You have been the sole owner of Scott since 2005. Now 50.01 percent of Scott is owned by the Youngone Corporation from South Korea. What led to this decision?
We are an American brand with headquarters in Switzerland. Now I no longer hold 100 percent of the shares, the company is more broadly based. This step gives us access to the Korean stock exchange, Scott is now indirectly listed. Nothing will change for the employees, however, and retailers will be even better served in future. This set-up gives us even more opportunities to grow and deliver products to retailers in line with their needs.

You say "American brand" - but in the eyes of industry experts, Scott is a Swiss company.
Let me give you an example: Mavic is a French brand for you. But the reality is that product development is in France, the headquarters are in Munich and the company is listed on the stock exchange in Finland. Today, you have to differentiate between where the company's roots are, where the headquarters are located and how the company is financed. Scott started in 1958 in Sun Valley, Idaho, and the roots are American. We never put a Swiss cross on Scott Bikes, we are an American company headquartered in Switzerland with global funding. This includes the fact that we are now listed on the stock exchange in Korea via Youngone. What is primarily relevant for the customer and the dealer is whether innovations continue to come and whether we can operate successfully with our brand.

Why the Youngone company in particular?
This is based on 20 years of collaboration and mutual trust. Youngone is managed in a similar way to us, with flat hierarchies, and we meet in person.

What impact does the investment have on Scott's Swiss headquarters?
Nothing will change. The employees are the same and the location in Switzerland will remain the same, which we will expand in the future.

Does the new ownership structure change anything in your personal working day?
I have less pressure in terms of financing the company. But I have more pressure because I have many more projects that I can realize, which increases my workload. I can focus more on the products again. With this broader-based financing, we can all concentrate even more on innovation and further market development at Scott.

How did you learn about entrepreneurship?
In my father's bakery. My parents had a bakery in Bern. I always helped out at home, in the bakery or in the store. It was normal for us to work seven days a week.

What was January 15, 2015 like for you - what was the first thing you thought when the Swiss National Bank announced that it was abandoning the minimum euro exchange rate?
When I realized the news, I had to get some fresh air for fifteen minutes. The next day, it was clear to me that there was nothing else to do but deal with the situation. How can you deal with it, what impact does the Swiss franc exchange rate really have? That's what I asked myself. Overreacting never helps, you have to focus on the big picture. There are other problems in other countries. Sometimes you just have to take yourself less seriously and learn to deal with a new situation.

How is Scott dealing with the strength of the franc?
The franc has no influence on exports, as we work with dollars and euros. The rise in the dollar exchange rate therefore has an impact. The strength of the Swiss franc has two dimensions for us: The Swiss franc exchange rate affects costs in Switzerland and sales prices in Switzerland. As of February 1, we adjusted our Swiss sales prices to the new exchange rate. We know that the currency problem affects a retailer in the Bernese Oberland differently than a retailer right on the Swiss border. Our aim is to keep Swiss consumers in Switzerland. We need a strong specialist retailer that can survive the tough international competition.
Our specialist retailers and we as Scott have a different cost base than in neighboring countries. But there are people who think that Scott simply wants to earn more in Switzerland. That's not the case, it's the costs of Scott Switzerland and the Swiss dealer that lead to higher prices. However, with a 25 percent price difference, I would personally ride to Germany. We have reacted so that the price difference does not increase any further.

What consequences will the strong franc have for Scott's Swiss site? I don't think you can look at the strength of the franc in isolation. All the general conditions - whether it's the mass immigration initiative or the tax rate, for example - have just as great an influence as the Swiss franc. If you can't find employees in Switzerland, if labor laws in Switzerland become stricter, even though nobody actually wants that, then you have to think seriously: Do you want to set up an additional foreign location? Every entrepreneur must evaluate how they can hedge the risk in the long term.

Have you considered moving the company headquarters abroad?
No, that is out of the question. The headquarters will remain in Switzerland. We have 200 employees here and 500 employees abroad. With our company structure, however, we can always consider whether we want to expand selectively at a foreign base. The most important denominator that we keep coming back to is communication. If you are concentrated at one location, communication is quicker and easier.

How is Switzerland specifically proving itself as a location for Scott?
I would formulate the question differently: What do they appreciate about the location that lies along the Röstigraben? We are very centrally located in Europe and it is easier to find trilingual staff, because German, French and English are important. At the same time, we have a high quality of life here, which is very central to our corporate culture. We are quickly in the mountains, we have good roads for road cycling, we have good trails - that counts more for us than the nightlife of a big city.

Scott offers a broad portfolio from e-bikes to ski boots, how does that work?
Since 1956, Scott has developed from a ski pole manufacturer to a head-to-toe supplier in bike, ski, running, outdoor and motor sports. This works thanks to our corporate culture and strategy, which focuses on product development. We have employees who live these products 100 percent, we are authentic. Wherever possible, we use synergies in the use of materials and combine technologies across the product divisions. Our products are "driven" and our drive for innovation, technology and design is evident throughout.
We decide between a market player and a niche provider strategy for our products. The competitive environment and economic constraints depend on this. The luxury of this two-pronged approach is unique. And by working with Youngone, we have ensured that we can continue to operate without external control. In other words, without being heavily dependent on banks or investment companies. I am happy that I can offer my employees this unique situation: We do what we feel like doing. We concentrate on the products and their innovation.