Biography

Ulrich O. Birch is a Swiss national, and he holds a master degree in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, as well as a diploma in Business Administration. He is a seasoned international manager.

Ulrich served in senior executive positions at various multinational companies, including ABB, Colfax Pump Group, Leica Geosystems, Wartsila, New Sulzer Diesel, and Ascom, covering the industries of turbochargers, pumps, diesel engines, measuring equipment, telecommunications, and service automation, as well as executive consulting and interim management.

During the last 25 years, Ulrich spent most of his time in Asia, namely in China, Southeast Asia, and India. Between 2005 and 2016, he had his base for more than ten years in Chongqing, Southwest China. He established, managed and developed ABB’s Business Unit “Turbocharging” in China, which includes a joint venture company with a state-owned Chinese partner. The unit operates a state-of-the-art factory in Chongqing, as well as a comprehensive service and sales network along the Chinese coast. In 2012, Ulrich became Senior Manager at Consenec Ltd, a company of the ABB Group that provides interim management and consultancy. He maintained his base in China and provided management advice to European companies doing business in China, thus sharing his vast experience in this country and in Asia in general.

Concurrently, between 2013 and 2016, Ulrich was Chairman of the Board, Southwest Region of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and developed a comprehensive network with European companies as well as with government authorities.

In 2016, Ulrich moved back to Switzerland, where he offers now his services as independent Executive Advisor, Interim Manager and Board Member. His clients benefit from Ulrich’s experience in cross-cultural leadership, cross-border business development, restructuring and change management, strategy development, identification and evaluation of business partners, post-merger integration, negotiations, and crisis management.

Ulrich’s clients are primarily European or Chinese companies and investors, as well as government organizations. Additionally, Ulrich is a regular speaker, lecturer or panelist at symposia and universities, including Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences and Chongqing University. He regularly travels between Switzerland and China/Asia, and he maintains a valuable professional network in these regions.

Ulrich and his Chinese wife have one son. In his free time, Ulrich enjoys family life, as well as winter sports, traveling, photography, video, and computer applications. He speaks English, German, French and basic Mandarin.