Committee

Josef Schnyder

President

Josef grew up in the Cantons of Lucerne and Thurgau and graduated from the Marcelin School of Agriculture before embarking on an international career in commodity trading with André & Cie SA, with postings in Lausanne, London, and South America. In 2002, he earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.
From 1993 to 2019, he held various sales and management positions in the healthcare industry, primarily in Moscow (Russia), working with Sulzer Medica, Cochlear (Sydney), and Sonova. He relocated to Bangkok in 2019.
Since 2022, he has served as a Member of the Council of Swiss Abroad, representing Thailand at the Organisation of Swiss Abroad. He was Vice-President of the Swiss Society Bangkok from 2019 to 2026 and assumed the role of President in 2026.

Sacha Bürgi

Vice President

Was born in Liestal in 1972 and has worked in his own security company for over 25 years. In 2015, he left Switzerland and lives in Thailand now. He leads various companies from Thailand and abroad in the areas of security and building automation.

Christian Brunner

Past President and active Board Member

(1953) went to school in Männedorf (ZH), Gymnasium in Wetzikon (ZH), Matura 1972. After teachers training (secondary level) and studies in biology at the University of Zurich, he worked two years as assistant at the University of Zurich. From 1984 to May 2011, he was delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Asia (Philippines, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand), Middle East (Iran, Israel OT), Africa (South Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan), and Europe (Bosnia, Serbia), mostly as head of delegation. Since June 2011 he is working in Bangkok as independent consultant for humanitarian affairs, international relations and international humanitarian law. With his wife Kasorn (Nok), and their daughter Nikita (born 2007), they are SSB family members since 1998. Christian is active in the board of the SSB since September 2017 and served as President of the SSB from the 2019 AGM (13 March 2019) until the AGM held on 11 March 2026.

Michel Henriod

Treasurer

(1964) He grew up in Geneva where he followed commercial studies. He worked in Geneva as accountant and portfolio manager and then took a sabbatical year to travel around Asia and Australia with two friends. This trip in Asia gave him the motivation to work abroad and he started a career with the International Committee of the Red Cross where he worked for 27 years and was posted in 15 different countries as administrative coordinator and responsible for support departments. He could benefit from an early retirement in 2022 and now lives in Bangkok area with his Thai wife to whom he has been married since 1994. He has one son who graduated in psychology from Leiden University and pursuing a Master program in the Netherlands.

Jacques Baudevin

Embassy Delegate

Started at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 2001. Before coming to Thailand, Mr. Baudevin was Head of Management at the Swiss Embassy in Athens. He has been in charge of the Consular Centre in Bangkok since 11 July 2022.

Thomas Gerber

Registration and Archive

Was born in Berne, grew up in Winterthur, worked and travelled all over Europe incl. to Novosibirsk; to Irak and Japan and lived 2 years in China before settling in Thailand since 1989, first as General Manager of Swiss Companies in Chiangmai and Bangkok, and from 1996 as independent Business Consultant by TRINA Management. Hobbies: several, but no sports! (Married with Kumiko).

Christian Vogel

RIS Delegate

Christian Vogel is the successor of Simon Doerig at the Swiss School in Bangkok RIS since April 2021

Alessandro E. Haab

Food and Beverage

Pierre Panchaud

Secretary

In a previous life a lawyer in Switzerland and the US, Pierre lives since retirement in Thailand and enjoys this beautiful country. He joined the Committee as a Secretary in 2024 and looks forward to contributing to the Swiss Society Bangkok.

Saïd Bidoggia

Website & Social Media

He grew up near Schaffhausen, which is where he completed his apprenticeship and worked as a Web Developer and Project Manager. He obtained his Bachelor's in Business Information Technology at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and his Master's in Business Administration at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and always had a great interest in East and South East Asia. He currently works as Managing Director of the Swiss owned company KUK Coils Thailand in Nonthaburi.