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CAIA Zurich - Swiss CIO Roundtable: Investing In Traditional And Alternative Assets In The Current Market Environment
Date(s):
October 27, 2026
Note: All times listed are in local time
Venue:PHZH Auditorium
Lagerstrasse 2
Zurich, ZH 8090
Fee(s):Free Event
Description:CAIA Zurich
Swiss CIO Roundtable: Investing In Traditional And Alternative Assets
In The Current Market Environment
CAIA Zurich in collaboration with CFA Society Switzerland, invites you to an exclusive Swiss CIO Roundtable.
The global investment landscape is undergoing a profound structural shift. Investors must navigate unprecedented sovereign debt and structural fiscal deficits, which fuel inflation and interest rate volatility. This is compounded by chronic geopolitical friction and fracturing global supply chains. Amidst these headwinds, the AI revolution is driving massive capital expenditure. In this environment, alternative assets can serve as essential building blocks to enhance diversification, boost returns, or provide inflation protection. However, integrating alternative assets into the portfolio introduces significant operational and analytical hurdles; alternatives are inherently more complex to source, evaluate, and monitor than liquid equities and bonds. Investment frameworks must balance the enhanced yield and resilience of private markets against the binding constraints of capital lockups and cash-flow modelling. This high-level roundtable brings together Chief Investment Officers from Swiss pension funds and insurance companies alongside heads of multi-asset allocation from top-tier banks. Together, they will cut through market noise to discuss how institutional frameworks and private wealth portfolios are adapting their positioning to survive and thrive. Key topics of the panel include: - Current market environment – opportunities and challenges
- Which alternative investments are suitable in the current market environment for portfolio diversification / supplementing the portfolio?
- How are alternative investments utilized in specific portfolios (e.g., Private Wealth vs. Pension Fund vs. Insurance)?
- Which topics must be considered (e.g., modelling, liquidity planning, implementation)?
AGENDA:
18:00 - Registrations
18:30 - Welcome remarks by CFA Society Switzerland and CAIA Chapter Zurich 18:35 - Panel Discussion in collaboration with: - Christoph Bianchet, CFA - CIO at SUVA
- Christine Schmid, CFA - CIO at Servisa Stiftungen
- Peter Steffen, CFA - Head Portfolio Management Multi Asset Institutional Clients, Executive Director at Vontobel
- Roger Rüegg, Dr. - Head Multi-Asset at Swisscanto/ZKB
Moderator:
Andreas Rothacher, CAIA, CFA - CAIA Zurich Chapter Head and Head of Investment Research at Complementa AG 19:35 - Q&A 19:45 - Apero
Important notes before the event: - This event is organized by dedicated CAIA members, who generously volunteer their personal time. Should you decide to register, we greatly appreciate your commitment to attending.
- If you find that you are unable to attend, please inform us at least 48 hours before the event. Your timely cancellations enable us to offer your spot to someone on the waitlist and help minimize food and energy waste
- Kindly note that registrations must be completed in advance, as walk-ins will not be permitted. Given the event's limited capacity, we encourage you to register as early as possible to secure your spot. If the attendance limit is expanded, we will promptly notify you.
- Registering a guest is possible but complete guest details must be filled in.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
If you have questions or concerns regarding registration for this event, please contact CAIA EMEA Chapter Relations. This event is organized in collaboration with: 
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Christoph Bianchet
Job Title: CIO
Organization: Suva
Speaker Type: Panelist
Christoph Bianchet has been Chief Investment Officer at Suva since July 2019 and is responsible for the investments of the insurance company and Suva's pension fund. Previously, he was Head of Strategic and Tactical Asset Allocation. He joined Suva in 2013 from Arecon, a boutique asset management company in Zurich that he co-founded in 2007. Previously, he spent 13 years at Credit Suisse in various roles, including two years in New York as a U.S. economist and the last four years as Head External Investment Mandates at Winterthur Insurance, the insurance arm of Credit Suisse. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Zurich and is a CFA Charterholder.
Andreas Rothacher
Job Title: Head of Investment Research
Organization: Complementa AG
Speaker Type: Moderator
Andreas is the Head of Investment Research and Senior Investment Consultant at Complementa in Zurich. In his current role he advises Swiss and German institutional investors on their strategic asset allocation and manager selection. In addition, he is one of the co-authors of the annual Complementa Risk Check-Up pension study. He is also the author of various articles and publications. Andreas is a Chapter Executive of the CAIA Zurich Chapter and a member of the CFA Swiss Pensions Conference Committee.
Roger Rüegg
Job Title: Head Multi-Asset
Organization: Swisscanto/ZKB
Speaker Type: Panelist
Roger Rüegg has taken over responsibility for all Multi-Asset Solutions in Asset Management at Zürcher Kantonalbank as of December 2025. In this role, he successfully implements the motto "Stay active!" Together with his teams, he manages over CHF 40 billion in mixed investment and pension solutions and is a recognized expert with more than 14 years of experience across the entire value chain of the investment business. Roger Rüegg holds a doctorate in Banking and Finance as well as a Master of Science in Quantitative Finance from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. His doctoral thesis on active and passive investing was published in the renowned journal Review of Finance.
Christine Schmid
Job Title: CIO
Organization: Servisa Stiftungen
Speaker Type: Panelist
Christine Schmid is the Chief Investment Officer at Servisa, a collective pension foundation. Prior to joining Servisa, she acted as Deputy CEO and Member of the Executive Board at additiv, a global provider of wealth technology solutions. Previously she worked at Credit Suisse for more than two decades. Most recently, she was Head Investment Solutions Switzerland, with responsibility for investment revenues across advisory and pension solutions, as well as sustainability offerings for private and institutional clients. Earlier in her career, she served as Global Head of Equity and Credit Research and held additional senior leadership roles in research and asset management. She holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Zurich and is a CFA charterholder. She is active as a guest lecturer at the University of Zurich and was a faculty member in the EMBL program at the University of St. Gallen from 2012 – 2019.
Peter Steffen
Job Title: Head Portfolio Management Multi Asset Institutional Clients, Executive Director
Organization: Vontobel
Speaker Type: Panelist
Peter Steffen joined Vontobel in November 2017 as a senior portfolio manager and head of equity strategy. Since March 2025 he leads the portfolio management team for institutional clients in the Multi Asset Boutique. Currently, his team of 18 portfolio managers based in Zurich, Milan and Munich oversees more than 20bn CHF in assets for more than 150 clients globally. Prior to joining Vontobel he was portfolio manager and a member of the investment committee at Ethenea Independent Investors from 2015. From 2007 until 2014 he worked at DWS (Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management) as a portfolio manager in the US & Global Equities team. Peter holds a diploma in Finance and Asset Management from the International School of Management Dortmund and completed undergraduate programs at the Université de Neuchâtel and the University of Colorado. He is a CFA® charterholder.
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