Expert Profile



Mr Benno Bühlmann
Position(s) Head of the Integrated Risk Management and Civil Protection at GCSP

Benno Bühlmann serves as the Head of the Integrated Risk Management and Civil Protection at GCSP.

With more than 30 years of experience, he has deep expertise spanning Leadership, Strategy, Change Management, Risk Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, Civil Protection, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Business Continuity Management, Secure Communication Systems, Crisis Management, CBRNe-Protection, Natural Hazards, Environmental Protection, Climate Change, and Sustainability.

Benno holds a Master’s in Chemical Engineering and a Master’s in Natural Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ).

From 2014 until 2020, he served as the Director General of the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) in the Swiss Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), also as a member of the board. The FOCP includes several branches such as Civil Protection, Spiez Laboratory, National Emergency Operations Centre, Training, and Telematics.

During this time, he served as Chairman of the National Emergency Operations Staff in Civil Protection of Switzerland and Chairman of the Intervention Natural Hazards Staff.

Furthermore, he was President of the Swiss National Commission for NBC-Protection.

In former times, he was CEO and owner of his company Bühlmann Project Management GmbH.

At the beginning of his career, Benno served as the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of the Canton Uri, and in this function also as the Deputy Chairman of the Cantonal Emergency Operations Staff of the canton. Moreover, he was Chief of the Chemical Emergency Defence Department and Commander of a local fire brigade.

He is married, father of two daughters and grandfather to two grandsons.