Roby Tschopp, head of Swiss shareholder advocate Actares, is stepping down after 12 years at the helm. Actares has been a vocal opponent of big salaries in banking and spoken out against financing mountain-top removal mining in the U.S.

He will be succeeded by Nicole Weydknecht, currently head of communications at Actares, effective immediately.

Weynknecht, who is 34, studied history, environmental sciences, African studies and non-profit management in Fribourg and Basel. She has worked for several non-profit organizations in development aid, healthcare, project management, and marketing.

Credit Suisse Pay

Weydknecht said she is delighted to lead Actares and play a role in corporate responsibility at major Swiss firms. The change comes ahead of a slew of annual general meetings expected to focus on pay, such as Credit Suisse's.

The bank has been criticized in Switzerland as well as abroad for high executive pay at the same time as it reportedly prepares to apply to shareholders for a cash injection and a new tax scandal surfaces.