Christian De Prati has been named as the chairman of the board of directors at Alpen Partners, Alpen Partners International, and Goldbach Capital. He has joined together with the new independent board member, Stephan Welti, finews.ch can reveal.

Alpen Partners and Alpen Partners International are independent asset managers, while Goldbach Capital is a private-markets specialist. All three Schwyz-based firms were founded and are owned by Pierre Gabris.

The appointments come as the affiliated companies respond to increasing client demand across their corejurisdictions. The firms said that the recent expansion in key markets, particularly in the United States, has created a need for additional expertise and senior oversight.

Former CEO of Bank of America Merrill Lynch

De Prati brings decades of leadership experience in international banking to the group. As the former CEO and country head Switzerland at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, he spent over a decade managing Swiss operations and developed deep relationships with institutional and UHNW clients. He is currently a board member at Rothschild & Co. in Zurich and also sits on the agricultural company board of Adecoagro (AGRO). According to Gabris, De Prati’s expertise in governance, investment banking, and cross-border advisory work brings strategic depth to the firms as they scale their platform and strengthen their market presence.

Ex-group head of legal and compliance at Sygnum Bank

Welti is currently chief operating officer and partner at the Zurich-based investment firm 2Xideas and founder of the legal, compliance, and management consulting firm WSP. He previously served as general counsel and group head of legal and compliance at Sygnum Bank, where he helped secure Switzerland’s first FINMA banking licence for a regulated digital asset bank. He also led Deloitte Switzerland’s Regulatory, Compliance, and Legal Financial Services Practices and was chief risk officer and general counsel at Swiss private bank Wegelin & Co. Private Bankers. According to the Alpen firms, the addition of Welti contributes extensive experience in governance, regulatory oversight, and risk management to the boards.

«Christian and Stephan bring the expertise and industry insight we value at the board level,» said Pierre Gabris.» «They will provide guidance to support growth, strengthen governance, and help shape the firms’ next chapters.»