Swisscom chief found dead in apparent suicide Mr Schloter, 49, had worked for Swisscom for 13 years, and had been chief executive since 2006. The German national is credited with maintaining the company's profitability in the face of shrinking revenues and an increasingly competitive market for mobile operators. Under his leadership Swisscom, which is majority-owned by the state, made a big move into Italy with the purchase of internet provider Fastweb. Hansueli Loosli, Swisscom's chairman, said: "The entire workforce are deeply saddened and pass on their condolences to the family and relatives." Mr Schloter, a former employee of Mercedes Benz and the Stuttgart-based telecoms firm debitel, had talked of feeling disappointed at being separated from his children after his marriage broke down. In an interview with Schweiz am Sonntag, the Swiss newspaper, in May, he said modern communication had made it difficult for him to relax. Like many of Europe's large telecoms companies, Swisscom had suffered from the impacts of squeezed household budgets and regulation. Annual sales fell from €12.2bn (£10.5bn) in 2008 to €11.4bn last year, although profits had remained relatively stable. Swisscom said Urs Schaeppi, who runs Swisscom's domestic operations, would replace Mr Schloter on an interim basis.