Robert K. Heuberger (12 January 1922 – c. 29 January 2021) was a Swiss real estate entrepreneur, patron of the arts and an author under the pseudonym Victor Vermont.

Life and career

Heuberger grew up with three siblings in poor circumstances and lost his father when he was three years old. He completed his training at the Swiss Volksbank in

Aarburg Aarburg is a historic town and a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. The small town lies in the southwest Aargau, in a narrow section of the Aare valley, at the confluence with the Wigger. It lies in ...

in the 1930s. When the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

began, he was forced to run the bank branch alone as an apprentice. As a bank and insurance buyer, he later worked for the Volksbank as an accountant, credit manager and securities specialist, then as an agency manager for the

Bâloise Bâloise Holding AG is a Swiss insurance holding company headquartered in Basel. The company employs approximately 9,000 employees across Europe and is the third-largest Swiss all-industry insurance service provider for individuals and businesses ...

insurance company. In 1947 he was promoted to management secretary in

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria), La ...

, where he also met his wife Ruth ''née'' Mötteli (* 1924, † 2016), Together with his wife Heuberger founded Siska Heuberger Holding AG in 1954, with which he implemented a series of major projects, especially in eastern Switzerland, with the construction of about 1000 apartments in

. According to the economic magazine's

BILANZ ''Bilanz'' is a German language biweekly business magazine published in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2014, the magazine started its edition published in Germany. History and profile ''Bilanz'' was established in 1977 as a successor of ''Wirtschaft ...

, he had assets of approximately CHF300 to 500 million in 2012. He was the father of the entrepreneurs Günter and Rainer Heuberger. Günter Heuberger was an media entrepreneur (Radio Top, Tele Top) and Rainer Heuberger was Zurich's former cantonal councilor (SVP) of Siska Verwaltungs AG.

Engagement

Heuberger's public commitments include funding for the establishment of the

Club of Rome The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy. It consists ...

in Winterthur, setting up the non-profit «Robert and Ruth Heuberger Foundation» in 1987, as well as founding an innovation prize for young entrepreneurs. In 2007, the City of Winterthur awarded him the prize of the "Winterthur Lion". In 2013, Heuberger opposed the popular initiative to abolish conscription by means of double-page advertisements.

Honors

The asteroid 82232 Heuberger, discovered by Markus Griesser at the Swiss Eschenberg Observatory in 2001, has been named in honor of Robert and Ruth Heuberger's commitment to social and cultural institutions. The official naming citation was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 13 July 2004 ().

Artistic work

Heuberger, who was a screenwriter published the following works under the pseudonym «Victor Vermont»: * Alltagstrilogie, Television play * Das Geld liegt auf der Strasse, Theatre play * Eine Frau bleibt eine Frau, Theatre play

Book

* Robert Heuberger and Karl Lüönd: ''Nicht wie der Wind weht … Lebensbericht eines Unternehmers''. NZZ Libro, Zürich 2013, .

References

External links

* Renat Künzi
Für den Club of Rome führen alle Wege nach Winterthur

Swissinfo SWI swissinfo.ch is a multilingual news and information platform produced by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR). Its content is Swiss-centred, with top priority given to in-depth information on politics, the economy, the arts, science ...

, 23 April 2008 * Sternwarte Eschenberg
Website der Winterthurer Sternwarte
* Siska Heuberger Holding AG

21 March 2015 * Walter Pellinghausen: Robert Heuberger: "Der bewegte Mann". In: Bilanz. 5. November 2010
bilanz.ch
. * Melanie Knüsel: Robert Heuberger: "Der schreibende Immobilien-Tycoon". In: Handelszeitung. 8. November 2011
handelszeitung.ch
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Heuberger, Robert 1922 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Swiss businesspeople 21st-century Swiss businesspeople Patrons of the arts Swiss investors Swiss screenwriters Swiss male screenwriters