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 Commune of Bagnes (Verbier) and the dominant provider of high-end transfer services across the region. The company was successfully sold in 2022.

Strategic foundation

Alpinexpress originated from a structural inefficiency in the market: fragmented operators serving a clientele that valued reliability, precision, and professionalism far more than price.

By analysing service patterns, cost dynamics, and client behaviour, I identified an opportunity to build a disciplined, technology-driven operator capable of outperforming larger incumbents through superior execution and customer experience.

That thesis proved correct - Alpinexpress became the first-call provider for resorts, hotels, and private clients across western Switzerland.

Execution and scaling

Sustained success came through rigorous execution—translating strategic clarity into systems, people, and measurable performance.

Technology: built a proprietary in-house operations platform managing booking, driver-schedule, GPS tracking, routing, dispatch, driver management & payroll and in-depth business analytics. This systems delivered speed, accuracy, and scalability unmatched in the market.

People: recruited and trained an international team of highly capable staff, many of whom returned season after season. A culture of professionalism and respect ensured continuity in a typically transient industry.

Clients and partnerships: cultivated long-term relationships with luxury hotels, chalet operators, agents, and corporate partners, built on reliability, transparency, and trust.

Operational efficiency: through continual refinement, Alpinexpress achieved 2-3× greater operating efficiency (driver-to-admin ratio) than peers, with markedly higher utilisation and accuracy in the delivery of our service.

Financial and cross-border management: managed complex multi-jurisdictional accounting, structuring, and compliance, ensuring both fundraising and the eventual sale were executed tax-efficiently across borders. Oversaw supplier and recruitment relationships across Europe, including visa and administrative matters.

The outcome was a business with exceptional margins and cash generation, with profitability roughly double that of large blue-chip competitors such as ALSA, despite its smaller scale. This reflected a deeply efficient operational model and disciplined capital deployment, culminating in a premium-multiple sale to strategic buyers.

Leadership and exit

Over fourteen years I led the business through founding, growth, maturity, and eventual exit. The sale process involved preparing and articulating the company’s underlying value drivers, managing cross-border legal and tax structuring, and negotiating a seamless transfer of ownership. It was sold to a PE company.

Reflections

Alpinexpress was a practical demonstration that durable value is built on insight, precision, and disciplined execution—not just ideas. It reaffirmed a conviction that continues to guide my work: strategy defines direction, but operational excellence delivers results.