UBS Appoints Alexander Seidler To Lead Sustainability And Climate Risk

UBS has appointed Alexander Seidler as Head Sustainability and Climate Risk, placing him in charge of implementing the bank’s SCR framework.
The role covers risk appetite, internal reporting, disclosure, supervisory requirements, and ESG risk reviews across products, transactions, clients, and suppliers.
The appointment follows UBS’s acquisition of Credit Suisse and comes as global banks face tighter scrutiny over climate risk governance.

UBS Strengthens Sustainability Risk Leadership

Zurich-based UBS has appointed Alexander Seidler as Head Sustainability and Climate Risk, giving him responsibility for implementing the bank’s sustainability and climate risk framework.

The move places Seidler at the center of UBS’s governance structure for climate and sustainability risk. His remit covers how the bank identifies, assesses, reports, and manages exposure across its business. It also comes as global financial institutions face rising pressure from regulators, investors, and clients to embed climate risk into core risk systems.

Seidler announced the appointment in a LinkedIn post, writing:

“I’m excited to share that I’ve started a new role as Head Sustainability and Climate Risk at UBS.

The past few years have been quite a journey — returning from Singapore, taking on a new challenge at Credit Suisse, and ultimately finding myself back at UBS less than a year later. What followed was an intense and inspiring integration process, bringing together two exceptional teams and shaping a new chapter for the SCR program in UBS.

I’m deeply grateful for the people who supported me throughout this transition and for the trust placed in me. A special thank-you to Liselotte Arni and Yann Kermode, whose guidance and partnership have meant a great deal over the years. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead — the challenges, the opportunities, and continuing this important journey together with the team.”

Role Covers Risk Appetite, Reporting And Supervisory Requirements

In the new role, Seidler will maintain UBS’s sustainability and climate risk appetite and standards. His responsibilities also include internal reporting, disclosure, and the integration of sustainability and climate risk into traditional risk management frameworks.

That integration is critical for large banks. Climate risk is no longer treated only as a reputational issue. It now affects credit decisions, client onboarding, supplier review, capital planning, and regulatory engagement.

Seidler will also monitor and implement supervisory requirements. This makes the role important for compliance as banks respond to evolving expectations from regulators in Europe, Switzerland, Asia, and other key markets.

His profile also lists responsibility for acting as UBS SCR Underwriter. In that capacity, he oversees sustainability and climate risk assessments and escalations involving products, transactions, clients, and supplier onboarding.

For executives and investors, the appointment points to a broader shift in banking governance. Climate and sustainability risk teams are becoming more embedded in enterprise risk management. Their work now informs business approvals, exposure limits, and disclosure quality.

A Return To UBS After Credit Suisse Acquisition

Seidler first joined UBS in 2006. Over his tenure, he held several environmental and social risk roles across Zurich, London, and Singapore.

He left UBS in 2022 to join Credit Suisse as Head of Sustainability Risk. Less than a year later, he returned to UBS through its acquisition of Credit Suisse in 2023.

Most recently, Seidler served as Head of Sustainability and Climate Risk Assessments. That experience placed him directly in the integration process following the Credit Suisse deal.

“The past few years have been quite a journey — returning from Singapore, taking on a new challenge at Credit Suisse, and ultimately finding myself back at UBS less than a year later. What followed was an intense and inspiring integration process, bringing together two exceptional teams and shaping a new chapter for the SCR program in UBS.”

The integration of Credit Suisse added scale, complexity, and scrutiny to UBS’s global risk profile. It also created a need to align risk standards, controls, and escalation processes across a larger institution.

Why The Appointment Matters For Investors

For C-suite leaders and investors, the appointment is notable because it sits at the intersection of governance, finance, and climate accountability.

Banks are under growing pressure to show that sustainability risk policies are not isolated from commercial decision-making. Supervisors want clearer evidence that climate risk is assessed through established risk channels. Investors also want stronger disclosure on how banks manage exposure to high-emitting sectors, transition risk, and client-level ESG concerns.

UBS’s decision to place Seidler in this role gives continuity to its SCR program after a major acquisition. It also reflects the bank’s need to manage sustainability risk across a broader client and transaction base.

As global banks adapt to new supervisory expectations, leadership roles like this will shape how climate and sustainability risks move from policy language into daily risk decisions. For UBS, the challenge is now execution at scale.