By the end of September, more than 1,900 people in northern and southern Italy have accepted the humanitarian offer that has been in place since 2007. The compensation payments are based on international standards

Exhibition of a group of works by Christopher Wool put on display at the Fondation Beyeler

The Stephan Schmidheiny Family and Daros support the Switch House, the extension to the Tate Modern in London opened in June 2016.

Exhibition of a group of works by Robert Ryman put on display at the Fondation Beyeler

The Stephan Schmidheiny Family and Daros support the realisation of an extension for the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, thus cementing the partnership first established in 2010.

Exhibition of a group of works by Cy Twombly put on display at the Fondation Beyeler

Exhibition of a group of works by Willem de Kooning and works by Mark Rothko put on display at the Fondation Beyeler

Exhibition of works by Barnett Newman and Jackson Pollock put on display at the Fondation Beyeler

Exhibition of a group of works by Gerhard Richter put on display at the Fondation Beyeler

The initial hearings in the Italian Eternit trial begin in December. In November 2014, Italy’s highest appeal court, the Corte Suprema di Cassazione, acquitted Stephan Schmidheiny of the charges

Biography by René Lüchinger und Ueli Burkhard entitled “Stephan Schmidheiny. Sein langer Weg zu sich selbst – Erbe – Unternehmer – Philanthrop” in German

Becon AG launched a humanitarian-motivated initiative for former employees of the Italian Eternit SpA, in which the Swiss Eternit Group had a participation. The Italian Eternit SpA declared bankruptcy in 1986; therefore no legal succession took place

Parallel to his retirement from the business life, Stephan Schmidheiny assigned the handling of the asbestos dossier of the former Swiss Eternit Group SEG to Becon AG

Established the irrevocable Viva Trust, mainly by donating stock of the GrupoNueva Holding. The yields of the Viva Trust, managed by independent Trustees, are used to fund Fundación Avina in Latin America

Founding of the non-profit MarViva Foundation together with Erica Knie. The Foundation is focused on the preservation and sustainable exploitation of marine life and the coastline in the eastern tropical Pacific

Publication of “Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development”

Established non-profit Fundación Avina, a sister foundation of the Swiss Avina Stiftung. The foundation aims at creating and implementing a new conception of philanthropy for Latin America, which combines the objectives of non-profit activities with methods and tools taken from the business world

Doctor honoris causa of Universidad Católica Andres Bello, Caracas, Venezuela

Doctor honoris causa of Rollins College, Florida

Opening of Daros Exhibitions in Löwenbräu Areal Zurich (until 2008). Since 2010 art works of the Daros Collection are exhibited in the permanent collection of Fondation Beyeler in Riehen BS, Switzerland

Recipient of the Zayed International Prize for the Environment in the category ‘Environmental action leading to positive change in society’

Appointed Honorary Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Member of the Board of Trustees of the newly established Foundation of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, stepped down in 2004

Election to the International Advisory Board of the Panama Canal Authority

Established Management Company Nueva SA in Costa Rica

Recipient of the Keystone Leadership Award presented by the Keystone Policy Center (USA)

Appointed Co-Chair of the High Level Advisory Group on the Environment of the OECD; publication of a report; 1998 completion of the group’s work

Publication of “Financing Change – The Financial Community, Eco-efficiency, and Sustainable Development”

Daros established to handle the professional management of the Daros Collection. Honing the profile of the collection.

Elected to the Board of Directors of the Peterson Institute for International Economics; from 2001 member of the Executive Board; stepped down in 2003

Doctor honoris causa of Yale University, New Haven

Foundation of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development at the INCAE Business School in Costa Rica

Foundation of the Alliance for Global Sustainability AGS, an international partnership between four of the world’s leading science universities; Chairman of the international Advisory Board from 1996 – 2001

Election to the Chairman’s Council of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; stepped down in 2002

Expanded the Daros Art Collection inherited from his late brother Alexander

Pioneering support for the Tate Gallery in drawing up the plans for establishing the Tate Modern in London

Founded philanthropic Avina Stiftung in Switzerland, an entrepreneurial foundation committed to promoting social and ecological sustainability

Founded non-profit Alexander Schmidheiny Stiftung in memoriam of his late brother (died 1992). The charitable foundation supports and promotes cultural, social and ecological issues

Doctor honoris causa INCAE Business School, Costa Rica

Election to the Board of World Resources Institute (WRI), Washington; stepped down from the Board in 2001

Publication of the bestseller “Changing Course – A Global Business Perspective on Development and the Environment”; coined the term ‘eco-efficiency’

Spoke at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNCED in Rio de Janeiro

Recipient of the Conservation Achievement Award for Corporate Leadership presented by the National Wildlife Federation (USA)

Foundation of the Business Council for Sustainable Development

Appointed “Principal Advisor for Business and Industry” to Maurice Strong, the Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNCED, in preparation of 1992 Rio Earth Summit

Acquisition of Wild-Leitz; 1990 merger with Cambridge Instruments to LEICA

Beginning of the sale of all holdings in the Swiss Eternit Group, which concluded at the end of the 1980s. The holdings were sold to the legal successors with all rights and duties

Election to the Board of Directors of Nestlé; stepped down from Board in 2003

Announcement of the merger of the Swiss BBC with the Swedish Asea to ABB. Board member Stephan Schmidheiny is recognized as one of the driving forces behind the ground-breaking merger

Elected Chairman of the International Management Institute IMI, Geneva; 1989 fusion of IMI with IMEDE to form the International Institute for Management Development IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland; 1990 establishment of “Stephan Schmidheiny Chair of Entrepreneurship and Finance”; withdrew from the Foundation Board of IMD in 1992

Election to the Board of Directors of Landis & Gyr; 1987 majority shareholder of L&G Holding; 1995 sold L&G shares to Elektrowatt; stepped down from Board in 1996

Assumed control of SMH (later Swatch Group) to save the Swiss watch industry, joint venture with Nicolas Hayek; Board Member 1986 – 1994

Thomas Schmidheiny receives the Holderbank Group (now LafargeHolcim), Stephan Schmidheiny the Swiss Eternit Group SEG

Elected to the European Round Table of Industrialists; stepped down in 1993

Investment in Terranova, a forestry firm in Chile

Election to the Board of Directors of BBC (later ABB); election to the Board Committee in 1995; stepped down from Board in 1997

Start of diversification outside the construction sector with acquisition of the Swiss Distral Group (newspaper stands)

Election to the Advisory Board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington DC; stepped down in 1988

Election to the Board of Directors of Union Bank of Switzerland (later UBS); stepped down from Board in 1996

Launched innovation program NT („New technology“) to develop asbestos free products

Assumed from his father the leadership of Swiss Eternit Group (SEG)

Joined the family business Eternit AG in Niederurnen, Switzerland, as head of sales

Obtained Doctorate in Law from University of Zurich, Switzerland

Apprenticeship with formation as shift foreman at Eternit Brazil

Born as son of Max Schmidheiny and Adda Schmidheiny-Scherrer (died 1997). Raised in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, with his sister Marietta and his brothers Thomas und Alexander