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Pensionskasse der Holcim (Switzerland)
Pensionskasse der Holcim (Switzerland) is the occupational pension fund for employees of Holcim (Schweiz) AG, the Swiss arm of the global building-materials...
Pensionskasse der Holcim (Switzerland)
Pensionskasse der Holcim (Switzerland) is the occupational pension fund for employees of Holcim (Schweiz) AG, the Swiss arm of the global building-materials giant Holcim Group. Its board is chaired by Mark Trösch, with Jürg Althaus serving as CEO of PEKAM AG and as a member of the fund's executive board. The fund is structured as a hybrid defined-benefit and defined-contribution plan, the dominant pension architecture in Switzerland, and operates under the country's strict BVG/LPP regulatory framework. The fund allocates across at least four distinct asset classes: direct Swiss residential and mixed-use real estate, global infrastructure, private debt, and timberland. Real estate holdings include exposure through the Anlagestiftung Adimora portfolio, concentrated in Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, and Bern, and the Anlagestiftung Testina portfolio, which spans mixed-use properties across Europe. The infrastructure and timberland sleeves are global in scope, giving the fund exposure to long-duration, inflation-linked cash flows that match its liability profile. The private debt portfolio is also global, suggesting a preference for senior secured lending or infrastructure debt rather than opportunistic credit. Team size and total assets are not publicly disclosed. The fund is a member of three Swiss industry bodies: ASIP, the national pension fund association; KGAST, the conference for investment foundation managers; and the Ethos Engagement Pool, a collaborative platform for shareholder engagement on ESG issues. These affiliations signal a governance model that outsources some investment management to specialized Swiss investment foundations — a common approach for mid-sized Pensionskassen that want institutional-quality access without building large internal teams. What distinguishes this fund from a generic Swiss Pensionskasse is its direct link to a single corporate sponsor, Holcim Switzerland, and its use of both dedicated residential and mixed-use real estate mandates alongside global infrastructure and natural-resource sleeves. The dual board-executive structure, with Trösch as board president and Althaus running PEKAM AG — the entity that likely provides administrative or investment management services to the fund — reflects the Swiss tradition of separating strategic oversight from operational execution.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1975
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Zurich
Corporate office
Zurich, Switzerland
Principals
Mark Trösch
President of the Board of Trustees
Jürg Althaus
CEO of PEKAM AG and Executive Board member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Pensionskasse der Holcim (Switzerland)?
The Board of Trustees, chaired by Mark Trösch, holds ultimate fiduciary responsibility for investment strategy. Day-to-day management and investment operations are executed by PEKAM AG under CEO Jürg Althaus, who also sits on the fund's executive board. Asset management for specific sleeves is outsourced to Swiss investment foundations and external managers, as is typical for mid-sized Swiss Pensionskassen.
How does the fund source its real estate exposure?
The fund gains real estate exposure through at least two Swiss investment foundations: Anlagestiftung Adimora, which holds a residential portfolio concentrated in Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, and Bern, and Anlagestiftung Testina, which holds a mixed-use portfolio across Europe. This indirect model allows the fund to access institutionally managed property pools without building an in-house acquisitions team.
What is the fund's approach to ESG and responsible investing?
The fund is a member of the Ethos Engagement Pool Switzerland, a collaborative platform through which Swiss institutional investors engage portfolio companies on environmental, social, and governance issues. Ethos is among the most prominent stewardship organizations in Switzerland, and membership indicates the fund actively participates in coordinated shareholder engagement rather than relying solely on exclusionary screens.
How is the Holcim pension fund governed, and who represents the sponsor?
The fund's Board of Trustees is composed of equal numbers of employer and employee representatives, as required by Swiss law. Mark Trösch is the current board president. The fund is tied to Holcim (Schweiz) AG, the Swiss subsidiary of Holcim Group, which guarantees the fund's obligations and likely provides administrative support through the sponsor relationship.
What is the investment foundation model, and why does this fund use it?
Swiss investment foundations, or Anlagestiftungen, are pooled investment vehicles created specifically for Swiss pension funds. They offer institutional-quality management, regulatory compliance, and cost-sharing across multiple Pensionskassen. Pensionskasse der Holcim uses this model for its real estate and likely other private-market allocations — a common choice for funds that want diversified private-asset exposure without building large internal investment teams.
Is this fund open to co-investments alongside external allocators?
While Swiss Pensionskassen can occasionally co-invest, there is no public evidence that Pensionskasse der Holcim (Switzerland) participates in direct co-investment programs or club deals alongside external institutional investors. Its current structure suggests it prefers pooled vehicles through Anlagestiftungen and external fund managers rather than building direct co-investment portfolios.
Does the fund maintain any direct operating businesses or philanthropic arms?
No. The fund's sole purpose is to provide occupational retirement benefits to employees of Holcim (Schweiz) AG under Swiss BVG/LPP law. Any philanthropic or corporate activities would sit with Holcim Group or separate entities, not with the Pensionskasse itself.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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