Erik Wirz in an Interview with the NZZ am Sonntag NZZaS
by: Zuza Speckert
The headhunter is an "organiser" and values structure and order, but he doesn't care whether his jeans are ironed or not.
What makes a person beautiful? "The enthusiasm in their eyes."
What's the best thing about being a headhunter like you? Bringing together people who complement each other ideally. Earning people's trust. Getting to know new people, needs, companies, markets, organisations and challenges with each assignment. Making people happy.
What drives you? Curiosity and joie de vivre.
What's always in your fridge? Thomy red mustard and Gruyère cheese.
Who was the last person you complimented and for what? I complimented my son for his dedication to tennis and my daughter for her piano playing.
Have you been complimented recently and for what? A friend complimented me for being there for him when he needed me.
Have you discovered a new place in the last 12 months? I have rediscovered the Vallemaggia.
Your current project? Helping an entrepreneur from a leading technology company to fill his new board of directors. Preparing our company for the next stage of growth.
Do you have a good relationship with the mirror? My children are my best mirror. I learn from them every day what I need to work on in myself.
Your favourite museum? The Uffizi and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. In Switzerland, the Fondation Beyeler.
If you had a lot of time, what would you do? A degree in neuroscience. In addition to ethics, creativity and emotional intelligence, we need a comprehensive understanding of neuroscience.
What are you grateful for? That my family and I are healthy and that I have learned humility in life.
What would be the worst thing you could lose? My faith, my sense of humour and my positive outlook on life.
What do you spend a lot of money on unnecessarily? Art; mainly photography and comic art. My wife and I run a gallery for undiscovered Swiss artists. We regularly buy contemporary art when we travel.
What is your favourite treat? Fresh fish, Japanese whisky, Cuban cigars.
What would you say you are particularly good at? Understanding people and recognising their needs.
Advice you would give to your twenty-year-old self? Go on a trip around the world.
What do you not care about at all? Whether my jeans are ironed.
A principle of life? Everything comes back. Respect, generosity, warmth and honesty always pay off.
What makes a person beautiful? The enthusiasm in their eyes.
What are your compulsions or quirks? I'm an 'organiser'; structure and order free up my thinking.
What do you fear most? The loss of common sense in society.
What are you most proud of? Our children.
Your greatest failure? To deceive myself in interpersonal relationships. With someone close to me.
The moment that changed your life? When I started my first company.
What problem did you used to have that you no longer have? Being stuck in traffic.
What would you do if fear did not exist? Fortunately, my life is not dominated by fear.
What do you believe in now that you didn't before? That we, as human beings, rarely live up to our potential and that it's worth giving someone a second chance.
What do you think? What crossroads in life are you at right now? None.
Your dream guest list for dinner? No more than five people! Plato, David A. Sinclair, Elon Musk, Andreas Gursky and Dostoyevsky.
Why are your friends your friends? They're never boring. Hours of conversation, moments of silence while enjoying the present, or just fooling around like kids.
Bio-Box:
Erik Wirz is the founder of the executive search firm Wirz & Partners. The company recruits board members and executives in the fields of technology, digitalisation, IT, management consulting, pharmaceuticals, medical technology and healthcare.