Who we are

Management Board

Responsible for the operational management of Sunstar Hotels Management AG and for implementing the directives and strategies defined by the Non-Executive Board.

Swiss, year of birth 1970

Silvio Schoch, has been with Sunstar since 2017, initially as Finance Director and a member of the Board. Then in 2018 the Non-Executive Board elected him Chairman of the Management Board and since 2019 he has been CEO of the Sunstar Group.

A trained chef and qualified restaurant/hotel manager and business economist, he has 30 years' experience in the tourism industry and in international hotel chains, mainly on the finance and cost control side. Before Sunstar his last post was as Regional Director of Finance and Business Support Central Europe with FRHI Hotels & Resorts (now called Accor Hotels). He also completed a Master's in Hospitality Management at Cornell University and an MAS in Cost Control at the University of Applied Sciences for Business Administration in Zurich.

Married with children, he is a keen cook and passionate about good food. When time permits, he may also be seen riding his mountain bike or playing golf. If he had more time, he would like to read more books, because he is thirsty for knowledge and always wants to learn new things. He is not only a hotel manager, but often also a guest in Sunstar hotels himself. He is firmly convinced that "Our staff are the heart and soul of Sunstar."

Silvio Schoch

CEO

Felicia Brovetto

Head of HR

Swiss, year of birth 1983

Florian Hofer, Head of Finance and a member of the Management Board, has been with Sunstar since 2020. A qualified business manager and fiduciary , he completed an MAS in Cost Control at the University of Applied Sciences for Business Administration in Zurich and has 17 years' experience in the fields of finance, cost control, auditing and trusteeships. He worked for 12 years in the finance departments of two industrial companies and before that was an auditor with PwC for 5 years.

He has a young son and lives near Solothurn. In his free time he enjoys being outdoors with his family and loves discovering the world anew through the eyes of his son. If he ever has any time to spare, he likes to relax by getting some exercise, so you may find him on his racing bike, in the swimming pool or jogging in the woods. "Anything so long as it's outdoors" is his motto for his free time.

Florian Hofer

CFO

Non-Executive Board

The highest decision-making body of the Sunstar Hotel Group, it is responsible for determining company strategy and is elected by company shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.

Swiss, year of birth 1956

Dr. Kuno Sommer has been Chairman of the Board of Sunstar Holding AG since 2016, and also serves as Chairman of the Board for Bachem AG, Polyphor AG, PDS Pathology Data Systems AG, Kenta Biotech AG and Targimmune Therapeutics AG, among others.

He gained an MBA from the University of Basel and also took a PhD there. Between 1986 and 1999 he held various posts with Roche and spent four years in the USA. Kuno Sommer's last position at Roche was as a member of the group management team with responsibility for the Flavors and Fragrances division, now called Givaudan. From 2000 to 2006 he was CEO of Berna Biotech.

Kuno Sommer

Swiss, year of birth 1973

Nicole Grogg Hötzer has been Vice-Chair of the Non-Executive Board of Sunstar Holding AG since 2017. She gained a degree in Biology from the University of Basel in 1999. After that, she had various roles in regulatory affairs organisations. In 2002 she began a post-graduate qualification in Business Studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Basel (FHBB), which she successfully completed in 2004.

Nicole Grogg Hötzer is Vice-Chair of the Board of Bachem AG, Ingro Finanz AG and Hotel Bad Schauenburg AG and a member of the Board of MFC Beteiligungs AG.

Nicole Grogg Hötzer

Swiss, year of birth 1960

Beat Hess was Managing Director of the Sunstar Swiss Hotel Collection from 2001 to 2019. From September 2019 he reduced his workload and is now a member and the Secretary of the Non-Executive Board. He also continues to be responsible for shareholder affairs and Privilège members.

After graduating from the University of St Gallen, he spent 10 years working for the tourism business Hapimag, for the last 5 years as Managing Director. At the time Hapimag worked closely with the Sunstar Hotel Grindelwald so this and his contact with Sunstar founder Fritz Buser persuaded him to move to the Sunstar Group. His first act there was to set up the Privilège Vacation Club in 1998 and he ultimately became Managing Director of the whole hotel group.

Beat Hess currently sits on various non-executive boards, including for Hotel Bad Schauenburg AG and Aurenus AG. He is also involved with a local sports club in his home town of Hünenberg. In his free time he enjoys travelling to Mediterranean countries, gardening, cooking, reading or just “dolce far niente” with a glass of wine and a pipe or cigar.