Born 1947 in Zurich, Switzerland, I became a freight forwarder and worked for companies like Kühne & Nagel and Swissair. In 1975 I was confronted with the shipping of household goods containers and imagined that the movers packing and loading the containers were making a fortune, while the forwarder only makes a miserable margin on the freight cost—so, why not do both?
That initial thought led to the foundation of Packimpex Ltd. in 1977. It did not take long to find out that household goods moving at that time still meant considerable investments into warehouses, trucks and equipment. It also did not take long to find out that moving a family’s possessions was much more fascinating and personal than moving commercial cargo. Packimpex joined some of the relevant associations at that time CETI (OMNI), HHGFA (IAM) and FIDI. The initial company slogan was ‘simply the best’. I have been—and still am—a firm believer of ‘quality’ as a key element for success.
The company has become known for quality and innovation. It has never been afraid of change and is blessed with staff that accepts and participates in change.
When FIDI started its educational program in 1988, I was soon asked to join the trainers’ team and, later, became the Dean of the FIDI Academy. I have continued to train until a few years back.
From 1998–2006, I served the industry as a FIDI Board Member and from 2002–2004 as its President. This was during the time when FIDI introduced a mandatory quality management system, FAIM—a challenging transition with an excellent outcome.
The changing of market requirements, of customer behaviors, and of society has led us to believe that the merging of our household goods activities with those of Gosselin Moving Belgium, with its important European footprint, would best serve the company’s interest and the interest of its employees. Packimpex continues to provide smart relocation services in seven European countries.
My career in moving would not have been possible without some key people contributing to growth and success: My wife Silvia, our son Marcel, industry dinosaurs like Peter Kuoni, Jean-Jacques Borgstedt, Jean Pierre, and Michael Scott to just name a few.
Outside of my professional activities, I have served the Swiss Disaster Relief Unit as a volunteer and am currently President of the Board of Trustees of one of only two Swiss School Museums. I enjoy time with my family, including the two wonderful grandchildren Murielle (13) and Lucien (11), and do love photography.