Every week, interesting personalities from the world of finance and beyond share their personal preferences in our section Backstage.

What do you do first in the morning?

I wake up, surprised it’s already so late, wondering where the time went – then I have breakfast.

What is the best thing about your job?

Teaching our clients about the financial markets, explaining the importance of investing and helping them to achieve their financial goals. In addition, working in the financial markets offers and exciting combination of «this is new, it’s never been done before» and «groundhog day» - you never know what mood the market will be in that day when you start work.

A moment that changed your life?

Without question, the birth of my daughter – an incredibly emotional moment that really did change my life fundamentally and permanently.

What cars do you own? Which is your favorite?

My favorite car is always the latest one. At the moment it’s an Audi Q4 e-tron, only my third car ever.

What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self ?

To paraphrase Sting in « Englishman in New York»: «Be yourself no matter what they say». It’s not always easy, especially at that age, but it’s worth it.

What are you particularly proud of ?

I’m content with the way things are progressing across all areas of my life — personally, with my family, and professionally. Is that something to be proud of ? I don’t know. But it fills me with deep satisfaction. That probably expresses is better than pride.

What was your biggest defeat ?

I was an ambitious table tennis player for many years and experienced plenty of bitter defeats. But real setbacks in life — at work, for example? I think I mostly saw them as lessons rather than failures. Or maybe not. Failing to pass the Kanti (academic high school) entrance exams the first time really hurt back then. But looking back, it turned out to be a good thing for me.

What is your favorite wine?

Any that I like. I can’t name an explicit favorite, I don’t know enough about it.

What projects are you currently working on?

Over the past 3–4 years, we’ve been renovating our house in several stages. We’re planning to complete what we hope will be the final stage this year or next at the latest.

What is most important to you at the moment?

The most important thing to me at the moment is keeping things in balance – especially between family, personal life, and career.

What would be the biggest surprise for someone who had to take over your job for a day?

That’s a good question. I think someone from outside the industry would be surprised by how much time is spent just thinking—looking at the screen, reading something carefully, discussing ideas, and then thinking about it some more. There’s very little that’s physically produced or immediately visible. I just hope my boss doesn’t read this and think I’m not actually doing anything!

What is your personal drive?

I’m driven by a strong desire to satisfy the people I work with—customers, colleagues, employees, and superiors. I have a genuine inner motivation to meet their expectations. I believe I often succeed in doing so, though of course, not always.

What are you afraid of?

Like many people, I fear illness or an unexpected misfortune affecting me or my loved ones. But I don’t waste energy worrying about far-fetched scenarios – the sky falling isn’t on my list.

Your favorite watch brand?

I hardly ever wear a watch. But I really like IWC watches.

What do your employees appreciate most about you?

You’d have to ask my employees that. I think they appreciate the freedom they have and the collegial atmosphere.

Your best investment?

My family (although expensive!), my fund savings plan, our house.

Thomas Heller has been CIO of the Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft Gruppe since March 2024. He has worked in the financial sector for 30 years, studied economics and worked at Credit Suisse, two private banks, a cantonal bank and an independent asset manager.