On his maternal side he is of Bernese descent with his grandfather, H. Leonard Miescher-Riggenbach, being associated with the textile industry (Viscose Suisse and Steckborn Kunstseide).

[10][11] He held a number of government offices, including working in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern.

[12] He was a board member of Nestlé, Ciba-Geigy and Zurich Insurance Group and chairman and publisher of Le Temps.

[12][15] In April 1993 he spoke to university students at the Harvard Kennedy School about governmental and commercial issues.

[10] He was chosen to speak at the school due to his active role in the annual International Management Symposium in St Gallen, Switzerland.