Swiss CEOs show presence in social media

Members of management don't have the time and leisure to hang around on social media? Anyone who thinks that is far from the truth. SMI CEOs such as Sergio Ermotti from UBS and Alain Dehaze from Adecco prove that decision-making power and social media activity are not mutually exclusive. And they show the appeal that leaders of Swiss companies can develop when they open up to communication in digital networks. With more than 149,000 and over 31,000 LinkedIn followers respectively, Ermotti and Dehaze top the list of the most active SMI board members on social media. Until his departure as CEO of Novartis at the end of January, Joseph Jimenez was in the lead with 206,000 LinkedIn followers. This is according to a recent analysis by strategy consultants Oliver Wyman.

Although Jimenez, Ermotti and Dehaze can be seen as beacons: Swiss CEOs are significantly more active on social media than their counterparts in neighboring countries. With 53 percent of CEOs in the SMI, more than twice as many CEOs are active on social media than in Germany, where only 23 percent of DAX CEOs are represented on online platforms. In Austria, 47 percent of ATX CEOs can be found on social media. Of the remaining CEOs in Switzerland, as many as 64 percent use social media - here too, the Swiss are ahead of the Germans and Austrians (52 percent each). In contrast to LinkedIn, however, Twitter is still uncharted territory for SMI board members: Only 8 percent have an account here, compared to 12 percent in Germany.

"Many leaders have recognized that it is important to show your face digitally," says Joris D'Incà, Head of Switzerland at Oliver Wyman. "Nevertheless, the board of directors often still weighs up whether a presence on a particular platform will bring the desired benefits."

Digital pioneers

The analysis also shows that diversity on the Board of Directors pays off in higher social media activity. Women are significantly more active on social media than men: 85% of female SMI Board members are active on social networks - even though there are only 14 of them in total. Among their male colleagues, the proportion of social media shysters is significantly higher: 40 percent of male SMI board members are not active on social media. In Germany, 74 percent of female DAX board members and only 40 percent of male board members have at least one social media profile, while in Austria the figures are 60 versus 50 percent.

D'Incà: "Women in management positions are one step ahead of men when it comes to social media. The majority use digital networks wisely for employer branding and their own positioning as well as a platform for information and inspiration."

Well represented across all sectors

In Switzerland, almost all sectors have arrived in the age of digital communication: With the exception of pharmaceutical companies and watch manufacturers, over 50 percent of board members in all other sectors are represented on at least one social network. At 86%, the telecommunications industry has the most digital pioneers. Only the top management of watch manufacturers is conspicuous by its absence: no board members are active here.

About the "Digital SMI" analysis

For the "Digital SMI" analysis, Oliver Wyman analyzed the presence and activity level of all SMI board members on the social networks LinkedIn, Twitter and Xing. The analysis was conducted in December 2017. In addition, the ATX board members were analyzed in May 2017 and the DAX board members in December 2017.