Salz und Licht am Arbeitsplatz

Philipp Schmuki

President of the Christian Association of UBS

I joined UBS in July 2000. While my faith evolved over the last two decades in my private live, I simply considered myself to be the only Christian around at work. So nobody in the workplace really knew about my personal conviction and I did not meet anybody who would have changed my view that I just happened to be exotic in banking believing in God.

In 2016 my family and I went for holidays to Greece organized by a Christian travel agency. One evening at the buffet I bumped into a lawyer from UBS who supported my team. You might be surprised, but in a way I was shocked. What is a lawyer from UBS doing in a Christian holiday camp, I asked myself? My world view began crack!

After that holiday, I wanted to find out more. I went for lunch with this lawyer and asked the obvious question – I’ve met you in this holiday camp, so I guess you are an active Christian? After a bright “yes” and a smile, she asked a question back. Are you also participating in our prayer group? This time the shock was of a different kind. In the very building I was working there was a prayer group that met regularly and I was too blind to see! This insight made me very humble.

She did not have to tell me twice. Now I wanted to learn more about my fellow Christians at the work place I did not meet for so many years in pure ignorance.

The prayer group at Europaallee has become a second family in the meantime – a family at work.
My story above is also my motivation to participate in the Christian Association of UBS because I experienced how valuable it is to share my faith at work and to be carried by fellow Christians and help to carry others in particular when there are stimulating or tough challenges at work.