Jan Brzezek has been appointed as the president of the Bitcoin Association Switzerland. Brzezek assumed the role in December, as he shared via his LinkedIn profile. He succeeds Niklas Nikolajsen, who was named chairman of the association last year.

Nikolajsen is one of the most prominent crypto figures in Switzerland after launching Bitcoin Suisse in 2013 and serving as its CEO until 2017. He was the firm’s chairman until 2021. It is not immediately known what Nikolajsen is doing since leaving the position.

Visionary Behind Crypto Finance

Brzezek founded the Crypto Finance Group in 2017 and held the position of CEO until November 2023. Deutsche Börse Group acquired a majority stake in the Crypto Finance Group in 2021. Earlier, he was a business manager of the President of UBS Asset Management and UBS Group EMEA in Zurich. He previously worked in exchange regulation for structured products at the SIX Swiss Exchange. He began his professional career in sales for a portfolio management system for external asset managers at Alphasys in Winterthur.

Around the World in 403 Days

Brzezek returned to Switzerland three months ago after a 403-day sabbatical at sea, during which he covered over 18,000 nautical miles and visited 28 countries. «What started in a yard in Bordeaux took us through Sicily and the Med, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, through the mighty Panama Canal, past the Galapagos, into the breathtaking Tuamotus of French Polynesia, and finally across the South Pacific to Australia,» he shared via his LinkedIn. «The year flew by like a week, yet I returned feeling recharged, inspired, and full of energy. Now, back in Switzerland, I’m reflecting on the many opportunities ahead,» he said.