“My aim is to make myself superfluous”
The ETH alumnus Aeneas Wanner is dedicated to the environment as a CEO, politician and board member. The foundation for this commitment was laid by his studies at ETH.
CEO, politician, board member: how does Aeneas Wanner manage to perform so many different roles at once? “Well, I certainly don’t get bored,” he says with a smile. The 39-year-old environmental scientist has spent more than 12 years at the helm of Energie Zukunft Schweiz, a company that helps energy providers, property companies and homeowners switch to renewable energy sources. It offers advice on everything from building insulation and energy efficiency to schemes for marketing renewable energy. “This is our way of driving forward the energy transition.”
Originally from Basel, Wanner describes himself as someone who gets things done. He works with his team to develop business models and get new projects off the ground. “But my aim is always to make myself superfluous.” By that, he means getting things running smoothly enough for others to take over. One example is an online shop for heat pumps he founded that now operates as an independent company. Another is the spin-off company act Cleantech, where he serves as chairman of the board. The company works on behalf of the federal government to help more than 300 industrial companies boost their energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Full of surprises
When he applied for the position of CEO at Energie Zukunft Schweiz, Wanner was just 26 and had only recently completed his ETH degree programme. He came across the job advertisement by chance and immediately knew it was perfect for him. Although he didn’t rate his chances very highly, he sent in his application. And much to his surprise, he got the job. “What sealed it for me was probably the fact that I already had experience in establishing a start-up company,” Wanner says. In 2002, while he was still at ETH, he had set up the climate protection foundation myclimate together with some fellow students. The successful ETH spin-off offers individuals and companies the opportunity to compensate for their CO2 emissions by making donations that are used to support climate change mitigation projects.
“Preserving the natural basis of life on this planet is something that is very close to my heart.”Aeneas Wanner
“Preserving the natural basis of life on this planet is something that is very close to my heart,” says Wanner. He knew early on that he wanted to work in the environmental sector, and his ambition while still at school was to become a Greenpeace activist. After passing his Matura university entrance exams, he opted to study environmental sciences at ETH – a choice that he would happily make again. He was particularly taken by the interdisciplinary approach: “The things I learned on that course still benefit my work today.”
Set the right priorities
Wanner’s entry into politics was almost as unexpected as his appointment as CEO of Energie Zukunft Schweiz: in 2009, he was elected to a seat in the Basel-Stadt cantonal legislature, just one year after joining the newly founded Green Liberal Party of Switzerland. As the time for elections drew near, the party leaders were looking for candidates and asked if they could add him to the list. Wanner agreed. “But I never imagined that I would actually be elected”. The first years were understandably tough: “Back then, I simply had no idea how politics worked”.
But as time went on, he gained some valuable experience. In 2013, he collaborated with alliance partners to launch the people’s initiative “Basel 100% renewable”, which called for a complete switch to renewable energy sources by 2050. This led to the drafting of new cantonal energy legislation which was adopted by the Grand Council as a counterproposal. Among other things, this stipulates that systems based on renewable energy sources must be used when replacing oil and gas heating systems in Basel-Stadt. Wanner says this is one of the most progressive laws of its kind in Switzerland: “It’s my biggest political success to date.”
When Wanner needs to escape from his intellectually demanding day-to-day life, he heads to the mountains to climb, paraglide or ski. He makes sure to keep his weekends free for those activities despite all his commitments. “You have to set priorities,” he says. And now there are new priorities on the horizon, with Wanner and his partner expecting a child in the summer.
He still believes that it is important for him to pass on his knowledge and experience. One way he does that is by working as a lecturer at ETH, where he holds a regular course on project development in renewable energies. “I want students to see the exciting challenges that energy transition offers – plus I want to show them that taking care of the environment can be fun!”