Zug · Switzerland
Ladner Advisory provides senior-level guidance to companies across industries — from early-stage ventures to mature enterprises — bringing decades of relationship building, entrepreneurial drive and board experience to every engagement.
Discover Our ApproachWho We Are
Ladner Advisory is a boutique advisory firm built on a foundation of deep expertise in corporate law, venture capital, private equity, and international business development. We work closely with founders, boards, and investors to deliver clarity where it matters most.
Our work spans across sectors including deep tech, biotech, medtech, life science and financial services, bringing a cross-industry perspective that drives smarter decisions.
Our Focus
Rooted in Europe and connected globally, Ladner Advisory has a unique vantage point spanning Swiss, European, and transatlantic markets. We draw on a network of top decision makers to open doors and unlock opportunities for our clients.
Whether advising on governance, structuring investments, or scaling businesses, we bring seasoned judgment, entrepreneurial drive and direct, candid counsel to every engagement.
What We Do
01
We serve as professional board members and advisors, bringing independent strategic oversight and business development acumen to companies across sectors and stages.
02
Drawing on a distinguished legal career at the highest level, we bring decades of seasoned expertise in corporate structuring, transactions, and regulatory matters.
03
With direct experience in investing in and managing European investments for US- and European-based VC and PE firms, we guide complex capital decisions and advise on cross-border investment structures.
We welcome conversations with founders, executives and investors who value honest, experienced counsel.
Get in TouchAbout
Leadership – Network – Impact
Ladner Advisory was founded on a singular conviction: that exceptional outcomes arise from the convergence of rigorous legal scholarship, seasoned international business acumen, and a network cultivated over decades at the highest echelons of European and transatlantic commerce.
Led by Dr. Thomas Ladner — recognised by Switzerland’s foremost business publication as the country’s best connected business lawyer — the firm offers an uncommon breadth of expertise spanning board governance, venture capital and private equity advisory, corporate law, and cross-sector strategic counsel. We serve as a trusted and candid partner to founders, executives, and investors who demand not merely advice, but the kind of principled, senior-level engagement that opens doors and generates enduring value.
Leadership
Founder & Principal Advisor
Thomas Ladner started his legal career with the law firm Homburger in Zurich, Switzerland. From 2000 to 2004, he lectured on corporate law and contract law at the University of St. Gallen HSG from where he also holds a Ph.D.
In 2002, he joined what is today MLL Legal — one of Switzerland’s leading law firms — as their youngest Partner. In 2009, Thomas moved on to become Partner at a San Francisco-based private equity firm in charge of their European investments (until 2014) while simultaneously serving as Counsel with MLL Legal, a position he held until he joined a Silicon Valley-based VC firm as Venture Partner in 2024.
Throughout his career, Thomas has founded and co-founded various communities of business and thought leaders as well as technology and financial services businesses, two of which went public.
Building Communities of Business and Thought Leaders
In 1999, Thomas founded the Entrepreneurs’ Roundtable with chapters in Switzerland (Zurich and Geneva), Germany, France, Holland and Poland, bringing together 400 of the most influential European business leaders. Advisory Board (former or current) or community members of the Entrepreneurs’ Roundtable include the German Chancellor as well as ministers in the German government, members of the European high nobility, 30+ entrepreneur billionaires, as well as Chairmen or CEOs of some of the largest European companies, including AXA, BMW, Bosch, Continental, Deutsche Bahn, Kühne+Nagel International, Mercedes-Benz, Rewe, Rheinmetall, Schindler, Swiss Re and Thales, to name just a few.
He was also the Founding Chairman (today: Honorary Chairman) of the Club zum Rennweg and of WORLD.MINDS Foundation (today: member of the Board of Trustees) as well as the Founding Vice-Chairman of the Grasshopper Griffith Club. For seven years he served on the board of the Swiss Management Association (Schweizerische Management Gesellschaft SMG).
In 2025, Thomas started the WHAT NEXT initiative (assisting CEOs with their transition into non-executive roles) and founded ERT NEXT which has since become the most relevant community for the next generation of Swiss business leaders.
Next to driving the various business communities, Thomas acts today as a professional board member for Swiss and US companies active in the investment, construction, AI, medtech and biotech sectors, serves as a Venture Partner for a Silicon Valley-based VC firm, and is engaged at board level with the Swiss Society of Defence Technology (STA). BILANZ, Switzerland’s leading business magazine, describes him as the “best-connected Swiss lawyer”.
Get in Touch
We would love to hear from you
Whether you are looking for hands-on business development expertise, strategic counsel, board advisory, or simply want to explore how we can work together — we welcome the conversation.
Location
Zug, Switzerland
All enquiries are treated with strict confidentiality.