A life dedicated to the internet – thank you, Urs!

Urs Eppenberger is the personification of the internet in Switzerland. His recipe for success was based on calmness, expertise and foresight. When someone devotes their entire working life to the Switch Foundation, it is a testament to the greatest passion for one particular cause: enabling universities and Switzerland as a whole to use the internet safely and reliably. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to you, dear Urs, and take this opportunity to look back once more at what is probably the most unique career in the history of the internet in Switzerland.

Text: Melina Lan, published on 26. August 2026

Urs Eppenberger is standing on stage and presenting the Domain Pulse 2026 — Urs Eppenberger, Photo: Andoni Lopez

Imagine it is 1987. You have just graduated in electrical engineering from ETH Zurich. You stroll hapily along the corridors of your university. Suddenly, a job advertisement on a noticeboard catches your eye. It was posted by Professor Kündig, whom you know from your studies. Out of curiosity, you knock on his office door. He briefly explains what the job is about and, and as soon as the conversation ends, you have the job. No application dossier or letter of motivation required. Remarkably, this job would remain yours for your entire working life. Even 39 years later, when you retire, it will be the only job interview you ever had. Further applications? None at all. That is exactly how Switch’s first employee, Urs Eppenberger, experienced it. He recounts his experience in the current SRF podcast "How the Internet Came to Switzerland".

SRF podcast

"How the Internet Came to Switzerland" (in German)

Switch 1988 — The Switch team in 1988, when beards were almost compulsory. Urs Eppenberger is second from the right.

Urs Eppenberger joined the Switch Foundation in 1987 as an engineer and its first employee. This was at a time when hardly anyone in Switzerland had even heard of the internet. "When people asked me what I did for a living, it was very difficult to give an answer they could understand," Urs explains. "I could answer the question, of course, but I knew the person I was talking to had no idea what I was actually talking about. I could explain e-mail by comparing it to sending letters from one computer to another. But there was no analogy for explaining the internet itself. There was simply nothing comparable." This was also a time when people would reached for the telephone whenever they had a technical problem, and quite often Urs would be the person answering at the other end. "Have you tried switching it off and on again?" was still considered a promising solution. Urs’s professional development ran almost in parallel with the development of the internet over nearly four decades, culminating in one of the most influential careers in the Swiss internet sector.

During 39 years

His career took him from project management and business development leadership, to taking on overall responsibility as "Mr Registry" for .ch and .li. In this role, he helped to develop the internet as a secure and stable resource for Switzerland as a whole. He joined the Executive Management in 2011, heading the Registry from 2012 and from 2013 to 2016, he also led the Security division for commercial customers. From 2017 onwards, he was also responsible for collaboration tools for universities. Urs had a particularly strong influence on the development of Switch’s Registry activities in support of a secure and stable internet. Working alonside the team, registrars and the regulator, he achieved serveral significant milestones in the development of the .ch zone, including the transfer of direct domain-name sales to registrars, the nationwide introduction of the DNSSEC security standard for .ch domain names among Swiss registrars, and the successful continuation of the Registry mandate on behalf of the Federal Office of Communications. With his foresight, technical expertise and a strong understanding of the needs of the people behind the technology, he ensured that the Registry not only worked, but also built a high level of trust – well beyond Switzerland’s borders.

39 years as an influential figure

Urs's professional achievements were not the only things that set him apart. His colleagues describe him as someone who embodied stability, trust, calmness and consistency. He represented qualities of immense value in a rapidly evolving industry. With his calm and dependable manner, he helped shape Switch from the very beginning and strengthened the trust of registrars, the regulator and its partners alike. This is also reflected in his career at Switch: for 39 years, Urs played a distinctive role and was always someone who listened to employees and placed his trust in them.

Domain Pulse 2026 — In February 2026, Urs moderated this year’s Domain pulse event. A formal farewell ceremony was held to mark his transition into retirement. He has been enjoying his well-deserved retirement since July 2026. Photo: Andoni Lopez

After 39 years

Anyone who has spent almost four decades helping to build a company from the ground up, establishing and securing critical infrastructure, negotiating contracts and setting the framework for the future can look back on a remarkable career. As "Mr Registry", he did not simply fill a position; he helped shape an entire industry. With his retirement, Switch is losing a personality who stood for quality, progress and reliability. A personality who has more than earned his retirement.

Many heartfelt thanks, Urs Eppenberger, and all the very best for your future!

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