Managing a SME & Private Equity Experience
Alpinexpress (2008 – 2022)
Founder | Built, Scaled & Exited a Market-Leading Transfer Company
In 2008, I founded Alpinexpress, a premium transfer and chauffeur business serving Switzerland’s key alpine destinations. What began as a small operation evolved into one of the largest private-sector employers in the Bagnes (ie Verbier) and the dominant provider of high-end transfer services across the region. The company was successfully sold in 2022.
Strategic foundation
The idea for Alpinexpress came from observing how disjointed the existing operators were — fragmented businesses that were not consumer-focused and made poor use of technology. It was clear that the market didn’t need another provider; it needed a more efficient and coherent one.
I saw it as an optimisation problem: how to coordinate vehicles, drivers, and customer communication in real time to deliver a consistently reliable service in a challenging alpine environment. By applying structured processes, technology-led coordination tools, and a focus on service quality, we built an operation that outperformed far larger incumbents and quickly became the first choice for resorts, hotels, and private clients across the region.
Execution and Scaling
The success of Alpinexpress came down to doing the basics well and doing them consistently. What started as a small local service grew into a finely tuned operation, built around comprehensive systems, good people, and constant improvement.
- Technology: We built our own operations platform from the ground up - handling bookings, driver scheduling, GPS tracking, routing, dispatch, payroll, and analytics. It made the business faster, more accurate, and able to scale without losing control.
- People: We assembled an international team of skilled drivers and support staff, many of whom returned year after year. Creating a professional, respectful environment in what is usually a transient, seasonal industry made all the difference.
- Clients and partnerships: We developed long-term relationships with hotels, chalet companies, agents, and corporate clients. Reliability and openness kept those relationships strong through more than a decade of growth.
- Operational performance: Through steady refinement, a focus on IT to deliver quality and consistency, within a few years we were running at 2-3x the operating efficiency of most competitors, with higher driver and vehicle utilisation and far lower error rates.
- Financial and cross-border management: Operating across several jurisdictions meant handling complex accounting, tax, and compliance regulatory requirements. Managing this cleanly made both day-to-day operations and the eventual sale straightforward and efficient.
The result was a business with strong margins and cash flow - roughly twice the profitability of much larger industry players - achieved through disciplined operations rather than heavy capital investment.
Leadership and Exit
Over fourteen years I led the company from its early startup phase through growth and maturity to eventual sale. Preparing the business for exit meant making its strengths clear and transferable - from financial structures to operational systems - and ensuring a smooth handover to new ownership. The company was sold to a private equity buyer in 2022.
Reflections
Alpinexpress was a hands-on lesson in how much value comes from getting the details right - from building good systems to building trust. It confirmed something I’ve always believed: ideas matter, but execution is what creates lasting results.