About Hans-Rudolf Merz
Hans-Rudolf Merz (German pronunciation: [ˈhansʁuˌdɔlf mɛrts]; born 10 November 1942) is a Swiss politician who served as President of Switzerland in 2009. He concurrently served as a member of the Federal Council from 2004 to 2010 for the Free Democratic Party (since 2009 The Liberals). Born in Herisau, Switzerland, into an industrial family, Merz graduated from the University of St. Gallen with a Doctorate in economics in 1971. Upon graduation he worked for various banks as well as consultant in emerging countries before entering politics. During his tenure in the Swiss government he was mostly associated with the Swiss Banking Secrecy and the tax dispute with the U.S. (UBS affair) as well as the Libya-Switzerland relations, after the crisis stemmed from the arrest of Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Muammar Gaddafi. On 20 September 2010, a recording of Merz replying to a question about meat imports in the Federal Assembly became a viral video, drawing international attention.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.