Sulzer Metco's Management Team is equipped with knowledge, experience and expertise to provide solid leadership. These executives are responsible for all aspects of the company and operate from our many locations all over the world.

César Montenegro, President As Division President, César Montenegro, Venezuelan citizen, brings valuable knowledge and skills to Sulzer Metco, having a proven track record in leading and growing complex businesses, energizing people and increasing performance. Since beginning his career with Sulzer in 1978, César Montenegro has held various general management positions in Venezuela, Mexico, Switzerland and the US. His was most recently Head of the Business Area North America and President of Sulzer Pumps (US) Inc. with responsibility for manufacturing, sales and services. César Montenegro graduated from the University Simon Bolivar in Caracas and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering with post graduate studies in Business Engineering.

Bruno Gerig, Executive Vice President Human Resources Mr. Gerig is responsible for Global Human Resource Development and Regulation at Sulzer Metco since 2001. Previously he was also Head of Human Resources in various large Sulzer divisions. Prior to that, he was Head of Design for Sulzer's refrigeration business in South Africa. Mr. Gerig joined the Sulzer corporation as a refrigeration engineer in 1980 and holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Thomas Gutzwiller, Executive Vice President Surface Solutions Mr. Gutzwiller is responsible for the business unit Sulzer Metco Surface Solutions. This service-oriented arm of Sulzer Metco entails the friction business of Sulzer Euroflamm, the component business of Turbine Components and the Thermal Spray Coating Services. During his over 30 years with Sulzer, Thomas Gutzwiller has served in various management capacities within the company. When Sulzer acquired Metco in 1994, He was in charge of the integration team for Sulzer Metco. Before re-joining Sulzer Metco in 2004, he was in charge of Markets & Technology for Sulzer. Prior to that, he headed Sulzer Pumps from 1998 until 2002. Mr. Gutzwiller holds a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.

Markus Heusser, Executive Vice President Thermal Spray Mr. Heusser has executive and operational responsibility for the Thermal Spray operational unit. He brings his extensive experience within Sulzer Metco and Sulzer, with his prior positions as Head of Global Business Processes for Sulzer Metco, head of Sulzer’s Corporate Development as Chief of Staff and a member of Sulzer's Extended Executive Committee. Before joining Sulzer, he was an Associate Principal at the Zurich and Hong Kong offices of McKinsey & Company, serving clients in Europe, Asia and America. Mr. Heusser holds an MBA in economics from the University of St. Gallen and a PhD in Finance.

Valentin Bühler, Executive Vice President Thin Film Valentin Bühler assumes overall responsibility for the Thin Film business unit, having Sulzer Metaplas at its core. Before joining Sulzer he successfully developed fast- growing markets and expanded into new growth areas in his capacity as Regional Manager/Vice President Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, for Balzers Ltd. Prior to that he gained broad experience in various management positions at international companies within the telecommunications and the IT sector (Unaxis, Global One and atraxis). He holds master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering, from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and in Business Administration, from the University of St. Gallen.

Christian Marbot, Executive Vice President Finance and Administration As Head of Finance and Administration, Mr. Marbot oversees and directs the economic aspects of Sulzer Metco. Mr. Marbot has long-standing experience in similar positions in international industrial groups such as LONZA and Unaxis/Oerlikon. He joined us directly from Unaxis Balzers, where he was Vice President Controlling and IT. Mr. Marbot holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universtiy of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Daniel Moraschetti, Executive Vice President, Global Business Processes and Strategy Mr. Moraschetti is responsible for developing and implementing effective business processes for Sulzer Metco and actively participates in defining Sulzer Metco’s business and product portfolio strategies. With his experience as the former Executive Vice President of Thermal Spray, he is particularly well-suited for this position. Mr. Moraschetti joined Sulzer Metco in October 1994 as Vice President of Finance and Administration. Previously, he worked for the Corporate Finance and Controlling Department of the parent company, Sulzer Ltd, which he joined in December 1991. Prior to that, he was with Leica plc. as the Head of Finance for the Special Products Division and Director of Finance for Leica Aarau Ltd. Mr. Moraschetti has worked in management positions in both Europe and United States. He holds a degree in Economics.

Dr. Richard K. Schmid, Chief Technology Officer Dr. Schmid is responsible for the management of Technology within Sulzer Metco since mid 2002. He joined Sulzer in 1986 as a Tribologist for Sulzer Innotec and became head of the Tribology Department four years later. Subsequently he also led the Innotec technology exchange group on corrosion, tribology and surface technology and engaged in various surface engineering projects with Sulzer Metco. Dr. Schmid transferred formally to Sulzer Metco in May 2000 where he took over all research and coating development, as well as application development activities. He obtained his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering in Minerals Processing at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa and completed his PhD on the topic of abradables at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.

Max de Vries, Executive Vice President Planning & Acquisitions Mr. de Vries is responsible for Planning and Acquisitions, having joined Sulzer Metco in 2001 to support the acquisition growth strategy and the integration of acquired companies. He joined us from the Georg Fischer Corporation where he served first as Head of Corporate Planning and Acquisitions and later as President of the Mecatool Group with responsibility for the turnaround and integration of Mecatool’s global machine tool activity into Georg Fischer’s Agie Charmilles Group. Prior to that, he worked for Sulzer for 14 years, holding various staff and line positions in Corporate Planning, in Business Development, as Head of the Ceramic Separation Columns business and as a Design Engineer of thermal power stations in Europe and Australia. Mr. de Vries holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a degree in Economics.