Small is beautiful!

Throughout our two-hundred-year history, we have remained true to the human element of our business. This has helped us remain flexible and responsive to the demands of the financial services industry while maintaining our creative momentum.

We strive to encourage a work environment that promotes quality of life, and we value our teams’ skill and dedication. Indeed, these are the ingredients to our success. To express the idea in musical terms, we must harmo-nise with those around us in order to create a pleasing melody. An ongoing challenge, to be sure, but extraordinarily inspiring!

Advising our customers, assisting them in their projects, sharing their concerns, taking the time to listen – this is what motivates us.

The world may be run by algorithms analys-ing our every move, but you, our clients, can rest assured that we are driven by principles beyond the merely mathematical, seeking true dialogue and understanding. Our desire is for you to feel at home with us.

DESCENDED FROM A FAMILY OF BANKERS DATING BACK TO THE LATE 18TH CENTURY, JEAN BER-THOUD CLOSELY FOLLOWED THE PROGRESS OF BANQUE BONHÔTE.

He opened an account while studying at the University of Neuchâtel, meet-ing Claude Bonhôte in the process and proposing to succeed him when the time came. In response, Claude Bonhôte pleasantly quipped that their almost 60-year age difference was

rather large. In the winter of 1984, news reached Jean Berthoud that Claude Bonhôte intended to sell the bank. That same day, despite recently embarking on an MBA degree at New York’s Columbia University, he flew back to Switzerland to persuade Claude to keep his bank – the canton’s last private establishment – in the hands of Neuchâtel natives. A few years later, Claude Bonhôte, true to his word, sold the bank to Câbles de Cortaillod, a cable manufacturer from Neuchâtel.... (continued on page 3)

BANQUE BONHÔTE & CIE SA REPURCHASED IN 1992

BICENTENARY VIDEO

In addition to the commemorative book of the Bank’s bicentenary (available in French at www.bonhote.ch/livre200e), a brief video has been produced which traces Bonhôte’s growth from its inception in 1815 to the present day.

We would like to thank the Bonhôte family, the Bank’s historian (Patrice Allanfranchini) as well as past and current employees for sharing their experiences.

ROBIN RICHARDCHIEF CLIENT OFFICER

EDITORIAL

Edition 5/September 2015www.bonhote.ch/200years 1815-2015

The Gazette of the Bicentenary

BANQUE BONHÔTE & CIE SA

The Bern branch, housed in the Hôtel de Musique on the central Place du Théâtre.

WEALTH MANAGEMENT IN BERNE

THE PLACE DU THÉÂTRE AND HÔTEL DE MUSIQUE

Edition 5/September 2015www.bonhote.ch/200years

IN 2011, BONHÔTE CONTINUED ITS EXPANSION BY OPENING A BRANCH IN SWITZERLAND’S ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL.

With the January 2012 opening of its newest branch on the Place du Théâtre, Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA began a new chapter in its already lengthy history. The Bank chose to move into the resplendent Hôtel de Musique,

found with the help of Nicolas von May, as a way to forge ties with all of Bern’s residents, whether natives or newcomers. Bonhôte’s clients are thus welcomed in a sophisticated setting under the benevolent gaze of the Zytglogge, Bern’s famous watchtower, and a stone’s throw from the Federal Palace.An experienced, highly regarded team carries on the Bonhôte tradition through its dynamic

approach to wealth management. The size of the branch guarantees efficiency, f lexibility and meticulous service within a constantly changing market, thus delivering true value to each and every client.

“The bank chose to move into the resplendent Hôtel de Musique as a way to forge ties with all of Bern’s residents, whether natives or newcomers.”

Focusing exclusively on wealth management, the branch’s employees channel all of their efforts into this core area of expertise and work tirelessly to deliver results.

The Gazette of the bicentenary - Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA

From left to right: Besjana Shala, Jürg Legler, Franz Brunner, Christiane Linder and Philippe Borner.

Photo L. Wettstein

CURIOUSLY ENOUGH, THE PLACE DU THÉÂTRE HAS NO STAGE, AND NOT A SINGLE MUSICIAN RESIDES IN THE HÔTEL DE MUSIQUE.

This singular observation has its roots in the history of Bern. In 1767, keen to construct a prestigious building “close to the centre of Switzerland and Bern’s clock tower” in which to house the municipal theatre, investors founded a company called Hôtel de Musique. The name was most likely chosen to avoid the term “theatre”, which was frowned upon by authorities at the time.

The company’s shareholders commissioned Niklaus Sprüngli, the most renowned architect in and around Bern, to construct a landmark building for the city. Bern’s municipal theatre later moved to the nearby Place du Grenier, at the start of the 20th century. Regular evening concerts now take place directly beneath our offices, in the halls of the Grande Société, breathing life into the building’s musical name. It is interesting to note that the building is still owned by its founding company, which at 250 years is the oldest Swiss joint-stock company still in existence.

Berne, Hôtel de Musique - Theaterplatz 7. Painted in 2012 by Bruno Baumann. From the collection of Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA.

(continued from page 1)... Within days, Jean Berthoud drafted a business plan that convinced Georges-Adrien Mat-they, Cortaillod’s chief executive, to bring him aboard as the future manag-ing director of the bank, which at the time counted seven employees and three vocational trainees. The Cortail-lod group was acquired by Alcatel two years later, prompting Jean Berthoud to organise a plan to buy back the bank. He approached several key Neuchâtel figures, some of whom would sit on the Board of Directors. Among them were Georges Hertig, Charles Bonhôte, Jean Carbonnier (president of the

It was impossible to miss the fourth visual of the advertising campaign of our bicentenary. Marilyn Monroe’s face graced prominent locations in Switzerland’s most important cities as well as the front page of the Le Temps daily. The fifth of our six visuals is dedicated to 2001 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan, who, in addition to shaping the legacy of the United Nations, played a substantial role in promoting global peace.

Neuchâtel Chamber of Commerce) and Yann Richter, his successor. Backed by a high-calibre board that later included a former Governing-Board member of the Swiss National Bank, Jean Zwahlen, Bonhôte flourished and expanded its client base. As deposits doubled and employee numbers rose, the bank decided to relocate to more spacious offices. In 1999, it moved into the sumptuous premises of number 2 quai Ostervald, previously occupied by none other than the Swiss National Bank. With its flagship office firmly anchored in Neuchâtel, sights were set on growing business and courting

clients from neighbouring cantons. The bank’s first branch opened in 2002 at the Pont-du-Moulin in Biel/Bienne, followed in 2009 by another on the Boulevard du Théâtre in Geneva and a third in 2012 at the Place du Théâtre in Bern. The Bonhôte group also broad-ened its range of financial products through two alternative investment funds, the first Swiss-registered fund of hedge funds. The Bonhôte-Immobilier investment fund was launched in Au-gust 2006, eventually becoming one of the main property funds in Western Switzerland with a portfolio value exceeding CHF 800 million.

Edition 5/September 2015www.bonhote.ch/200years The Gazette of the bicentenary - Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA

2 quai Ostervald, currently the bank’s main office - Photo L. Wettstein.

HISTORY OF THE BANK IN SIX INSTALMENTSPART 5: 1987 – 2010 JEAN BERTHOUD

ADVERTISING

© Bijan Farnoudi

When Kofi Annan won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA was 186 years old.

OURSTORY

IN SIX PARTS1987 – 2010©

BIJ

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www.bonhote.ch/200years

A KEY INFORMATION SOURCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY.

How will social media evolve, and how can a private bank like Bonhôte incorporate it into a digital marketing strategy?

Two hundred years is a formidable age to reach. On behalf of the Bern Cantonal Government, I congratulate Bonhôte on this impressive anniversary. Its history, steeped in tradition, is a symbol of endurance and stability, a genuine achievement in the ever-evolving world of finance.With its main office in Neuchâtel and a dual presence in Bern canton through its Biel/Bienne and Bern branches, Bonhôte has contributed significantly to the broadening influence of the Swiss capital and its surroundings. This transcantonal

Jürg Legler, portfolio manager and deputy director of the Bern branch, is currently the frontrunner of a competition in financial expertise, organised by the Berner Zeitung daily. In January, financiers from various Bernese banks predicted the development and year-end position of seven shares listed on the Swiss exchange. A brilliant expert in the Swiss financial market, Jürg Legler is well on his way to winning the competition.

THE BANK OF FUTURE: SOCIAL MEDIA

QUAI OSTERVALD 2, 2001 NEUCHÂTEL, T. + 41 (0) 32 722 10 00, F. + 41 (0) 32 721 43 42, INFO@BONHOTE.CH, WWW.BONHOTE.CH

IN THE LEAD

Edition 5/September 2015www.bonhote.ch/200years The Gazette of the bicentenary - Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA

BONHÔTE AS SEEN BY...

One way Bonhôte is responding to this challenge is by taking its Investment Rendezvous to social media this autumn.

Each event, held at the group’s main office or one of the branches, will be attended

by twenty or so participants invited exclusively through Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Who says a 200-year old bank can’t learn new marketing tricks?

region, forged in partnership with various municipalities, aims to create an environment responsive to the changing needs of society and the economy.

“Bonhôte’s business expansion has...[built] a bridge between German- and French-speaking Switzerland.”

As Bern canton is especially proud of its bilingual heritage, the Cantonal Government is pleased to see that Bonhôte’s business expansion has reinforced this trait, building a bridge between German- and French-speaking Switzerland.Our canton values Bonhôte for many reasons. We trust the feeling is mutual.

HANS-JÜRG KÄSERPRESIDENT OF THE

BERN CANTONAL GOVERNMENT