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  • Suter Viandes

The key to longevity

BDO has been closely involved 
in the development of the Vaud-based company, founded more than 140 years ago, since 1996.
 It is, above all, a person-to-person relationship.

As former captain of an army regiment and father of a family of seven children, Ueli Gerber knows how to get straight to the point. "The reasons why we have worked with BDO for nearly 20 years are very simple: efficiency, speed and quality of person-to-person relationships," he states confidently. Having joined Suter Viandes as a young butcher in 1977, this entrepreneur quickly climbed up through the ranks of the family company, finally reaching the top in 1986. While he readily admits that he assumes all positions of responsibility so as to leave nothing to chance, he also recognises the importance of building up a well-qualified team around him. This applies in particular to the close relationship he fosters with René-Marc Blaser, his client partner at BDO since 1996, to whom he attributes a defining role in the development of his business: "Monsieur Blaser is omnipresent. His critical eye and insightful advice add real strength to the company." It quickly becomes apparent that over time René-Marc Blaser has become much more than a simple auditor of accounts; he is a privileged partner for the strategy and development of Suter Viandes.

The BDO consultant, who incidentally is also regional manager for French-speaking Switzerland, explains this closeness by the affinities that he shares with the company and its director: "I admire his strength of character and his qualities as a leader, which are fleshed out by a decidedly human dimension."

Indeed, Ueli Gerber is not one to let himself get beaten down, and he 
has had to overcome numerous challenges over the course of his career. With each new challenge he has faced, he has successfully managed to reinvent his company's business model – always with the invaluable support of his BDO consultant. Whether a case of restructuring through new acquisitions or training a new financial director, the expertise provided by BDO has proven especially useful in accompanying and facilitating these changes. For the two men, the secret of their success is the longevity and continuity of their partnership, which they put down to complete transparency and a deep relationship of trust.