Swiss entrepreneur and businessman Hansjorg Wyss is the former CEO of Synthes who has an estimated net worth of $6.79 billion in July 2017, according to Bloomberg. Born in Bern, Switzerland, he received his Master of Science degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1959. He then attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Business for his MBA.
Wyss began accumulating his estimated net worth of $6.79 billion when he began working in various positions for several textile companies. Much of his fortune came when he was named the President of Synthes, a Swiss medical manufacturing company, in the late 70's. In June 2012, he completed the sale of Synthes to Johnson & Johnson for $20.2 billion in cash and stock. He also stepped down as the CEO of the company in 2007 and is now focused on his philanthropic activities on ecology and conservation.
Hansjorg Wyss has established the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Harvard University. In 2009, he donated $125 million, the largest individual philanthropic gift in the school’s history. Along with fellow Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, he is planning to launch Wyss Institute in the former Merck Serno office in Geneva which will focus on healthcare, biotech, and life sciences.
Currently, Wyss is the Chairman of The Wyss Foundation and The HJW Foundation, which works on environmental issues as well as social issues in immigration reform, healthcare for all Americans, fairness in the loan industry, and in women’s health and reproductive rights to name a few projects. He also serves as President of Foundation Beyeler and the founder of Stiftung GegenwArt in Basel, Switzerland which funds art programs and scholarships with The Bern Art Museum.