Infomaniak transitions to a foundation model to protect user data privacy

Since 1994, Infomaniak has followed the same path: privacy, environmental responsibility, and local roots. Thirty-two years on, these commitments are no longer just promises. On 13 May 2026, our founder Boris Siegenthaler transferred the majority of Infomaniak’s voting rights to a Swiss public-interest foundation: the Infomaniak Foundation. An irrevocable move, rare in Europe, that places the company beyond the reach of any takeover and sets its DNA in stone. For you, our customers, this means one thing: your cloud will remain Swiss, independent, and true to its values. Forever.

“Technology only makes sense if it improves lives, respects our planet, and strengthens our collective autonomy.”

— Boris Siegenthaler, founder of Infomaniak

Why now?

For a long time, Boris Siegenthaler had a different plan. Each year, he opened up the company’s capital to staff by handing over a portion of his shares. The idea was that the company would gradually become theirs. Thirty-six of them were already shareholders, holding 25% of the capital. A gradual handover, aligned with the company’s values.

But this plan remained fragile. If several employee-shareholders left at the same time, Infomaniak would have to buy back their shares, with financial costs that could become unsustainable. And above all, there was the question of succession: if Boris were to pass away, his heirs, who have no operational knowledge of the company, would have been immediately approached by investors. With a majority of voting rights, you control a company. You can change everything. Undo everything.

We needed an anchor point that no longer depended on a single person. The context made completion urgent: the acceleration of AI, takeovers of European cloud players, the strengthening of extraterritorial legislation, geopolitical tensions. And our responsibility was growing: millions of individuals and hundreds of thousands of businesses and institutions entrust us with their most sensitive data every day. We owe it to them to secure their choice for the long term.

What has concretely changed

The Infomaniak Foundation now holds the majority of voting rights in Infomaniak Group SA, in the form of special shares: a category that gives the Foundation a permanent blocking power and that can never be transferred. Boris Siegenthaler and the 36 employee-shareholders have all unanimously approved this transfer, accepting that the voting rights attached to their shares decrease accordingly. To date, Infomaniak has no external investors.

Concretely, this means that no takeover of the company is possible without the Foundation’s approval. Even if Boris were to pass away, even if an irresistible investor came knocking, control of Infomaniak remains in the hands of a structure dedicated to its mission.

Not a promise. Not an intention. A structure.

The two roles of the Infomaniak Foundation

It’s important to understand that the Infomaniak Foundation has two distinct roles.

A primary public-interest mission

The Infomaniak Foundation is first and foremost a Swiss foundation recognised as serving the public interest, one of the most demanding legal statuses under Swiss law: its statutes are signed before a notary, its public-interest mission is enshrined in its statutes, and it is placed under the ongoing supervision of the cantonal authorities of Geneva.

Its mission: to support independent projects in four areas that extend well beyond Infomaniak’s own scope.

Digital sovereignty and education

Ethical technology

Environment and biodiversity

Energy transition

This mission builds on initiatives Infomaniak has supported for years, such as DebConf (the international Debian developers’ conference), the 42 Lausanne project (a coding school), and Agent Green (an environmental NGO whose founder Gabriel Paun received the United Nations “Champion of the Earth” award in 2024).

The Foundation is funded by a share of up to 5% of Infomaniak’s annual profit. The more Infomaniak grows, the more projects the Foundation can support.

A role as reference shareholder, guardian of Infomaniak’s commitments

As the reference shareholder of Infomaniak Group SA, the Foundation ensures that the company remains true to its mission. It makes no operational decisions: it is a silent but powerful guardian, intervening only at critical moments in the company’s life.

Its guiding framework is the Shareholding Charter, whose 9 principles are detailed below.

The Foundation Board

Its Board has four volunteer members:

Marc Maugué, with many years of experience in the foundation sector in French-speaking Switzerland,

Jonathan Normand, a key figure in governance and positive-impact strategies in Switzerland,

Claire Siegenthaler, representing the third generation of a family committed to environmental and ethical causes,

Boris Siegenthaler, founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Infomaniak, who chairs the Board during an initial three-year phase.

The Shareholding Charter: 9 principles set in stone

At the heart of the structure is a founding document signed before a notary: the Shareholding Charter. This Charter defines what the Foundation must defend as Infomaniak’s reference shareholder. It sets out 9 fundamental principles that form the company’s DNA. These principles can be strengthened by the Foundation Board, but never weakened. That is what makes the commitment unshakable.

I. Independence

To ensure the means to remain faithful to the company’s mission and values over the long term, by subordinating profit to the project’s longevity and intended impact, in order to build, invest, and decide freely in the interest of future generations and the living world.

II. Digital sovereignty

To anchor technological mastery where the data resides. Sovereignty is built through mastery of code (open or local) and key skills, ensuring that technological value is created and retained within the local ecosystem.

III. Privacy

Data entrusted by customers remains their property or, failing that, under their exclusive control. It may only be used strictly to deliver the service requested. Any use beyond this, including the training of AI models, must be disabled by default and may only take place with explicit, free, and revocable consent.

IV. Environmental responsibility

The ecological impact of all activities must be avoided at source and continuously reduced. Procurement choices favour proximity to the place of operation, in order to limit transport-related emissions and avoid circumventing environmental standards. All CO₂ emissions generated must be offset through projects whose reduction effect is real, measurable, and verifiable.

V. Useful and accessible innovation

Technology must serve real needs, favouring open source and open standards. Any technical lock-in must be justified, documented, and periodically reviewed. Prices reflect the real cost of the service, with no rent-seeking or abusive margins. Essential digital tools must remain accessible to as many people as possible.

VI. Transparency

Transparency is the condition of trust. Telling the truth, acknowledging shortcomings, and reporting on results are absolute duties towards customers, shareholders, and employees.

VII. Local roots

The value created must primarily benefit the territory that made it possible. Jobs and suppliers are chosen by prioritising the local territory, then the continent, and only out of necessity the rest of the world. Offshoring driven by financial optimisation is contrary to the spirit of the founder and of this Charter.

VIII. Working life

The company is a place that supports those who bring it to life. Each person must practise work that is meaningful to them, and put that meaning at the service of a single requirement: respecting the customers whose trust makes the company possible. Working hours are respected, overtime is compensated, and pay is kept as fair as the company’s means allow.

IX. Sustainable prosperity

The sustainability of the company is a prerequisite for its independence and the fulfillment of its mission.