der Schweizer Bankier". Who’s Who. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Rainer E. Gut Honorary Chairman". Credit Suisse. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Rainer E. Gut ist als CS-Ehrenpräsident zurück getreten". Handelszeitung (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  10. ^ "Ein zweiter Gut steigt bei der Credit Suisse ein". Luzerner Zeitung. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Colette Judson Obituary (1927 - 2025) - Greenwichg, CT - GreenwichTime". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  12. ^ Reber, Samuel (2005-04-14). "Gut geht". Blick (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  13. ^ "Dr. Rainer Alexander Paul Gut in Maur". Moneyhouse. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  14. ^ "Der Sohn". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  15. ^ "«Seehaus»: Fish, Chips, Sushi & ein Bier". Gault Millau (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  16. ^ "Rainer Emil Gut in Maur - Auskünfte". Moneyhouse (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  17. ^ "Die 300 Reichsten 2019" (PDF). Handelszeitung. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  18. ^ Weill, Pierre (13 October 2023). "Rainer E. Gut erfand die moderne Credit Suisse – und holte mit dem US-Investment-Banking das Risiko an den Paradeplatz". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 14 October 2023.