René Cotting, Dr. rer. pol. in

René Cotting, Dr. rer. pol.

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Member of the Board of Directors at Helvetia Baloise Group
📍 Zürich Metropolitan Area, Switzerland

René Cotting is a results-driven Group CFO at Smartenergy, focusing on large-scale solar and green hydrogen projects. He holds multiple board memberships, including at Helvetia Baloise Insurance Group, and is a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen. His extensive background includes strategic management, finance, and venture capital, complemented by education from The Wharton School and Harvard Business School.

He is passionate about combating global warming through the development, financing, and operation of renewable energy projects across Europe. Colleagues describe him as an "inspiring visionary" and a "pragmatic organizer" who brings a practical view to complex topics like machine learning, natural language processing, and robotic process automation, which he applies to business challenges.

Unique fact: He previously chaired ABB Technology Ventures, overseeing more than $220 million invested in over 90 startups.

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Experience
35 Years
Current Role
Member of the Board of Directors
Job Level
Leadership
Location
Zürich Metropolitan Area, Switzerland
Personality Overview

How René shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

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Priorities

Topics René cares about

Green Hydrogen
As Group CFO of Smartenergy, he is actively developing and financing green hydrogen projects to decarbonize industries like ceramics and support the global energy transition.
Renewable Energy Finance
He has over 30 years of experience structuring financing for large-scale renewable energy projects, including solar and wind farms, across Europe and the Americas.
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Career

Work history

4-2023
Member of the Board of Directors
Helvetia Baloise Group
9-2021
Group CFO (mandated) and Head Investor Relations
Edisun Power Europe AG
5-2021
Group CFO
Smartenergy
9-2018 - 12-2020
Member of Venture Capital Fund - Investment Committee
VI Partners AG
3-2017 - 4-2021
Head of Operations for Innovation and R&D ABB Group and Chairman ABB Technology Ventures
ABB
In the press

Media appearances

Helvetia Annual General Meeting elects Yvonne Wicki Macus and René Cotting as new members of the Board of Directors. Featured in Helvetia Baloise Group – Press Release
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Dr. Yvonne Wicki Macus und Dr. René Cotting werden zur Wahl in den Verwaltungsrat vorgeschlagen. Featured in Helvetia Baloise Group – Press Release (German)
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Education
Education details unavailable
IMD
2019 - 2019
Venture Capital
The Wharton School
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

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