Mr Forstmoser, a Swiss citizen born in 1943, received a doctorate in law in 1970 (University of Zurich), going on, in 1971 to qualify as a university lecturer (Privatdozent) and to be admitted as an attorney-at-law. He gained a masters degree in law from Harvard Law School in 1972, is a professor emeritus of Zurich’s Faculty of Law and also holds a honorary professorship at Beijing Normal University.
He began his professional career as an attorney and a lecturer at the University of Zurich’s Faculty of Law and Political Science in 1971. Three years later he became an associate professor and in 1978 a full professor for civil, commercial and capital markets law, a function he held until February 2008. He has been a partner in the firm of Niederer Kraft & Frey, Attorneys, in Zurich, since 1975.
Mr Forstmoser was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd. (Swiss Re) from 2000 to May 2009. He has been Chairman of Hesta AG, Zug since 1994/1995.
He is also a Board Member of two listed companies: Mikron Holding AG, Biel, and PSP Swiss Property AG, Zug, and of several privately owned stock corporations and of foundations, among them Gebert Rüf Stiftung. He has been engaged in numerous committees of experts for law projects and reforms, on subjects such as data protection, stock exchange regulation, private limited company law and collective investment schemes. He has also often acted as an arbitrator in international law disputes.
Mr Forstmoser has published numerous works, in particular on company law and specifically stock corporations, as well as on capital market law and on issues of corporate governance and of sustainability.
