S tephan Schmidheiny is a Swiss billionaire industrialist and a prominent advocate for sustainable development. He represents the fourth generation of one of Switzerland's most important industrial dynasties. He and his brother Thomas inherited the family's empire, which was built on the Eternit construction materials business. Stephan took control of the Eternit group and later sold his stake, using the proceeds to create a massive and diversified portfolio of investments in Latin America through his private firm, Grupo Nueva.

In his later career, Schmidheiny has become a leading global voice for corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices. However, his legacy is deeply controversial. He has been embroiled in a decades-long legal battle in Italy, where he was convicted of causing the deaths of thousands of people from asbestos-related illnesses linked to his family's Eternit factories. Despite his philanthropic work in sustainability, this conviction has cast a long shadow over his career and reputation.