Jürg V. Schmid (Vice-Chairman)

Jürg Schmid was appointed Vice-Chairman of the ENSI Board by the Federal Council on 1 January 2012. He was a board member for the previous term from 2008 to 2011. Between 2008 and 2014 he was CEO of Schmid & Ernst Safety-Coaching. In this role he advised a wide range of companies in the aviation sector, transport companies and medical organisations on aspects of safety and safety culture. He graduated as a Master of Science in Human Factors and System Safety from the University of Lund in Sweden in 2010.

Between 2006 and 2008 he managed the Safety, Security and Quality Department at Skyguide, the Swiss air traffic control organisation. In 1995, he was appointed Head of the Swissair Safety Department, a position he went on to hold with its successor, Swiss International Airline, between 2002 and 2006. The accident involving Flight SR111 near Halifax, the grounding of Swissair and the Crossair accidents at Nassenwil and Bassersdorf occurred during this period, giving him plenty of experience in crisis management.

Between 1990 and 1995 he was an active captain and head pilot of the Boeing 747 fleet at Swissair. In 1988 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Airbus A310 fleet. Before assuming these management roles, Jürg Schmid was co-pilot and subsequently captain of various short and long-haul aircraft types for Swissair since 1975. He was also able to broaden his experience as an instructor and check pilot. He started his flying career when he obtained his military pilot’s licence in 1966 after interrupting his philosophy studies at the University of Zurich.

He also studied management at Berkeley University in California and Safety and Investigation during his professional career. He received international recognition for his contribution to safety from the IATA where he chaired the IATA Safety Committee.