SRG: Search for a new Director General opened

The requirement profile is actually that of an "egg-laying woolly milk sow", said Chairman of the Board of Directors Jean-Bernard Münch to the media in Bern. In the knowledge that such organizations do not exist, Switzerland's largest electronic media company is looking for someone with management experience in a large company. He or she should also be a leader with a high level of sensitivity for the Swiss situation and a strong commitment to public service.
A high frustration potential is also recommended, explained Münch. The ideal age is between 45 and 55. Party affiliation and origin from a certain language region are irrelevant.

Head-hunter commissioned
After the last CEO from French-speaking Switzerland was Marcel Bezençon from 1950 to 1972, the Chairman of the Board of Directors can certainly imagine a French-speaking person again. According to Münch, the salary is in line with that of his predecessor Armin Walpen, i.e. around half a million francs a year plus fringe benefits. This is modest compared to the rest of the economy.
The position will be advertised in mid-October. In addition, targeted approaches will be made to potential candidates. SRG will be assisted in the search process by a head-hunter company. The deadline for applications is November 13.
The Nomination Committee, consisting of Münch, Viktor Baumeler, Jean-François Roth and Ulrich Gygi, will draw up a shortlist of five candidates in January 2010. Two candidates are to be presented to the Board of Directors in April, with the choice being made in May. The Assembly of Delegates then confirms them. Only the Board of Directors is the election body.

Superdirectors appointed later
A new Deputy Director General will only be appointed afterwards. According to Münch, the new Super Directors for the merged activities of the language regions will also only be appointed in collaboration with the new Director General.
SRG is looking for a new management team because Director General Armin Walpen is retiring at the end of 2010. Deputy Director General Daniel Eckmann is leaving the company at the end of January 2011. Walpen took up his post as 7th Director General in 1996 and, like his two direct predecessors, is close to the CVP.

SRG in the red
SRG, which is financed by licence fees, closed 2008 with a deficit of CHF 79 million. A deficit of CHF 57 million had been budgeted. The European Football Championships and the Olympic Games in Beijing had a negative impact, as did the decline in advertising revenue during the crisis. Münch said that the company was therefore not in need of restructuring.
SRG employs over 6,100 people in 4,800 full-time positions. Annual turnover amounts to around CHF 1.6 billion. The company has eight television channels, 18 radio stations as well as supplementary Internet offerings and teletext services.
A number of challenges await those who follow. With the media convergence project, the company will be merging television and radio from around mid-2010. There will then only be one company unit per language region.