A board talk with Peter Spirig, CEO

Mr Spirig, would you like to share a particularly pleasant moment from your work at V-ZUG with us?  

Certainly, there've been so many of them. I would like to say that there's nothing better than the sparkle in our customers’ eyes when they talk about our appliances. And I am also very impressed and inspired by the pride our employees take in representing our brand and the success of our high-quality products outside the company.   

What is your contribution to the success of V-ZUG as CEO? 

My job is to create an environment and corporate culture that enables innovations, and in which employees can develop their potential. It is also important to me to interact with customers, to follow what's happening in the market and to listen carefully. It’s key here to strike the right balance between in-house and external topics and to put them on a shared platform in the right context.

Where will your efforts lead V-ZUG in the future? 

We want to shape a future in which our services and products will be relevant and essential for our customers. In other words, we want to make our customers’ lives simpler, more pleasant, more enjoyable and also better. Our goal has to be to create aesthetically high-calibre products and digital solutions that make it easy for our customers to own and use our appliances. We're the number one in the Swiss market and we want to gain additional shares in the international markets we consider to be relevant for us. That includes strengthening our position as a sustainable company.

Every company wants to be sustainable. What is V-ZUG doing specifically to make its sustainability ambitions a reality? 

The topic of sustainability is deeply ingrained in our overall strategy. Sustainability is not simply an afterthought for us; it permeates the entire strategy of the company and comes into play in everything we do. It’s an integral part of V-ZUG. Allow me give three specific examples of this: the continuous reduction of carbon emissions, the professional development of our employees and the transformation of our site within the Tech Cluster Zug. We have been carbon-neutral since 2020: whatever we can’t save we offset. And we'll soon be able to save more: starting in the 2022-23 winter season, the low-CO₂ and largely autonomous Multi-Energy Hub (MEH) will supply us with as much locally renewable energy as possible from photovoltaics, groundwater and lake water. We want to make our employees fit for the future. This is why we're investing in continuous professional development for our staff, in modern workplaces and in job security. Transforming the site in cooperation with the Tech Cluster Zug is a highly significant investment. In this way we’re contributing to an eco-system shaped by innovative technologies and the networking of creative systems. That too will ensure our future viability.

What does sustainability mean for you personally and as the CEO of a tradition-steeped company? 

What our company stands for is also important to me personally: quality and longevity. As the CEO of V-ZUG, I believe this means that we must minimize our use of resources, maintain the longevity of our products and ensure that our materials can be recycled. Longevity in particular comprises a number of levels. For instance, an appliance has to function impeccably for as long as possible, but it should also be timeless and meet our customers’ needs for several years. Whether in terms of developing innovative products or in their private everyday lives, each individual can make a contribution by being aware of what they consume. But there’s another component to implementing these efforts over the long term: we have to generate a solid return that allows us to invest in innovation and sustainability in the future too.

Using resources and interacting with employees responsibly entails a number of challenges. What are the challenges you see in general for our company? 

We have to stay focused and bundle our energies. We have to choose our path prudently, carefully and with a clear goal in mind. We shouldn't get caught up in minor issues but should advance in the same direction with a single, clear vision. 

What do you stand for personally and in your role as CEO? 

I’m open, sincere and transparent. I put this into practice and it’s my wish that we can establish this culture within our company. And I’d like to celebrate our successes but also call out mistakes and eliminate them in a solution-oriented manner – for the sake of a sustainably successful V-ZUG brand.

About Peter Spirig

Peter Spirig gained a degree in engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and earned his MBA at INSEAD in Fontainebleau. He has been CEO of the V-ZUG Group since September 2020. Before taking up his role at V-ZUG, he was a member of the Group Management at Arbonia AG with responsibility for the Doors Division (key markets: Germany, Switzerland, Central and Eastern Europe). From 2009 until 2016, Peter Spirig worked for the Franke Group in Asia; and from 2013-2016, as a member of the Executive Committee, he was responsible for all of the Group’s activities in Asia. His previous posts included a seven-year stint at Holcim.