{{Short description|Swiss executive, politician (1922–2002)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Guido Nobel | image = Guido Nobel, 1985 - crop.jpg | caption = Guido Nobel in 1985 | office = Grand Councilor | term_start = 1950 | term_end = 1975 | parliamentary_group = Socialist Group | office2 = President of the Grand Council | term_start2 = 1968 | term_end2 = 1969 | parliamentary_group2 = Socialist Group | office3 = General Secretary of the Swiss Trade Union Federation | predecessor3 = Jean Möri | term_start3 = October 1969<ref name=revue>{{cite journal|url=https://selfranga-prod11.ethz.ch/cntmng?pid=rss-001%3A1969%3A61%3A%3A525|journal=Revue Syndicale Suisse|date=September 1969|issue=9|author=Jean Möri|pages=241–243|title=Les rédacteurs changent, la "Revue" continue|language=fr}}</ref> | term_end3 = 1970 | office4 = Director General of Swiss Post | term_start4 = April 1, 1975<ref name=bieler>{{cite journal|url=https://www.bibliobiel.ch/de-wAssets/docs/angebot/chroniken/1979-1970/bj_1975.pdf|journal=Bieler Chronik|title=Bieler Chronik vom 1. Januar bis 31. Dezember 1975|date=1975|author=Marcus Bourquin|language=de}}</ref> | term_end4 = March 31, 1987 | predecessor4 = Fritz Bourguin<ref name=bieler /> | successor4 = Jean Clivaz<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://anneepolitique.swiss/APS/fr/APS_1987/APS1987_I_6_b_6_18_print.html|journal=Annee Politique Suisse|title=Infrastructure, aménagement, environnement / Transports et communications / PTT|date=1987|language=fr}}</ref> | profession = Trade unionist; politician; business executive | party = Social Democratic group | birth_place = Uzwil | birth_date = September 16, 1922 | death_place = Liestal | death_date = March 8, 2002 }}
'''Guido Nobel''' (1922–2002) was a Swiss trade unionist, politician, and business executive. State Councilor in Bern from 1950 to 1975 and president from 1968 to 1969, he was General Secretary of the Swiss Trade Union Federation and, from 1975 to 1987, Director General of the Swiss Post.
==Biography== ===Early life=== Nobel was born in Uzwil on September 16, 1922, to Eugen Nobel, a freight service worker at the Swiss Federal Railways, and Karolina Lydia Noger.<ref name=dizionario>{{DSS|031833}}</ref> He studied in La Chaux-de-Fonds until 1937, when he moved to Bienne to undergo vocational training in mechanical watchmaking at Maeder-Leschot SA, until 1942.<ref name=dicjura>{{cite book|url=https://www.diju.ch/f/notices/detail/7197|title=Dictionnaire du Jura|chapter=Nobel, Guido (1922–2002)|date=July 28, 2009|author=Emma Catelain|language=fr}}</ref> That same year he married Lydia Karolina Meyrat, with whom he had two daughters, Francine and Claudia.<ref name=dizionario /> In the late 1940s and 1950s, after obtaining the federal qualification of suitability, he began his career in the state railways, first with an internship and then with the qualification of train conductor in 1952.<ref name=dizionario />
===Trade unionist=== In 1953 he began his trade union activity, elected regional secretary of the Swiss Federation of Trade, Transport and Food Workers (FCTA), a position he held for nine years, until 1962.<ref name=elite>{{cite web|url=https://www2.unil.ch/elitessuisses/personne.php?id=104211|website=Élites suisses|title=Nobel, Guido|publisher=University of Lausanne|language=fr}}</ref> From 1962 to 1969 he was central secretary of the Union-PTT of Romandy, as well as responsible for its related newspaper.<ref name=dizionario /><ref name=revue /> In 1969 he reached the top of the trade union, becoming General Secretary of the Swiss Trade Union Federation,<ref name=baselland>{{cite web|url=https://www.baselland.ch/themen/c_d/chronik-baselland/chronik-2000er/chronik-marz-2002|website=Basel Landscaft|title=Chronik März 2002|publisher=Canton of Basel-Landschaft|language=de}}</ref> a position he held until 1970.<ref name=dodis>{{cite magazine|url=https://dodis.ch/P49523?lang=it|magazine=Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland|title=Nobel, Guido|publisher=Institute of Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences}}</ref>
===Head of the Swiss national postal service and its development=== In that same year, he joined the board of directors of the National Post service (PTT), of which he became the general director in 1975, a position he held for twelve years, until 1987.<ref name=dizionario/> During his tenure, he was responsible for the reorganization and modernization of the Swiss national postal service.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://smaky.ch/automatisation-des-cheques-postaux/|website=Smaky News|title=Automatisation des chèques postaux|issue=535|date=9 April 1979|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Jahre Coop Rechtsschutz 1974–2024|pages=29–35|editor=Adrian Zimmermann|location=Aarau|publisher=Coop Rechtsschutz AG|date=2024|url=https://www.cooprecht.ch/jwa/vfs/web/2016.cooprecht.ch/media/portraet/publikationen/de/pdf/23COO%206.1%20Festschrift_50Jahre_CRS_ES_WU_small.pdf}}</ref>
Under his direction, numerous innovations were introduced, including the inauguration of the first national mobile telephone network in 1975, initially dedicated to use on transportation, from which the name Natel (an acronym for "Nationales Autotelefonnetz") originated. The network was further expanded and modernized in 1978, 1983, and 1987, while in 1985, the first optical fiber cable was installed, connecting Bern to Neuchâtel.<ref name=swisscom>{{cite web|url=https://www.swisscom.ch/en/about/company/history.html|title=Over 170 years keeping up with the times|website=Swisscom}}</ref> In 1977, the possibility of opening current accounts at post offices was introduced,<ref name=175years>{{cite report|url=https://www.post.ch/-/media/portal-opp/k/dokumente/175-jahre-post/post-jahresthema-175-jahre.pdf|title=175 years. The Post as the engine of modern Switzerland|publisher=Swiss Post|editor1=Benjamin Blaser|editor2=Martin Clausen|editor3=Andreas Sturm}}</ref> and shortly after, the first Postomat (ATM) in the country was inaugurated in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Swiss Post|url=https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/company/portrait/history|title=The history of Swiss Post}}</ref> In 1982, barcodes were implemented for managing postal items, and a new national postal service logo, created by renowned typographer Adrian Frutiger, was introduced.<ref name=175years/> In 1985, the PostFinance system for financial services was integrated, including current accounts and postal banking services, coinciding with the nationwide introduction of mandatory participation in the second pillar of the Swiss pension system.<ref name=postfinance>{{cite web|url=https://www.postfinance.ch/en/private-customers/pension/provision-information.html|website=PostFinance|title=Useful information on pension provision}}</ref> Also under Nobel's leadership, in the first half of 1986, the postal service began the national implementation of the internet ISDN network,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=cmt-003%3A1987%3A65%3A%3A937|page=461|title=The technical introduction of new telematic services: a challenge for the telecommunication industry: highlights of some Swiss PTT solutions|author=Jean-Jacques Jaquier|year=1987|magazine=Technical Bulletin / Swiss Post, Telephones and Telegraphs Company|language=en}}</ref> which was inaugurated in 1988.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Swiss federal policy on telecommunications|author=Leon Schlumpf|date=May 1987|journal=International Journal of Technology Management}}</ref> In 1987, the videotex/teletext system was introduced.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-011-2520-8_7|chapter=Switzerland: A Modest Success in Tiny Pragmatic Steps|pages=69–84|author=Heinz Bonfadelli|title=Relaunching Videotex|publisher=Springer|year=1992|doi=10.1007/978-94-011-2520-8_7 |isbn=978-94-010-5112-5 }}</ref> During his tenure, Nobel also received the "Grands Prix de l'Art Philatélique Européen" 1986 – a Sèvres porcelain cup – at the Salon Philatélique d'Automne in Paris, presented by the President of France François Mitterrand, in the presence of the French Minister of Post and Telecommunications Gérard Longuet.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://selfranga-prod11.ethz.ch/cntmng?pid=sui-003%3A1987%3A33%3A%3A325|journal=Philatélie|date=1987|page=31|title=Grand prix philatélique européen à la Suisse|language=fr}}</ref>
===Political activity=== Parallel to his career as a public executive and trade unionist, Nobel also had a significant political career within the ranks of the Socialist Party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bild-video-ton.ch/suche/in/ssaPersonen/Nobel%2C%20Guido/|website=Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv|title=Personen → Nobel, Guido|language=de}}</ref>
From 1948 to 1956, he served as a municipal councilor in Biel, continuing his role as a non-permanent member until 1961. From 1950 to 1975, he was a State Councilor in Bern, and president from 1968 to 1969.<ref name=dodis />
During his career, he was also president of the board of directors at Coop Suisse for eighteen years,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bibliobiel.ch/de-wAssets/docs/angebot/chroniken/1999-1990/bj_1992.pdf|page=251|title=Chronique biennoise 1992|author=Jacques Lafert|magazine=Chronique biennoise|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://epaper.coopzeitung.ch/_deploy/CZ/19921224/CZ40/pdf_noenc/9_58fec8e9e5.pdf|magazine=Coop-Zeitung|page=9|date=December 24, 1992|issue=52|title=Neuer VR-Präsident in Biel|language=de}}</ref> and a member of the Swiss Metalworkers' and Watchmakers' Union (FTMH).<ref name=dicjura />
===Other activities and later life=== An expert in philately,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://swiss-philately.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/did_you_know.pdf|website=Helvetia Philatelic Society|title=Did You Know?|language=en}}</ref> and a melomaniac,<ref name=nzz>{{cite news|url=https://www.nzz.ch/article816ZA-ld.1191073|magazine=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|title=Ex-PTT-Generaldirektor Guido Nobel gestorben|date=March 12, 2002|language=de}}</ref> he was also the president of the ''Association des fanfares'' in Biel and one of the founders of the ''Musique des Jeunes de Bienne'' (MJB).<ref name=dicjura />
In 1994, he published a memoir titled ''Une carrière au service de la communication'', dedicated to his activities in the trade union and the national public communication sector.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://alberto-cherubini.ch/guido-nobel/|website=Alberto Cherubini|title=Pour Nobel l'amitié n'avait pas de prix|language=fr}}</ref>
After the death of his wife Lydia in 1983, he remarried in 1984 to executive and trade unionist Edith Rüfli (1931–2017), the first woman on the board of directors at Coop Suisse.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://epaper.cooperazione.ch/_deploy/CO/20180116/CO60/20180115130651000/whole/CO_20180116_CO60.pdf|title=Edith Nobel|date=January 16, 2018|issue=3|page=47|magazine=Cooperazione}}</ref>
Nobel died on March 8, 2002, in Liestal, at the age of 79, due to heart failure.<ref name=klein>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kleinreport.ch/news/ehemaliger-ptt-generaldirektor-guido-nobel-gestorben-48860/|magazine=Klein Report|title=Ehemaliger PTT-Generaldirektor Guido Nobel gestorben|date=March 12, 2002|language=de}}</ref><ref name=nzz />
==Books== * Guido Nobel (1994). ''Une carrière au service de la communication''. Biel.
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{cite journal|url=https://www.diju.ch/f/notices/detail/7197|journal=Dictionnaire du Jura|title=Nobel, Guido (1922–2002)|date=2009|author=Emma Catelain|language=fr}} * {{cite journal|url=https://selfranga-prod11.ethz.ch/cntmng?pid=rss-001%3A1969%3A61%3A%3A525|journal=Revue Syndicale Suisse|date=1969|number=9|author=Jean Möri|pages=241–243|title=Les rédacteurs changent, la "Revue" continue|language=fr}} * {{cite journal|author=René Villars|title=Guido Nobel|journal=Annales biennoises|year=2001|pages=165–166|language=fr}} * {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Authority control}} {{Subject bar|portal1=Switzerland|portal2=biography}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobel, Guido}} Category:Swiss trade unionists Category:19th-century Swiss businesspeople Category:19th-century Swiss politicians Category:20th-century Swiss businesspeople Category:20th-century Swiss politicians Category:People from Livorno Category:1922 births Category:2002 deaths