Ulrich Giezendanner

Ulrich "Ueli" Giezendanner[1] (Swiss Standard German: [ˈʊlrɪç ˈɡiːəzn̩ˌdanər]; born 31 October 1953) is a Swiss businessman and former politician who served as a member of the National Council (Switzerland) for the Swiss People's Party from 1991 to 2019.[2][3] He previously also served on the Grand Council of Aargau from 1989 to 1991. He remains a controlling shareholder in Giezendanner Group and serves as deputy chairman of KPT Health Insurance in Bern, Switzerland.[4]

Ulrich Giezendanner
Official portrait, 2011
Member of National Council (Switzerland)
In office
11 November 1991 – 1 December 2019
ConstituencyCanton of Aargau
Member of Grand Council of Aargau
In office
1 March 1989 – 31 October 1991
Personal details
Born
Ulrich Giezendanner

(1953-10-31) 31 October 1953
Rothrist, Aargau, Switzerland
Political partySwiss People's Party
Spouses
Helene Rüegger
​
​
(m. 1975; died 1997)​
    Roberta Baumann
    ​
    (m. 2017)​
    Children4, including Benjamin and Stefan
    Residences
    OccupationBusinessman, politician
    Military service
    Allegiance  Switzerland
    Branch/serviceSwiss Armed Forces
    RankSoldier

    Early life and education

    Giezendanner was born 31 October 1953 in Rothrist, Switzerland to Johann Ulrich Giezendanner, originally from Wattwil, who founded Giezendanner Group in 1934.[5] He has one sister who permanently resides in Vira (Gambarogno) in Ticino.[6] According to his own statements, Giezendanner completed a commercial apprenticeship, and did not pursue further education.

    Career

    In 1976, Giezendanner took over the company from his parents and turned it into a stock corporation.[7] Today the business is managed by his son Benjamin Giezendanner, since 2017 as sole managing director, after his brother Stefan was excluded from management due to internal discrepancies.[8]

    More recently, Giezendanner has become deputy chairman of KPT Health Insurance, where is also a member on the Nomination and Compensation Committee.[9][10] He remains a board member of the board of all Giezendanner companies.[11][12][13][14]

    Politics

    From March 1989 to November 1991, he served in the Canton of Aargau legislature. In 1991, he was elected to the National Council, representing the canton of Aargau, and since 1995 he has been the head of the Commission for Transport and Telecommunications.[15] Until mid-1996, he was a member of the Freedom Party of Switzerland. Since then, Giezendanner has been a member of the Swiss People's Party.

    Giezendanner supported the expansion of the Baregg tunnel (a bit of a bottleneck in the Swiss motorway network) in 2003, and the adding of a second tube of the Gotthard road tunnel. He currently is an advocate of the creation of a Formula 1 circuit course in Switzerland. The federal government's policy of shifting the heavy transit traffic to rail, has been the cause of criticism of Giezendanner, because of his work on the Baregg tunnel and on the Gotthard road tunnel.

    He's a member of a Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland.[16]

    Private

    In 1975, Giezendanner married his first wife Helene (née Rüegger), who died in 1997. They had four children together. His eldest son, Oliver, died in infancy.[17][18] His youngest son, Benjamin Giezendanner, was the youngest elected member of the Grand Council of Aargau and current member of the National Council (Switzerland), and most recently prospective candidate for Council of States (Switzerland).[19] His elder son, Stefan Giezendanner, is a member of the Grand Council of Aargau since 2020.

    Since 2017, he is married to his second wife and long-term partner Roberta Baumann (b. 1965).[20]

    References
    1. "Ulrich Giezendanner in Rothrist - Auskünfte". Moneyhouse (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    2. "Ratsmitglied ansehen". www.parlament.ch. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    3. Küng, Mathias. "SVP-Nationalrat - Ueli Giezendanner tritt ab – das sagt er zu seinen grössten Erfolgen und Niederlagen, das macht er jetzt". Aargauer Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    4. "Der Verwaltungsrat – KPT". www.kpt.ch (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-18.
    5. FIRMENVIDEO GIEZENDANNER TRANSPORT AG, retrieved 2023-03-20
    6. ZT Talk mit Ulrich Giezendanner, ehemaliger Transportunternehmer und alt SVP-Nationalrat, retrieved 2023-09-18
    7. ag, alogis; Zofingen, ADi AG Agentur für Digitales. "Giezendanner Transport AG". www.giezendanner-rothrist.ch. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
    8. "Rothrist - Konflikt mit Bruder Benjamin: Giezendanners Sohn Stefan verliess Familienbetrieb". Aargauer Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-20.
    9. "Der Verwaltungsrat – KPT". www.kpt.ch (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    10. "Ulrich Giezendanner, Kpt/Cpt Holding AG: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    11. AG, DV Bern. "Giezendanner Transport AG". Commercial register of canton Aargau. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    12. AG, DV Bern. "Mittelland Transport AG". Commercial register of canton Aargau. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    13. AG, DV Bern. "Rollbeton Giezendanner AG". Commercial register of canton Aargau. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    14. AG, DV Bern. "RTW - Recycling Transport AG". Commercial register of canton Aargau. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    15. "Giezendanner Ulrich - - Kanton Aargau" [Biography of Ulrich Giezendanner]. website of the Swiss Parliament. (in German and English). Berne: The Swiss Parliament. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
    16. ASIN Bulletin, Élections fédérales 2015: 43 membres de l'ASIN à Berne, n°178, december 2015, p.3
    17. Ulrich Giezendanner über Gott und Laster - Fenster zum Sonntag, retrieved 2022-12-20
    18. ZT Talk mit Ulrich Giezendanner, ehemaliger Transportunternehmer und alt SVP-Nationalrat, retrieved 2022-12-20
    19. "SVP-Nationalrat Benjamin Giezendanner für Ständerat nominiert". ArgoviaToday (in Swiss High German). 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
    20. "Ulrich Giezendanner und Roberta Baumann haben Ja gesagt!". Zofinger Tagblatt (in German). 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2022-12-20.


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