History of SwissCham ASIA and the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce

Background — Three Decades of Bridging Switzerland and Asia

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SwissCham ASIA traces its origins to 1994, when the Swiss-Southeast Asian Chamber of Commerce was founded. In 2005, that body merged with the Swiss-Korean Chamber of Commerce (chaired by Dr. Urs Lustenberger) to form the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC). For roughly three decades, under the leadership of Dr. Urs Lustenberger and his board, the chamber promoted economic, business and cultural ties between Switzerland and Asia through forums, summits, seminars and cultural exchange. In 2024, this longstanding institution experienced a serious internal governance crisis that ultimately led its majority of its long standing board to re-establish the organization as SwissCham ASIA.

 

 

Development at a Glance

The diagram below traces the chamber from its two predecessor bodies through the 2005 merger, the 2024 governance crisis, and the split into the disputed “SACC” and SwissCham ASIA. 

 

Development timeline of SACC and SwissCham ASIA, 1994–2026

 

 

How the Crisis Began

In February 2024, Roger Leitner was hired by the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) — the former organization of SwissCham ASIA — on a part-time (50%) basis as a secretary handling administrative tasks. The employment contract was signed by Dr. Urs Lustenberger on behalf of the chamber, with Mr. Leitner signing on 8 February 2024. The engagement coincided with a period of administrative strain: the chamber’s longstanding General Manager, Ms. Barbara Möckli-Schneider, had fallen seriously ill in late 2023, and a Task Force had been formed to manage day-to-day matters in her absence.

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A fundamental policy disagreement soon emerged over how the chamber should position itself on Taiwan. Dr. Lustenberger and the majority of the long-standing board favoured alignment with Switzerland’s official One-China Policy. A faction — including Roger Leitner and Nathan Kaiser, a dual Swiss–Taiwanese national — advocated a “Two-China” approach and Taiwan independence positions, pressing for Taiwan to be listed separately or prominently in the chamber’s materials. This disagreement, which surfaced in March 2024, was the flashpoint that split the organization.

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Timeline of Key Events (2024)

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Late 2023

The longstanding General Manager, Barbara Möckli-Schneider, suffered a serious health issue. A Task Force was formed to handle administration.

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1 Feb 2024

Roger Leitner is hired part-time (50%) as a secretary for administrative tasks; he signs the employment contract on 8 February 2024.

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March 2024

A policy split emerges, with Roger Leitner and Nathan Kaiser advocating a “Two-China” / Taiwan-independence stance. 

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30 April 2024

Date of the AGM minutes and bylaws later at the centre of the dispute.

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14 May 2024

In email correspondence, Mr. Leitner acknowledges using Dr. Lustenberger’s signature. 

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23 May 2024

Dr. Lustenberger (the president of SACC) terminates Roger Leitner’s contract. 

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10 June 2024

The Task Force (led by Nathan Kaiser and Roger Leitner) resolves to "revoke the membership" of Chairman and three other elected board members.

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12 June 2024

SACC issues its “Board Stands United” press release opposing the takeover and citing the unauthorised use of the Chairman’s signature.

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19 June 2024

Dr. Lustenberger files a criminal complaint regarding the alleged unauthorised use of his signature on the 30 April 2024 AGM minutes and bylaws.

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20 Aug 2024

The Leitner/Kaiser group registers itself as signatories of SACC in the Zurich Commercial Register, reportedly using a manipulated AGM extract notarised in St. Moritz.

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3 Oct 2024

 SwissCham ASIA (UID CHE-142.147.460) was registered at the same office address as the former SACC — Wiesenstrasse 8, 8008 Zurich — with the same board members.

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5 Nov 2024

SwissCham ASIA is publicly launched to ensure uninterrupted service to members.

 

The Contested Registration

The chamber’s position, set out in its press releases of 20 September and 5 November 2024, is that around 20 August 2024 the breakaway group registered itself as signatories of the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) — the former organization of SwissCham ASIA — in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zurich, primarily by means of a manipulated extract of the minutes of an Annual General Meeting, which the chamber states was notarised in St Moritz in Switzerland. The chamber emphasises that although such a register entry is primarily declarative, unknowing third parties could rely on it, creating a real risk of confusion. These remain allegations that are the subject of legal proceedings; all named individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise.

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The Two Organizations Today

Following the split, the breakaway group (Roger Leitner and Nathan Kaiser) continued to operate publicly under the SACC name (sacc.ch), adopting a changed organizational logo and a different contact base (Postfach, 8800 Thalwil). Over time, SwissCham ASIA observes, this group shifted its focus heavily toward Taiwan and tagging other associations' events as theirs. Nathan Kaiser went on to establish a separate Swiss-Taiwan Business Alliance (swiss-taiwan.org), which was set up under the SACC umbrella and made use of SACC branding and resources. Given this conversion of the original entity into a strongly Taiwan-focused organization, the prospect of the two bodies merging — an idea referenced in the November 2024 communication — now appears unlikely.

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SwissCham ASIA, by contrast, has continued as the legitimate continuation of former SACC.  It retains the same board members and members as the former SACC, the original mission and the traditional logo, and remains a non-partisan platform connecting Switzerland with Asia, particularly Greater China, Korea, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East through a network of regional committees.

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Business as Usual — SwissCham ASIA in Action

Far from pausing, SwissCham ASIA has maintained a full programme of high-level activity, demonstrating continuity to members, partners and embassies:

• Flagship Davos Week dialogues alongside the WEF — “Re-Wiring the World” (Jan 2026) and a strong presence at Davos 2025 with various events. 

• MoUs signed with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Uzbekistan (2026), Da Nang City, Vietnam (2026), and the Kingdom of Bhutan (2025).

• An official mission to Da Nang, Vietnam (Nov 2025) on technology, legal reform, green finance, education and integrative healthcare.

• Diplomatic engagement, including hosting Bangladesh’s UN Ambassador in Zurich (2026) and dialogues with Uzbek, Philippine and other representatives.

• Ongoing thought leadership through the monthly Asia Brief newsletter, FHNW lectures, and the annual ASEAN guest lecture.

• Ongoing workshops organized by the Singapore Committee, Uzbek committee, and Malaysia Committee. 

• Ongoing workshops (online and offline) on the topics of AI, sustainability, inclusive finance, and world economic and geo-political roadmap. 

• Research and projects with universities across the world. 

• Ambassador and Diplomat Program to support diplomates in their continuous learning.

 

What This Means for Stakeholders

To avoid confusion with the separately operating, Taiwan-focused group still using the SACC name. Members, partners and counterparties should rely on official SwissCham ASIA communications and verify the organization’s identity: UID CHE-142.147.460, the Zurich address at Wiesenstrasse 8, 8008 Zurich, and the chamber’s traditional logo. Extra caution should be applied to invitations, partnership requests or membership solicitations where the sender’s authority is unclear, particularly any presenting under a different logo or the Thalwil contact base.