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Vorsorgestiftung Film und Audiovision (VFA)
VFA operates as a multi-employer pension foundation serving Switzerland's film, television, and audiovisual production industry. The foundation was established...
Vorsorgestiftung Film und Audiovision (VFA)
VFA operates as a multi-employer pension foundation serving Switzerland's film, television, and audiovisual production industry. The foundation was established with backing from key industry associations including the Swiss Film and Video Syndicate (SSFV) and collecting societies Swissperform, Suissimage, and SIG, which represent performers, authors, and producers respectively. Its mandate addresses a structural gap: creative professionals working on short-term contracts often fall outside conventional employer-sponsored pension schemes. The foundation invests across multiple asset classes to generate returns for plan participants. Its portfolio includes Swiss real estate via SXI Real Estate Funds, a global infrastructure allocation, and an alternative credit sleeve that extends beyond traditional fixed-income exposures. The geographic reach of the infrastructure and credit portfolios is global, while real estate holdings concentrate domestically. No specific fund commitments or direct co-investments are publicly disclosed, and the foundation does not publish detailed manager lineups or deal-level transparency. Monika Wild serves as Managing Director and leads the foundation's operations. The Board of Trustees includes named members Eveline Küng and Thomas Isler. The secretariat is supported by SSFV, the founding association, reflecting the foundation's close operational ties to its industry sponsors. Swissperform, a collecting society for neighboring rights, functions as both a cooperating partner and a source of social contributions that flow into the foundation's asset pool. VFA's structural differentiator is its role as a sector-specific pension consolidator — a common model in Swiss occupational benefits law but unusual in its application to a creative industry characterized by gig work rather than salaried employment. The foundation's existence depends on mandatory affiliation agreements and contributions from collecting societies rather than voluntary employer participation, creating a captive contribution base that stabilizes long-term asset accumulation.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Zurich
Corporate office
Zurich, Switzerland
Principals
Monika Wild
Managing Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at VFA?
Operational management sits with Managing Director Monika Wild, supported by the Board of Trustees. The foundation does not publicly name an in-house CIO or external investment advisor. Given its size and structure, day-to-day asset management likely follows an outsourced or consultant-driven model common among Swiss pension foundations of similar profile.
How does VFA source contributions if members are freelancers?
Contributions come primarily through collective agreements with industry bodies and collecting societies rather than individual employer payrolls. Swissperform, Suissimage, and SIG are identified as cooperating partners, channeling social contributions from rights royalties into the foundation. This creates a pooled contribution stream that does not depend on continuous employment.
What asset classes does VFA invest in?
Public record identifies three broad allocations: Swiss real estate through SXI Real Estate Funds, a global infrastructure portfolio, and an alternative credit exposure. The foundation does not disclose target weights, specific fund vehicles, or whether it participates in direct private equity or venture investments.
Is VFA a single-family office or a traditional pension fund?
VFA is a multi-employer pension foundation under Swiss law, not a family office. It pools retirement assets across multiple employers and self-employed professionals within the film and audiovisual sector, operating under the regulatory framework of the Swiss Federal Law on Occupational Retirement, Survivors' and Disability Pension Plans (BVG).
Does VFA participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The foundation's real estate exposure appears to be through listed Swiss real estate funds (SXI Real Estate Funds). Its infrastructure and alternative credit allocations suggest a mix of fund commitments, but no specific manager names or direct co-investment activity are publicly available.
Where do the underlying assets and contributions come from?
Contributions originate from copyright royalties and neighboring rights collected by Swissperform and similar societies on behalf of film directors, actors, musicians, and producers. The wealth origin is therefore distributed across Switzerland's creative workforce, not tied to a single family or industrial fortune.
How is VFA related to Suissimage and Swissperform?
Suissimage and Swissperform are cooperating collecting societies that serve as business partners. They contribute to the foundation both through representation on governance bodies and through the allocation of social welfare contributions derived from copyright levies, making them structural anchors of VFA's funding model.
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