Interviews

Christoph Schiess is Chairman of TANICA, a Chilean business group with diversified activities in real estate, tourism and hotels, mineral water, and other activities. In this interview, Schiess discusses the origins of the family business with the activities of his father, who emigrated from Germany to Chile in 1948. He launched Empresas Transoceánica (renamed TANICA in 2019) in 1954, and it evolved from trading to holding a diversified investment portfolio. Schiess took leadership of the group in 1998 following the death of his father, and it developed a strong property development focus. In the interview, Schiess talks at length on the decision to build an innovative corporate head office in Lo Recabarren, a plot of land his father had acquired decades previously. The building was noteworthy for its energy efficient air conditioning system and its striking curved shape, receiving the LEED Gold New Construction certificate, being the first to get this high certification in Chile. Schiess discusses the role of different members of his family in the business, and the family’s extensive investment in cultural and artisitic development, including the iconic Teatro del Lago, a wooden theater built over the waters of Llanquihue Lake. Schiess stresses the role of the arts and culture in fostering innovative and creative businesses. He explains his own commitment to fostering entrepreneurship in Chile, through his family office Igneous which undertakes angel investing, and through his role as Chairman of Endeavor Chile.

 Close