Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

With management experience and an implementation-oriented approach, the strategy consultant has a special passion for the topic of digitisation. Markus Naef attaches great value to teamwork, successful collaborations, trust in the abilities of his business partners and his outstanding network of relationships in the worlds of business, politics and administration. After completing his studies in business and law at the HSG (now the University of St.Gallen), Markus Naef gathered experience as a start-up entrepreneur in the US and later took on management positions at various international companies. As a member of the Executive Leadership of Sunrise Communications AG, he assumed responsibility for the B2B business, where he actively oversaw the digital transformation of customers. The SwissSign CEO is a goal- and results-driven “doer” and a team-oriented leader with strong communication skills. He is married, has one son and enjoys sport.

Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)

As CCO, Markus Venetz is responsible for the strategic and operational level of marketing, sales and product management. In this role, he specifies the product and market strategy and maintains the most important partner relationships. Together with his team, he ensures that all of the organisation’s functions are geared towards the long-term business and growth objectives. The business economist completed his studies at the University of Zurich, possesses in-depth industry knowledge and worked for several years in management roles at Ricoh Switzerland, Sunrise and ABB. Markus Venetz is a customer-, solution-, and team-oriented manager with long-standing experience in the telecommunications and technology sector. The married family man and father of two sons enjoys art and nature and is an enthusiastic tennis player.

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

As CTO, Tom Sprenger advocates an efficient, traceable, and reliable approach to software engineering. In his role as CTO, he is also responsible for the strategic management of the service and technology portfolio and investment planning. Tom Sprenger has extensive expertise in IT and security, and proven experience as a manager. A computer engineer with a degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Sprenger holds a doctorate in Technical Sciences from ETH Zurich. Before joining SwissSign Group, he spent years working for the IT security experts AdNovum in a variety of roles, most recently as CTO and member of the Executive Board. Tom Sprenger is a solution-oriented doer who thinks outside the box and feels at home when handling strategic and operational issues alike. He is married and has two children and strikes a healthy work-life-balance by doing sports in his free time.

Chief Operations Officer (COO)

As COO, Walter Herter is responsible for the monitoring, securing and optimisation of services for partners and clients. In compliance with the service level agreements (SLAs), he ensures the smooth running of all services and the Registration Authority Office (RAO). He also runs the Infrastructure and Platform Team (IT-OPS) and IT Support. In addition, he is responsible for introducing CRM and ITSM systems, laying the groundwork for ensuring that, in the future, partners and customers can access products and services in an efficient and automated manner. Walter Herter has more than 25 years of experience in senior management positions in the fields of managed services, customer service management and operations in the IT and telecommunications sectors. Thanks to his broad technical knowledge, his high degree of client and service focus and his strength in the area of change management, he makes a significant contribution to improving levels of client satisfaction and the client experience. The father of two sees himself as a pragmatic hands-on manager who maintains his work-life balance by enjoying sports outdoors together with his wife and their dogs.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)

Michael Widmer is a lawyer specialising in IT, and is responsible for the Group’s administrative functions. Together with his team, he ensures that the Legal, Finance and HR departments operate efficiently. He completed his law degree in Zurich before working in various roles in the telecommunications sector. He was General Counsel of the SwissSign Group for several years before taking up the position of CAO. Michael Widmer is a pragmatic, dynamic, solution-oriented team player with a flair for issues of digitalisation. He likes to spend his leisure time in the mountains, whether on the piste, on the water or on the bike trail.