Westhive AG has appointed Lukas André as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. André, who joined the Westhive Board of Directors a year ago, takes over the position from Martin Bosshardt, who held the chairmanship for more than four years. Bosshardt will remain a member of the Board of Directors. After a strong 2024, Westhive is aiming for further growth in the coming years.
Lukas André, a proven venture, M&A and investment expert, is taking over as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Westhive AG. As Managing Partner, André is responsible for the Swiss business of Redstone, a European investment company with a focus on venture capital. Prior to this, André was a successful company founder and investment manager for around 20 years.
«I am delighted that we have been able to appoint such a qualified and experienced entrepreneur and investment expert as my successor in Lukas André,» says outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors Martin Bosshardt. «The course has been set for further growth in the coming years,» says Bosshardt, «and Lukas André is the perfect person to actively support and steer this growth.» Westhive AG operates seven serviced office locations across Switzerland: four in Zurich and one each in Basel, Geneva and Zug. The company’s revenue will grow by around 35% in 2024 compared to the previous year, while occupancy rates will increase significantly at all locations.
The office real estate market is undergoing fundamental change. More and more companies are renting so-called serviced offices – fully fitted and furnished office space with shorter notice periods. In addition to flexibility, companies benefit from included services such as reception of visitors or office cleaning. Other benefits include activities for employees or special infrastructure such as a gym, event facilities and catering services. As some of these features are shared by the rented companies, such serviced offices are not only more practical, but often also more sustainable.
«Westhive has developed rapidly during Martin Bosshardt’s term of office,» says Andreas Widmer, one of Westhive’s founders, thanking the outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors. «We were able to complete a successful financing round and almost double the number of workplaces. We all owe Martin Bosshardt our thanks for his valuable services at a time that was still characterized by the economic upheavals of the Covid pandemic, among other things.»
Westhive is aiming for growth in the coming years as well. «We are planning to significantly increase the number of locations and workplaces,» stresses Andreas Widmer. «Today, we have some of the most renowned global and Swiss customers at Westhive, such as Microsoft and the AMAG Group. This demonstrates how much potential there is in serviced offices – and that you can do better than WeWork,» says Widmer with a laugh. «As a purely Swiss company, we have set ourselves the goal of establishing a sustainable and high-quality offering on the market. Our success proves us right, and with Lukas André as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors, we will continue this journey.»
About Lukas André – new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Westhive AG
Lukas André is Managing Partner at Redstone Switzerland. He is responsible for Redstone’s business in Switzerland, including the oversight of all investment activities.
Prior to joining Redstone, Lukas André was Managing Partner at Affentranger Associates, an investment and M&A advisory firm focused on the technology sector.
Lukas has been a founder himself multiple times and therefore brings extensive entrepreneurial experience in addition to his investment and M&A transaction experience.
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Bern, where he was awarded top of his class.
About Martin Bosshardt – Member of the Board of Directors of Westhive AG
Martin Bosshardt has been CEO of Anapaya Systems AG, a provider of cyber security solutions, since 2021. Previously, he was CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Open Systems, a leading security and SD-WAN-as-a-Service provider with a service presence in more than 180 countries and offices in the USA, Germany, Austria, the UK and Switzerland.
In 2010 he was honored with the SVC Entrepreneur Award. He is a member of the Advisory Board of PwC Switzerland.
Martin studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and at Todai University in Tokyo and holds a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from ETH. Martin is married, father of two sons and lives in Zurich.