Rolf Theiler (born November 5, 1957) is a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

entrepreneur and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. He is the

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

and co-owner of Mercedes CSI and chairman and president of Laureus Foundation Switzerland. Theiler is also the former co-owner and

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of BVG Management.

Background & Career

Rolf Theiler was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1957, he is the youngest of 3 children and his father, Georges Theiler was an architect by trade. Theiler attended

SBS Swiss Business School SBS Swiss Business School is a private business school located in Zurich, Switzerland with affiliated campuses in Latvia, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Argentina, India, Myanmar and Spain. History SBS Swiss Business School was f ...

in Zurich but then left to focus on his professional show jumping career. After which point he took over his father's business, BVG Management together with his older brother, Urs Theiler.

BVG Verwaltung

BVG Management is a property investment firm headquartered in Thalwil. The company was founded in 1964 by Georges Theiler and it is now managed by the second and third generation Theiler family. BVG is primarily focused on commercial and residential construction real-estate developments in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Other areas of expertise; include structural civil engineering and real estate management services.

Laureus Foundation

In 2012 Rolf Theiler became the President of the Laureus Foundation CH and is also on the board of trustees. The foundation is involved in more than 140 charitable projects in 46 countries, helping 1.5 million children worldwide. Theiler has helped raise millions to aid over 10,000 children per year in

with the help of his

partners Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

IWC, Mercedes-Benz,

Roland Berger Roland Berger (born 22 November 1937) is a German entrepreneur, consultant and philanthropist. Life Roland Berger was born in Berlin in 1937 as Robert Altmann; his family name changed later, after his father, Georg L. Berger, married his mot ...

J. Safra Sarasin The Bank J. Safra Sarasin Ltd (previously named "Bank Sarasin & Co. Ltd", until 2013) is a Swiss private bank, founded in 1841 and headquartered in Basel. It is currently owned by the Brazilian J. Safra Group, and was formed in its present state ...

and Ochsner Sport. In 2014 Theiler also founded the Laureus Cavallo 'Golf for Good' charity.

Mercedes CSI

Theiler founded CSI in 1988 with his brother Urs, together the pair used their own startup capital of roughly CHF 2 million to launch their first event, which attracted 21,000 spectators on its debut. According to Bilanz, today CSI is the largest and most lucrative indoor Equestrian tournament in the world, with over 1 million spectators worldwide. It also hosts the

Grand Prix show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...

championship televised live by FEI TV. Mercedes-Benz has been a joint partner and sponsor of CSI since inception, other partners include Formula 1 Sauber, LGT, SRF, Tages Anzeiger and Longines.

Equestrian Achievements

Theiler began riding professionally at the age of 13 for the Junior Swiss Team and at the age of 18 he won the

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

Championship for the Swiss National Team. He officially represented the Swiss National Team for 7 years, during which point he also won The Swiss Indoor Championship in 1977. Theiler has represented the Swiss Federation for over 20 years as the 'Chef d'Equipe' for the Swiss National Show Jumping Team, bringing his team to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens. He is the official World Cup Organiser & Treasurer of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI). He was also made the honorary president of Swiss Top Sport and honorary senior committee member and treasurer of the 'Jumping Owners Club' (JOC). Theiler has worked closely with and sponsored several highly accomplished riders. These riders include,

Beat Mändli Beat Mändli (born 1 October 1969) is a Swiss equestrian and Olympic medalist. He won a silver medal in show jumping at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most popu ...

who rode Theiler's horse 'Idéo Du Thot' finishing 3rd in the 2006 Malaysian Olympics which took place in Kuala Lumpur. He then went on to win the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas. Idéo Du Thot a Selle Français also became Horse of the Year Switzerland in 2006 . Other high profile riders include Markus Fuchs and Martin Fuchs who rode one of Theiler's most prized horses, 'Principal' to win the

European Show Jumping Championships The FEI European Show Jumping Championships is the European Championship for the equestrian discipline of show jumping. First held in 1957 in Rotterdam, and on an annual basis, it is held every two years, on the years between Olympic Games and Wor ...

in 2012. Which subsequently led to an offer of over CHF 4 million prior to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Personal information

Theiler lives between his riding estate in

Kappel am Albis Kappel am Albis is a municipality in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Its name of Kappel (german: chapel) is specified by "on the Albis" to distinguish it from two other villages called Kappel in Switzerland. ...

and his coastal villa, Enigma Mansion in

Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislature, legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the sec ...

together with his wife Gloria Theiler. They have additional homes in Knysna on the Western Cape Province, Gandria on Lake Lugano and Klosters where they own Chalet Eugenia.

References

External links

Website Chalet Eugenia (House in Switzerland)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theiler, Rolf 1957 births Living people Swiss businesspeople Swiss billionaires