Guest on "Banc Public" on La Télé, Bernard Nicod spoke candidly about his childhood, his difficult early years, and his “old-school” management philosophy.
An empire run on memory
At 77, Bernard Nicod continues to personally oversee everything at the helm of his group: 10% of the Vaud real estate market, a portfolio worth 65 billion francs, 2,300 buildings and condominiums, 300 employees, and more than 1,000 building superintendents. “Unfortunately, I handle everything,” he confides, adding: “I’ve been training my memory for a long time, and I only have a good memory for what I love and what I do.”
Business Rather Than Medicine
The son of a dynasty of Lausanne doctors, he says: “I’m the only one who went off the rails.” Regarding his calling, he recalls a childhood memory from when he was 8 years old: on the construction site where his parents were building a villa, he watched the architect: “With his finger, he’d point out what needed to be done... And so everything was built around him, by him, and because of him. That made a big impression on me; it really drew me in.”
Early Days Alone in the Face of Skeptical Competition
After a formative time at the Collège de Saint-Maurice— “the best time of my life”—and then in the army, where he became a captain in the mountain infantry—he struck out on his own in real estate. Three competitors predicted he would fail: “The first one said, ‘I give him six months.’ The second one said, ‘He’s already bankrupt.’ And the third one said, ‘His family will come to his aid if things go wrong, but he’s already doomed.’ ” Today: “We’re four times bigger than they are.”
A Renter After All
Bernard Nicod admits that he himself has been a renter “for 49 years.” On the importance of homeownership, he states: “For me, in a country, a nation, a people… if young people can’t afford to buy a home, that’s a country facing major difficulties. ”
“A word I’ve never used”
On retirement, his answer is straightforward: “It’s a word I’ve never used in the military, and I won’t use it in my professional life either.”
The full interview, along with many other insights into his childhood, his formative encounters, and his vision for the real estate market in French-speaking Switzerland, can be viewed here: https://latele.ch/emissions/banc-public/banc-public-s-2026-e-18?s=1