Geri Aebi, CEO Wirz Werbung, co-owner Wirz Group
During his business studies, Geri Aebi discovered "that copywriting for agencies is more profitable than delivering parcels to the post office". That's why he tried his hand at copywriting after graduating from university. After four successful years at Aebi & Partner, he wanted to go abroad for a year or two. That turned into 15, 12 of them at GGK Vienna. First as a CD, before his business knowledge caught up with him again and Aebi became Managing Director in 1997. This not very common CEO combination of business economist and creative proved to be a personal formula for success even after his return to Switzerland: 2002 CEO Wirz Werbung, 2005 MBO Wirz Group, 2008 Chairman of the Wirz Group Management Board. He has also been a member of the ADC and BSW board for several years. Geri Aebi sees his honorable nomination less as recognition for 2009 per se, but rather for his long-term successful work at Wirz. And as he has always seen himself as a "player-coach", the "Advertiser of the Year" award is therefore also for his fantastic team, "without whom neither the financial nor the creative turnaround of the agency would have been possible". Wirz has been "back in business" for around three years now. With 12 to 15 pitches a year, almost every second one is won. In 2009, Aebi and his crew were of course particularly pleased with the "big win" for the Migros advertising campaign and the top rankings in the Media Research Top 500 customer survey.

Regula Fecker, partner and co-founder of Rod Kommunikation
After graduating from high school and completing an internship at a PR agency, Regula Fecker joined Honegger/von Matt in 1998 as a 20-year-old consultant, where she learned her trade with clients such as Disaronno and Winston. Over the years, she developed a growing interest in people, their behavioral patterns, how they relate to brands and how they react to communication. The move to strategic planning enabled her to pursue this interest more intensively. In 2003, Regula Fecker left Switzerland to continue her education at the Miami Ad School. She graduated from the "Bootcamp for Account Planning" as the first non-American to top her class. This was followed by a job offer from TBWA\CHIAT\DAY New York and TBWA\ Berlin, where she headed up Strategic Planning. She then returned to Switzerland, again to Jung von Matt/Limmat. In 2007, she founded the Rod Kommunikation agency in Zurich-Enge with art director Oliver Fennel and PR consultant David Schärer. Catherine Mühlemann, former head of MTV Central Europe, is a member of Rod's board of directors. Two and a half years after its foundation, the agency is regarded as a creative and strategic "hot store" with 16 employees and clients such as 20 Minuten, Ikea, Bell, Hotelplan, Médecins Sans Frontières and Sanitas. In 2008, Rod was named "Newcomer Agency of the Year" in the German-speaking world.

Markus Gut, CCO Young & Rubicam Group
The relocation of the Young & Rubicam Group to Zurich's Westend was an important sign of the new start, which Markus Gut was able to master as CCO together with his CEO Andreas Widmer. In the spirit of optimism at Hardturmstrasse, Y&R was able to acquire many new clients and pitches even in these generally difficult times. This led the Y&R Group to first place in Werbewoche's creative ranking in 2008. A success that was also topped in 2009. Markus Gut had already regularly achieved similar results at Publicis, where he held the same role as chief creative officer for eight years. Several hundred creative awards have reliably earned Markus Gut a nomination for "Advertiser of the Year" every year since 2003. He is also a regular juror at international festivals. Markus Gut lectures at Sawi, at the ADC/BSW creative school and at the HSG St. Gallen. Since this year, he has been a member of the ADC's four-member presidium. His private passions include his own wine and the award-winning grappa from his Al Mulinetto in Gordoba. As a co-initiator, the creative is also planning a restaurant at Greifensee based on Jean Nouvel's building at Expo.02.

Alexander Jaggy, CD and partner Jung von Matt/Limmat
The year got off to a brilliant start for the creative director and partner of Jung von Matt/Limmat: after winning the prestigious Migros account, Alexander Jaggy and his team managed to bring home a Cannes Lion after just 100 days - the first for Migros in 14 years. Jaggy is the mastermind behind the campaign featuring the popular Migros chicken. The crowning glory of a very varied career. He joined BBDO as a copywriter in 1990 immediately after graduating as a commercial clerk. He then moved to the legendary GGK. In 1994, he moved to Germany. First to Springer & Jacoby, then to Jung von Matt. In 1999, he moved to London to help set up the international office for Springer & Jacoby. In 2001, he returned to Switzerland to launch Jung von Matt/Limmat. In eight years, Jaggy has shaped the agency in Zurich into a commercially and creatively successful company: In a survey of the 500 largest advertising clients, Jung von Matt/Limmat was voted Switzerland's best agency for the 7th time in a row. Alexander Jaggy successfully completed his MBA in August. His thesis is entitled "Unpredictability" and deals with real-time management. He is a member of the ADC Switzerland executive committee. He is also a member of the ADC for Germany and a member of the English D&AD. Alexander Jaggy is married and has three children.

Marion Marxer, Member of the Executive Board Jung von Matt/Limmat
Marion Marxer has headed the Digital Media and Dialog divisions at Jung von Matt/Limmat since December 2009 and is also a member of the Executive Board. She will continue to ensure a significant upturn in Jung von Matt's rapidly growing web division. Marion Marxer has 15 years of experience in all communication disciplines and most recently worked at Publicis. She joined the company in 2005 as Senior Brand Director. Important clients included Swisscom, PostFinance and Migros. In 2007, she became Managing Partner and a member of the Executive Board. In just two years, Marxer built up the digital communication division at Publicis from 0 to 20 employees and also integrated .nemos into the in-house online agency Modem. Marion Marxer studied marketing in the USA and earned an MBA with her thesis on "Digital Impact on Media and Society". Her most important awards include a Cannes Cyber Lion shortlist for Chocolat Frey, the Crossmedia Award Gold for Migros M'8 and Silver for Migros' favorite products. In her private life, the advertising expert is involved in organizing the annual "tweakfest" festival for digital culture and lifestyle.

Frank Bodin
The CEO of Euro RSCG already has many successes to his credit. When Frank Bodin moved to Lake Geneva to join McCann Erickson as CD in 1996, the agency was one of the most creative and successful three years later. The same spectacle repeated itself in 2001, when the creative had to set the Euro-RSCG Group on a new course, this time as Chairman and CEO. Within a very short time, he managed the turnaround. Since then, "Love Advertising" has been the name of the successful concept of the agency with the star. This has been incorporated, for example, in the repositioning of AIDS prevention with the claim "Love Live". His work has now earned Frank Bodin a nomination as "Advertiser of the Year" for the ninth time. In addition, he has received more than 500 awards from practically all festivals worldwide. Bodin has been a jury member from Cannes to Clio and was even president of the Golden Drums in 2004. Bodin's role in Swiss advertising is also reflected in his involvement as President of BSW Leading Swiss Agencies. Before playing this whole keyboard of advertising, Frank Bodin lived as a classical pianist and until 1992 as an assistant at the Hamburg State Opera. Bodin has also written several books.

Markus Good
One year now, Markus Gut has been Chief Creative Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Advico Young & Rubicam. In that time, the group has not only outgrown itself creatively with over a dozen major pitching wins. The Y&R Group has also visibly grown together externally, with four agencies now operating under one roof. It will be interesting to see what happens next at Hardturmstrasse 133 after Markus Gut, as the former Chief Creative Officer of the Publicis Group, was able to give the company a regular top place in the creative rankings for over eight years. Almost half a thousand creative awards have reliably earned Markus Gut a nomination for "Advertiser of the Year" every year since 2003 until now. He is also a regular juror at international festivals such as ADC of Europe and NY Festivals. Important is his work as a lecturer at Sawi, the creative school of the ADC/BSW or at the HSG St. Gallen. He is a member of the Design Network Switzerland. The creative artist is also proud of his award-winning grappa from the family vineyard in Ticino and his single malt from a distillery in Scotland, where he is co-owner, as well as Jean Nouvel's restaurant "La Boite" in Uster.

Alexander Jaggy
The Executive CD was pleased to receive a particularly valuable award last year. Jung von Matt/Limmat was recently voted not only the "most popular advertising agency" in a survey by the Handelszeitung newspaper, but also received the title of "best advertising agency in Switzerland" by a wide margin from 500 clients and customers. Since 2003, JvM/Limmat has also regularly been the agency most frequently recommended by its clients. Since 2004, Alexander Jaggy has been Executive Creative Director at the highly acclaimed company. In January 2006, he also became a partner. Alexander Jaggy started his career in 1990 as a copywriter at BBDO in Zurich. Further stations were GGK Zurich, Jung von Matt in Hamburg and Springer & Jacoby International in London. After seven years abroad, Jaggy returned to Zurich in 2001 for the launch of Jung von Matt/Limmat. In addition to Switzerland, Jaggy is also a member of ADC for Germany and a member of the English D&AD. Among his well over 200 national and international awards is a Gold Lion from Cannes for the guerrilla campaign "Size" for Mini. This year, Jaggy has attracted creative attention several times for Smart or Health Promotion Switzerland.

Daniel war
On April 1, 2004, Daniel Krieg (43) founded the two-man agency Krieg, Schlupp, Springer & Jacoby (KSSJ) together with Uwe Schlupp. Without clients and without outside capital. The two creatives won mandate after mandate. In 2005, Christoph Bürge joined them, and since then the agency has been called Krieg, Schlupp, Bürge/Springer & Jacoby (KSB/SJ). Today, the Zurich-based company employs over 50 people. KSB/SJ made advertising history with Coop and the slogan "Für mich und dich" ("For me and you"). Krieg and consorts also created well-known campaigns for AXA Winterthur, VW, Bucherer, ZVV and many other clients. KSB/SJ's success has a lot to do with attitude: "What we think, we also say. What we say, we do. What we do, we do quickly," Krieg says. He has a special interest in strategic corporate management as well as in "green communication" or ecology and ethics. Krieg studied economics at the University of St. Gallen. Before founding KSB/SJ, he was a copywriter, concept developer and creative director at Publicis, Weber, Hodel, Schmid, Farner Publicis and GGK Zurich. He also worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse, in the consumer goods industry at Philips, in publishing at Cash and independently as a fashion importer. Daniel Krieg has two children and will soon marry for the second time.

Philipp Skrabal
Philipp Skrabal (39) began his professional career in 1985 at the Zurich School of Design. He earned his first money and his apprenticeship as a graphic designer as a graffiti sprayer. After positions as Junior Art Director, Art Director and a six-month job exchange at Euro RSCG Ball Partnership in Sydney, he started as Art Director at Matter & Partner in 1997. In 2003, he became Creative Director and a member of the management team - and helped the small agency reach fifth place in the creative rankings. In 2004, Skrabal moved to Publicis as Creative Director and deputy to Markus Gut. He achieved 2nd and 1st place in the creative rankings and in 2007 was awarded the ADC title "Agency of the Year" alongside Markus Gut. "In the future, the knowledge or genius of an individual will no longer be enough to develop groundbreaking solutions," Skrabal is convinced. "The agency of the future will consist of a team of top people from all disciplines." Since January 2008, Skrabal and the Y&R team led by Andreas Widmer and Markus Gut have been building new structures and processes focused on integrated thinking. Exemplary for this is the "Free Internet" case, recently awarded twice bronze and four times shortlisted by Eurobest. As Executive Creative Director of Advico Young & Rubicam and member of the Executive Board of the Young & Rubicam Group, he contributed significantly to the recent budget gains. New clients include Swisscom, Basler Versicherungen, Cash and Axpo. Skrabal has won around 250 national and international awards. He has been a member of the Art Director Club Switzerland since 2001 and was a juror at the ADC of Europe in 2005 and 2007. Philipp Skrabal is the father of two children and a passionate racing cyclist.

Andreas Widmer
In the dream team at Hardturmstrasse 133, Andreas Widmer of Wunderman and Futurecom has been CEO of the Y&R Group since January 2008. After spending a lot of free time around the creative world as a child at his father Bruno Widmer's Advico, Andreas Widmer later studied sociology and marketing. For two years he worked in market research. In 1993, he joined WCJ Zurich as Account Manager and IT Director. Here, after a short time, Andreas Widmer began to build up the company's first interactive unit. His efforts laid the foundation for Futurecom interactive, the joint venture between Advico Young & Rubicam and WCJ that was launched in 1996. What began with four employees and a modest studio soon developed into one of Switzerland's leading online marketing companies. In the Wunderman network, the much-vaunted model of a cross-media agency is actually lived. As Managing Director, who also performs consulting tasks, Andreas Widmer successfully brought demanding clients such as Swisscom, UBS, Jaguar, Ford and Ericsson onto the World Wide Web. And he is still involved in the management of many key accounts today. Andreas Widmer is also a board member of BSW and Simsa.