In many ways, a glimpse into Benjamin’s life offers a look at the quintessential Swiss experience: In the winter, his favorite hobbies include skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing — either in the beautiful village of Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland or in Riederalp in the canton of Valais, where his parents own a vacation home. In the summer, he swaps his ski boots for running shoes or gets on his bicycle to explore his home country.
Benjamin grew up and still lives in Subingen, a small town located in the canton of Solothurn in the northwest of Switzerland. “I moved away for a while during my studies, but I really enjoy being back in this quiet, rural environment,” he says. “With a population of about 3,000 people, Subingen is admittedly not the most happening place — but they do have a soccer club!” Like many Swiss kids, Benjamin grew up loving and playing soccer. He has been part of the local FC Subingen for many years — not just as a player, but also as a youth soccer coach and a member of the club’s board.
In fact, coaching young players may have been one of the things that made him decide to study health sciences & technology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). Based on his aptitude for natural sciences, Benjamin originally wanted to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering — but changed his mind shortly before classes started: “I think being a soccer coach made me want to learn more about the human body and its mechanics,” Benjamin says. “So choosing this interdisciplinary program definitely made sense for me.” After successfully obtaining his Bachelor’s degree, he enrolled for a Master’s program in biomedical engineering. “What intrigued me about that course of study was the interplay between mechanics and biology — learning more about how a body adapts to its environment.”
A lecture by the AO Foundation at ETH sparked his interest in fracture treatment, and his initial visit to the AO Research Institute in Davos left him impressed with the state-of-the-art facilities and demanding environment. When the opportunity to complete his Master’s thesis at the AO presented itself, he didn’t hesitate. “Naturally, as a winter sports enthusiast, I also felt right at home in Davos,” he admits. At the AO, Benjamin worked on a biomechanical cadaver study combined with finite element analysis (FEA). Not only was a part of his thesis later published in a paper, but he was also awarded the prestigious Willi Studer Prize for graduating at the top of his class.
Following his studies, Benjamin had his career start at Stryker. He initially started out as a sales representative for endoscopy and sports medicine, then moved on to becoming a regional field trainer and briefly served as deputy regional sales manager. It’s a time in his life that he still looks back on fondly: “In my 4.5 years at Stryker, I learned how to navigate the orthopaedic industry and find my way around the OR. I also got to work with fantastic colleagues and made lasting friendships.” While he was still with Stryker, Benjamin kept running into a small company called Bonebridge at orthopaedic congresses, and a few Bonebridge posts started to appear in his social media feed. “I thought it was great that a new Swiss start-up with an interesting vision was entering the market,” he says.
In addition to our “reducing complexity” concept, what attracted him to the Head of Sales Switzerland position was the opportunity to help build something from the ground up. Over the past few months, Benjamin’s priority has been to be in the OR as much our customers’ needs. “Obviously, in our field, surgeries often happen last minute,” he says. “The main challenge has simply been to know what’s happening where and when, and to make sure I can offer the best support possible on site.”
In terms of plans for the future, Benjamin and his fiancée Luzia have a major milestone coming up: They are currently in the midst of planning their 2025 wedding. He also prioritizes spending time with friends and family and was recently appointed “godfather” for Malo, one of his friend’s pet rabbits. Professionally, Benjamin pursues one ambitious goal: “All I want is to help establish Bonebridge as a reliable and successful company in the Swiss trauma market,” he says.