Our team - Experienced experts in their field

Meet our team

We are a multidisciplinary team based in Freienbach near Zurich. Together, we develop unique strategies for our portfolio companies that help them become market leaders in the medium term through both organic and inorganic growth.

Constellation

Board of Directors

Christian Speiser
Chairman of the Board of Directors

Christian Speiser

– Verwaltungsrat
– Investment Komitee

Christian Speiser was a partner at McKinsey and Company and worked in Zurich, Tokyo and Taipei. His responsibilities included solving organisational, strategic and operational problems for European, Asian and American clients. Over time, his customer portfolio included the chemical, pharmaceutical, mechanical and plant engineering companies as well as aviation and financial institutions. He also led the European post-merger management practice.
He left McKinsey to take over the management of a Swiss paper manufacturer. His task was to restructure the balance sheet of the paper company and to diversify the business within a certain period of time. All operational units were eventually sold to industrial buyers.
In 1997, he joined the leading reinsurance company Swiss Re as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Board Committee. In line with Swiss Re’s growing size and scope, he established the appropriate Group-wide financial governance. Over the years, his responsibilities have included strategic planning, strategic asset allocation and information technology for the Swiss Re Group. He was the initiator and founding chairman of an industry joint venture in the field of electronic risk exchange. In 2004, he left Swiss Re to become an independent investor and consultant.
Christian has a degree in economics and operations research from the University of St. Gallen. During his studies, he also worked as a systems analyst at Fides Informatik and IBM.

Christian has been advising Constellation for several years.

Reto Donatsch
Member of the Board of Directors

Reto Donatsch

– Verwaltungsrat

Reto Donatsch’s career within Credit Suisse Group began 40 years ago in the asset management business.
As Director of the Geneva Region, he moved into management roles in Wealth, Asset Management and Trading in 1989. In 1993 he became a member of the Executive Board of Bank Leu in Zurich, where he was responsible for private banking. Bank Leu, the oldest Swiss bank, had been taken over by Credit Suisse in 1990.
Reto became CEO of Bank Leu in 1996 and was additionally appointed to the Executive Board of Credit Suisse Private Banking one year later. The intensification of competition, the rising expectations of shareholders and the drastic tightening of corporate governance regulations led to continued pressure to reorganise the business.

In 2003, Reto joined the Board of Directors of Bank Leu until he retired in 2007 to become an independent advisor and investor. In the course of his career, Reto chaired the board of directors of four Swiss and foreign banks and was a member of the board of directors of various companies. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Banque Cantonale Vaudoise since 2011 and will be the designated Vice Chairman from 2019.
Reto has been working as a consultant for CONSTELLATION for 12 years. In 2006, he became a member of the Board of Directors.

Hans-Peter Diener
Member of the Board of Directors

Hans-Peter Diener

– Verwaltungsrat
– Investment Komitee

Hans-Peter Diener was previously CEO and partner of Bellevue Group AG, which he joined in 2007. Prior to that, he was CEO of Walter Meier Holding AG (WMH) from 1996 to 2007. Prior to joining WMH, he was CEO of Saurer Rotorspinning Division from 1991 to 1995 and before that EVP at Jacobs Suchard in the M&A team from 1984 to 1989.
In his long career, Hans-Peter Diener has worked in the areas of strategy, mergers & acquisitions and finance for international listed companies, successfully leading international companies in various industries as CEO for 18 years. As a CEO in the financial sector (asset management), he broadened his professional horizons. During this time, Hans-Peter Diener was responsible for several successful turnarounds. In recent years, in addition to his work as senior advisor to various boards of directors, he has supported international private equity companies in their portfolio strategy.

After graduating from ETH Zurich and joining a renowned management consultancy, Hans-Peter Diener completed his education with an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Hans-Peter has been a member of the Board of Directors of CONSTELLATION CAPITAL AG since 2018.

Constellation

Investment-Team

Rainer W. Fröhlich
Founder & Managing Partner

Rainer W. Fröhlich

– Investment Team
– Investment Komitee

Rainer is the founder and Managing Partner of CONSTELLATION. He began his career at McKinsey & Co. in Switzerland, where he led various strategic and operational studies. He left McKinsey to join the CEO of AEG-Daimler Benz to lead a highly regarded and later implemented strategic study of electronic and wireless applications in future Mercedes-Benz products. He was also founder and head of the corporate development department of Daimler’s industrial activities (AEG) with more than 300 companies.

Responsible for more than 1,000 employees in various operational functions in Marketing & Sales, Research & Development and Production, he was instrumental in the restructuring, realignment and successful sale of the Mobile Solutions division of the Daimler Benz Group to MATRA Communication, now EADS, in cooperation with Nokia and Alcatel. He then teamed up with the CEO and later Chairman of Bertelsmann Media Group as Deputy Head of Corporate Development before founding and setting up CONSTELLATION.

Rainer values close cooperation with entrepreneurs and business owners. His focus is on management buyouts and buy & build cases in the asset light industry. Due to his passion for entrepreneurial investing, Rainer and the CONSTELLATION team work closely with portfolio companies to build market leaders in fragmented markets.

Rainer studied and conducted research in climatology and nanotechnology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. He holds international patents in mobile communications and is fluent in German, English and French.

Raffael Rupprechter
Principal & CFO

Raffael Rupprechter

– Investment Team

Before joining CONSTELLATION, Raffael gained over 11 years of experience as an investment professional. He started his career as an analyst at Cross Equity Partners and was eventually promoted to partner and CFO. At Cross Equity he was responsible for various buy-out projects in the DACH region. As a partner, he was involved in the entire investment lifecycle from acquisition to strategic development to exit and served as an advisor and board member to several portfolio companies. In his function as CFO, he was responsible for the IT, Accounting, Tax, Regulatory and Compliance departments of the Cross Group.

Raffael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Banking & Finance from the University of St. Gallen, as well as a CEMS Master’s degree in International Management.

Stefan Jochum
Investment Director

Stefan Jochum

– Investment Team

After joining CONSTELLATION, Stefan was appointed CFO of the first portfolio company of the CONSTELLATION V Fund, Swiss E-Mobility Group AG, to develop the framework for a buy & build strategy. After the exit, Stefan returned to CONSTELLATION and has since managed the financial side and strategic development of the portfolio companies.

Stefan started his career in 2015 at Wegmüller AG, a renowned family business in Switzerland. He started working as assistant to the CEO and was later promoted to CFO and CPO. He optimised the cost structure of the business as well as the gross profit margin by implementing efficient purchasing processes and reporting systems before taking on new challenges in the private equity industry.

Stefan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University and completed a CAS in Accounting & Controlling at the University of St. Gallen.

Theresa Dick
Investment Manager

Theresa Dick

– Investment Team

Theresa joined CONSTELLATION in 2018 and has been an Investment Manager since 2019. In addition, Theresa is a member of the Board of Directors of CONSTELLATION GP S.à r.l..

Prior to joining CONSTELLATION, Theresa worked in the capital markets in equities. She began her career in 2012 as a financial analyst in equity research for Bankhaus Lampe in Düsseldorf. There she was responsible for German mid-cap companies in the medical device and pharmaceutical stocks sector. In 2014, Theresa joined HSBC as an Equity Sales Associate, where she sold European equities to institutional investors and was also actively involved in the bookbuilding process for various primary market IPOs.

Theresa holds a Bachelor of Science in Management & Strategy, as well as a Master of Science in Strategy & International Business from Aston University (UK).

Louis Theiler
Investment Manager

Louis Theiler

– Investment Team

Louis joined CONSTELLATION as an investment manager in 2022, having previously worked as an analyst for CONSTELLATION in 2018 after graduating.

Prior to joining CONSTELLATION, Louis worked at a leading multi-family office in Zurich and Singapore, where he was responsible for private market investments and corporate finance advisory. Prior to that, Louis gained experience at a private equity fund specialised in the DACH region in the Zurich area as well as an M&A advisory boutique with a focus on e-commerce & TMT. Louis originally started his career in sales trading at a Swiss investment bank.

Louis holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Gallen and an MSc in Finance & Investments from the Rotterdam School of Management.

David Fürsich
Associate

David Fürsich

– Investment Team

David joined CONSTELLATION as an analyst after gaining M&A experience advising CONSTELLATION on several successful acquisitions. Previously, he gained experience in portfolio & asset management and worked in a tech start-up.

David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Banking & Finance from the University of Zurich.

Anton Kallenbach
Associate

Anton Kallenbach

– Investment Team

Prior to joining CONSTELLATION, Anton gained transaction experience in the field of M&A, where he supported CONSTELLATION in various acquisitions. Anton also gained experience in management consulting and risk management. In 2022 Anton became a member of the Board of Directors of CONSTELLATION GP S.à r.l.

Anton holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen with a semester abroad at ESSEC Business School in Paris.

Noah Weber
Analyst

Noah Weber

– Investment Team

Before joining CONSTELLATION, Noah worked at Franz Haniel & Cie. as a private equity/M&A investment analyst and gained capital markets experience at a hedge fund after starting his career in the manufacturing industry at Hilti AG in Liechtenstein.

During his bachelor’s degree, he studied business administration at the University of St. Gallen and the Rotterdam School of Management.

Constellation

Operating Partners

Beat Dolder
Operating Partner

Beat Dolder

– Operating Partner

Beat has over 20 years of professional experience in the field of Mergers & Acquisitions through his work as Partner and Head of M&A at Helbling Group (Switzerland), as Partner and Head of M&A and Restructuring at Ernst & Young (Switzerland), as Head of Corporate Development at the globally active Kaba Group and now as Founder and Managing Partner of DOLDER Corporate Finance.

Beat holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Zurich. Zudem hat er zwei Executive Education Programme an der INSEAD Business School in “Strategic Issues in Mergers & Acquisitions” und “Competitive Strategy” absolviert.