Swisscom CEO Schloter Found Dead

ZURICH--Swisscom AG Chief Executive Carsten Schloter was found dead Tuesday morning at his home in Freiburg, Switzerland, the telecommunications giant said.

Police said Mr. Schloter's death was being investigated as a suspected suicide, but declined to comment further.

Swisscom, which is majority-owned by the Swiss government, said Urs Schaeppi, its deputy chief executive, would take over management of the company on an interim basis. Mr. Schaeppi currently runs Swisscom Switzerland, the company's domestic business.

Mr. Schloter, a 49-year old German national, had been with Swisscom since 2000, when he joined as head of its mobile unit. He was appointed CEO in 2006.

Analysts said Mr. Schloter, a father of three and an avid cyclist, leaves behind a strong legacy at Swisscom, where he helped the company maintain its profitability even as mobile phone prices fell.

Mr. Schloter improved the performance of the company's struggling Italian subsidiary Fastweb, which he bought in 2007 for EUR3.1 billion, and helped Swisscom diversify into cable television and IT services.

"He was a well-respected CEO," said Andreas Mueller, an analyst at Zuercher Kantonalbank. "It is a loss for the company."

Mr. Schloter started his career at Mercedes-Benz in 1985. He later moved to mobile telephone company debitel AG, which he worked for in both France and Germany.

At Swisscom, Mr. Schlotter responded to increasing competition from upstart mobile companies and online communication services such as Microsoft's Skype by expanding its fiber-optic network across the country. He also rolled out new pricing plans, including a flat-rate mobile subscription, to counter margin lost by falling prices of mobile phone handsets.

Mr. Schloter's initiatives helped dent an erosion in Swisscom's sales and maintain profitability.

Mr. Schloter, who was fluent in English and French, served as an executive board member of the Association of Swiss Telecommunications, as well as a member of the executive board of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.

Martin Naville, chief executive of the chamber paid tribute to Mr. Schloter, describing him as a "brilliant, analytical guy."

Peter Gruetter, chairman of the Association of Swiss Telecommunications, described Mr. Schloter as a dynamic and open personality and a good partner in telecommunications.

"He had a lot of energy and drive," Mr. Gruetter said. "He believed in the benefit of communications technology for the success of a modern society."

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