The Swiss Federal Council appointed Christoph Ammann as President of the Bank Council of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) on September 2, 2026. Ammann will take office on May 1, 2027, succeeding Barbara Janom Steiner, who will step down after serving since 2015 and as President since 2019 due to statutory term limits.
Ammann, a former member of the Cantonal Government and Head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Energy and Environment of the Canton of Berne, has served on the SNB’s Bank Council since 2019. His background includes a decade in the Cantonal Parliament and prior roles as President of the Municipality of Meiringen. With a degree in German studies, Ammann brings extensive experience in financial and economic policy to the role.
In a separate appointment, the Federal Council elected Marc Mächler as Vice President of the SNB Bank Council for the remainder of the 2024–2028 term. Mächler, a member of the Cantonal Government and Head of the Finance Department of the Canton of St Gallen, previously held a 20-year career at UBS and served in the St Gallen Cantonal Parliament.
The SNB Bank Council, composed of eleven members—six appointed by the Federal Council and five by the SNB’s General Meeting of Shareholders—oversees the bank’s business conduct, ensuring compliance with legislation, regulations, and directives as mandated by the National Bank Act.
